28 Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses

You already have the idea of ​​your business, your brand, which areas you intend to act and even a visual identity.

But, the question always remains: “ how do I be found by customers, being a small company that doesn't have as high an investment as the others? "

The answer is: digital marketing.

Many may think that this strategy is expensive, however, it is not necessary to invest as high a value as large companies to have a good result.

With that in mind, Leadster prepared this text with the 28 marketing strategies for small businesses , follow the article to learn more!

The Challenges of Marketing for Small Businesses

There are many challenges that small businesses face with marketing, mainly because certain tools have value beyond the stipulated budget.

In addition, many of these companies think they don't need a marketer on their team, which can be a misguided "guess".

Below we separate four challenges that small businesses can go through, check it out!

Lack of resources

Many small companies cannot invest in marketing techniques, either for lack of money, manpower or time .

However, it is necessary to know that setting aside part of the budget, time of your work, technology and innovation are essential to focus on digital marketing strategies.

Leaner budgets

Many of the tactics and platforms that digital marketing demands can be over budget for small businesses .

That's why it's very important to plan ahead so you don't go over budget.

Competition from bigger brands

We also have the issue of competition , present not only in small and medium-sized companies, but also in larger companies with a well-established name.

Adaptation to trends and technologies

Finally, the small business entrepreneur will be faced with the challenge of keeping up with all the trends and technologies that involve the world of marketing.

In addition to trying to implement them in your business .

But don't worry, because marketing for small businesses isn't just about challenges.

Leadster brings you tips, strategies, plans and much more than you need to build your marketing plan.

Follow in the text!

Small business marketing plan

Nothing better than starting by thinking about your marketing plan , that way, you will be able to define objectives, goals, strategies, target audience and content that you can produce .

Below, you can see the step-by-step guide on how to create a marketing plan for your small business.

1. Do a Market Research

Before taking any step, it is essential to carry out a market research, only in this way will you know what your audience is thinking , what their pains are , which platforms are most active , their competitors , among many other important metrics for the your business.

2. Define your Goals

Already have in mind what results you want to achieve through digital marketing.

One way to set good goals is to use the SMART method .

Your marketing goals should be:

• Specific (specific);
• Measurable (measurable);
• Attainable (attainable);
• Relevant (relevant);
• and Time-based .

By meeting these criteria, your goals will be sustainable and convey greater confidence to the team.

3. Define your buyer persona

Through market research you will already have an idea of ​​who your target audience is, but it is always good to further characterize your customer , defining a persona, so it is much easier to put your strategies into practice.

Remember that your persona must have a back story , personality , and goals that you want to accomplish .

The more information you gather, the more your persona will be limited to a specific niche, facilitating your understanding and marketing practices.

4. Identify your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

The Unique Selling Proposition (USP) or, when translated, Unique Selling Proposition is what sets you apart from your competitors .

The USP is your Value Proposition , the reason customers buy from you and not from other companies with similar products.

Define your differential , a reason for the customer to buy from you.

Below are some questions to help with the process.

• What do you love most about your products and services?
• What special skills do you have?
• What makes customers choose you over the competition?
• How do your customers benefit by purchasing your services?
• What aspects do you highlight about your company when you present it to third parties?

5. Set the budget and metrics

Part of your investments and revenue must be allocated to the marketing area .

How, when and how much it is necessary to invest, it is up to you to decide based on your goals.

Now, to know how your strategy is going you need to follow some metrics , only then will you be able to make predictions about your business.

Let's go to some of them:

• Return on Investment (ROI);
• Number of sales in the period;
• Conversion rate;
• Net Promoter Score (NPS);
• Paid Media; and
• IF THE.

6. Create your strategies

Define which platforms you intend to work on, in order to become even more known.

Some of the strategies and channels available are:

• Site;
• blog;
• Social networks;
• Events / Networking; and
• Branding.

7. Create an Action Plan

Write down everything you intend to do regarding your company's digital marketing, that is, define what the actions, objectives, strategies, responsible and deadlines will be .

Also have a plan B , in case your initial plans end up not giving the expected return.

In this other post you check out some methodologies to define your action plan .

8. Monitor and Review

If you want to know how your marketing plan is progressing, monitoring established metrics is essential .

Only in this way will you know if you need to adapt or review some of the strategies, such as sales, content marketing, branding, etc.

Download Small Business Marketing Plan PDF

To make the process of implementing Digital Marketing in your company even easier,

Focus on rice and beans!

As we mentioned above, even though many digital marketing tactics and tools have a high cost, you don't need to focus on the most sophisticated strategies for your business to succeed.

Focus on the Rice With Beans (ACF) method , in it you will fulfill all the necessary steps for your marketing strategy to have good results.

Let's go step by step!

