Marketing Ideas for Small Business Owners

An orange seller, used car salesman or manufacturers need marketing.  Running a profitable business is no bed of roses especially startup companies.

Whatever the type of business such as service oriented, retail or wholesalers without proper marketing the business may fail. Even if the business attracts reasonable customers you need to position your enterprise to make profit.

 The best way to achieve profitability is through marketing.
60 low cost Marketing Ideas for Small Business Owners

 Types of Marketing

1 Branding

2 Advertisement placements

3 Pricing

4 Introducing a new product

5 Freebies

6 Discounts

7 Public relations

8 Direct marketing

Create a Marketing plan

The first important step is to realize that without a marketing plan there would be little improvement. Creating a good marketing plan is important to your business success.

 Marketing is a very critical business strategy that attracts new and existing customers. In order to have a good marketing plan the following areas should be thoroughly explored.

A workable marketing plan should work on a budget and develop a strategy. There is no need to overspending to get your message across.

 Your strategy could involve promoting your business to a target audience and demography. Another consideration is adequate research into the current and existing trends.

This is done by taking a crucial look at your competitors to learn what they are doing right or wrong. After doing the research settle on a marketing strategy.

Marketing Tips

Type of marketing

There are many types of marketing platforms to take your business to the next level. Some of which are branding, advertisement, pricing, giveaways.

Other marketing strategies are ‘Buy one Get one free’, discounts, public relation, direct marketing, media and electronic.  More marketing strategies are better product, new quality products and advertisement placement.

 Direct marketing could involve hand bill, posters, banners and paid advertisement placement.

Marketing your Skill

Why promote your company

Top of Form

• To increase Sales
• Attract clients
• Gain more publicity

Bottom of Form

Why Marketing

Marketing allows the business owner test the pulse of his customers. Understanding their needs and shopping preference provide valuable information.

 The business owner uses this informed to streamline strategies to grow the business. Marketing diligence using statistical data to effectively increase your organic growth is important.

Organic growth may emanate from increased purchasing power of customers. This translates to more products purchased and a new customer base.

 Old customers attracting new ones giving the customers better choices. Doing your research before embarking on a marketing strategy reduces the risk.

Knowing your customers preferences optimizes your marketing plans.  The data helps in the marketing process by helping to reduce costs.

Other benefits involve a reduction in cost of production and increased sales. There are many ways to launch a marketing strategy some of which are highlighted bellow.

Using a Marketing Research Company

The common practice when a business wants to start a marketing campaign is to employ the services of a marketing company.  Both large and small enterprises use their services for better results some of which are insight generation which involves tested strategies that are consumer oriented.

 They provide branding opportunities with the aim of profitability, by identifying the need of the customers through new products or services with an aim for profitability. Market leaders know the power of branding their products or services, proper branding can transform an ordinary product into a premium one.

Customer Rewards

The purchase and reward system is a very effective tool to deploy when marketing your products or services.  Many top brands us this method to shore up sales, appreciate old customers and get new one all in one marketing plan.

Customer rewards can be all inclusive or exclusive to only established customers.  The marketing strategy depends on the focus of the business. Customer rewards may include giveaways, discounted products, high end limited edition offers and so on.

Affiliate Discounts and Gifts for Old Customers

Marketing tips for your small business could involve offering old customers some sort of incentive like free discounts.  Buy two for the price of one or small