• Understand your business – understand your business model, establish metrics, predict impacts.
• Define sales channels and processes – which channels to use, sales types, other characteristics.
• Know the customers – best and worst customers, NPS, what their fears, desires and objections are.
• Analyze competitors – what they are doing, strengths and weaknesses.
• Find what makes the most impact on your business – what is the most important issue to focus on.
• Address this impact – develop a strategy to address this important issue.

28 Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

Now that you know what your challenges are, how to put together a marketing plan and what is the most appropriate method to be focused, let's get to marketing strategies for your small business!

1. Branding

Create a clear identity , in which customers "catch the eye" and are already able to associate your company, what it does and represents.

For this you must have:

• proper name;
• Logo; and
• Visual identity that conveys the idea of ​​your business to customers.

The more you fit your name in your advertising, social media, email marketing, among others, the more your identity will be recognized.

2. Have a website optimized for conversions

It's no use calling your user to your site if, when he accesses it, the page is poorly designed and difficult to understand.

Create a clear, objective, complete and conversion-optimized website , that way you will know how many visitors to your website have converted to leads.

3. Create specific landing pages for your marketing campaigns

A landing page (LP) is a single page created for a specific purpose , that is, to sell a product, fill out a form or carry out some promotion.

LPs must have compelling content and design so that people are persuaded to click and convert to your offer.

4. Write compelling CTAs

As another part of the lead attraction and conversion strategy, the Call To Action (CTA) is a short call whose objective is to arouse the user's interest.

The actions induced by the CTA can range from signing up for your website's newsletter, to starting a free trial of your product , so invest a lot in this strategy.

5. Build a content strategy

Use and abuse inbound marketing , it is through it that you can promote your business using content strategies.

That is, you must establish forms of content that help your business while informing your customers.

Let's go to some content formats.

• blog posts;
• webinars;
• podcasts;
• Marketing emails;
• Videos on YouTube;
• ebooks; and
• Case studies.

6. Create a blog

In addition to the blog helping the performance of your website, it has the power to give your business more authority , because through the blog your company shows how much it knows about the niche where it operates.

However, for your blog to be found in search engines, bet on SEO , a strategy that we will explain below.

7. Understand the power of SEO

It is with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that the organic traffic of your website and blog will increase , making the positioning of both improve in search engines such as Google.

To do this, invest in the right keywords for your business and check on platforms like SEMrush to find the topics in your area with the highest search volume.

8. Invite writers to write on your blog and social networks

A great strategy to give your content more authority is to invite people with specific experiences to produce the texts for your business.

Also, take advantage of contacts that can generate backlinks to your blog, that is, they write on their own pages and redirect to yours.

9. Look for co-marketing opportunities

Bet on shared promotional campaigns , in this way, the resources of both companies are used, the audience increases and a positive return is generated.

If you are in doubt about which companies to look for to make the proposal, think about those that are not your direct competitors and that have a similar audience to yours.

10. Build relevant partnerships

If you already have professional contacts in mind that have to do with your business, don't waste time and turn them into your brand ambassadors .

Keep in touch with these professionals in order to form partnerships.

11. Experiment with social media marketing

Social networks are essential for any type of business , whether small or large.

It is on networks that you can engage even more with potential and current customers.

By betting on these platforms, you will also be able to:

• Increase your brand recognition;
• Increase targeted traffic to your website;
• Generate leads;
• Distribute content;
• Support customers; and
• Increase influence in your marketing planning.

See which social network is most appropriate for your company and start investing in it!

12. Use videos in your strategy

According to a survey by Forbes , 90% of consumers say that videos help them when making a purchase decision .

The same research shows that companies with videos in their marketing strategy see a 41% increase in their results .

So, don't waste this opportunity and start thinking about how to use these videos on the platforms – social networks, YouTube, website – that you use to promote your company.

13. Don't forget your email

As much as many don't think about it, email marketing brings very positive results for your company's marketing.

Research points out that 59% of marketers claim that email is their biggest source of ROI , in addition, they also report that this strategy is one of the first lead generation channels.

So, be sure to use it, whether with newsletters, product disclosure or promotions.

14. Test PPC

Pay-per-click (PPC) is another marketing strategy, in which the advertiser pays every time a user clicks on their advertisement.

Even if there is a cost to the advertiser, the results are very positive , as their ads reach a much larger audience .

Below are some platforms to bet on PPC:

• Facebook;
• Instagram;
• Google;
• YouTube;
• Twitter; and
• LinkedIn.

15. Use Google Ads

Google Ads greatly increases your chance of being found by potential customers .

The tool makes your company name appear before your competitor, for example.

So, put on the scale which investments you want to make, because the tool is paid, but it will bring you a lot of results.

16. Use Facebook Ads

With Facebook ads you can create even more specific ads , that is, filter your audience by age, gender, location, interests and habits .

In this way, your user's experience with your advertisements is more personalized, making them even more persuaded to click and get to know your brand.

17. Offer free consultations and rich materials

For your potential customers, offer a free consultation, focus mainly on those who are in doubt whether to buy or not .

Offer rich materials for him to feel even more secure to purchase your product or service.

18. Use Guerrilla Marketing

The technique of guerrilla marketing is based on the element of surprise , and can use viral videos, publicity stunts or even street art.

This strategy intends to shock the public, catching their attention in the most unusual way possible.

Also, one of the main strengths of guerrilla marketing is: low cost .

19. Create buzz with public relations strategies

When launching a new product or service, do not miss the opportunity to make a press release and contact major publishers and communication vehicles in your niche to publish it.

20. Use Google My Business

Great tactic, especially for companies with a local customer base .

Google My Business makes it so that the moment the user searches for the service you provide, your business appears at the top of the search .

21. Generate local recognition

Make your company recognized outside the online universe .

You can start by doing local events – that way your chance of appearing in the news media is great –, sponsoring other companies, holding workshops, non-profit events, among others.

22. Participate in online conferences and events

Take advantage of the opportunities for events in your area of ​​activity, see which ones make the most sense for your company and prepare a presentation in order to increase your professional partners even more .

Also read: Main Growth Strategies to Apply in the Company

23. Perfect your “elevator speech”

This strategy has to do with “word of mouth” .

Learn how to present your company to those who have shown interest and curiosity, do it briefly, objectively and concisely.

Also take the opportunity to cease all doubts that the person may have.

24. Network in person and online

Networking is the best strategy for you to find more professionals in the sector, promote your business and create even more authority .

So take advantage of every opportunity you have, whether in online or in-person events.

25. Create a community around your brand

Conquer as many customers as you can, use your marketing strategy to make them fans of your service or product .

In this way, these customers will advertise it on the networks, carry out the word-of-mouth strategy and interact even more with your business.

26. Maintain a solid relationship with your customers

Create a relationship of loyalty with your customers , try to connect with them as deeply as possible.

Show them that their problems, complaints, and desires matter to all areas of your small business.

27. Request testimonials from your customers

Feedbacks or cases are essential tactics for you to attract new customers .

Always ask what your current customer is thinking, ask questions, see if they have any suggestions or complaints, that is, always listen to them.

And leverage positive testimonials as social proof for your business.

28. Discover Conversational Marketing

With Conversational Marketing, you can maintain a real-time relationship with your lead or customer.

This strategy addresses all stages of the funnel, providing personalized service that simulates human behavior and providing all the support your customer needs.

To do this, use chatbots like the ones Leadster provides, and see your website's conversion rate increase by up to 3 times.

5 Mistakes in Marketing for Small Businesses

Now that you already have almost 30 strategies in your repertoire to apply in your marketing planning, nothing better to complete than the five mistakes that small businesses make the most in this area.

Below each of them is explained, check it out!

1. Not having a Marketing Plan

We have already talked here about the importance of this tactic, after all, if you don't have a plan, how can you walk with your company?

You need to get organized, set goals and track metrics to really get some results .

2. Invest Everything in the Same Strategy

It is necessary to have more than one option when it comes to marketing strategies.

You don’t have to “shoot all over the place”, but it is necessary to invest in more than one strategy to reach audiences from different channels and consequently generate more results .

3. Prioritize Social Media and Forget the Site

As much as we are in the age of social media, most of your customers will find you in search engines , so always keep your website up to date.

In addition, people can even find your business through the networks, but be sure that at some point they will access your website.

4. Not Measuring Results

If you don't follow your metrics, it won't do you any good to make predictions for your business, because they won't have any basis.

Without measuring results, you will not develop your marketing strategy.

5. Ignore the Competition

Ignoring the competition is turning a blind eye to those who can “steal” your customers.

Also, one way to measure your results is to compare your metrics with the competition.

Common Questions in Small Business Marketing

When entering an area that is not of your speciality, such as marketing, it is common for some questions to arise.

With that in mind, Leadster has separated the top 3 questions you may have throughout your marketing planning!

Is small business marketing expensive?

Small business marketing doesn't have to be expensive, it should fit within everyone's budget.

How much you will spend depends on the financial reality of your business .

Is marketing for small businesses necessary?

Yup. Marketing is essential for any type of business.

Marketing is responsible for all marketing intelligence, promotions, disclosure and sales of a company, so yes, marketing is indispensable for small businesses.

Dealing with your company's marketing: do it in-house, outsource or use another company?

There is no ready answer to this question.

It all depends on your business situation.

Think about what your goals are, what your budget is and what your needs are .

Once you answer these three questions, you'll be able to define which tactic is best for your company's marketing.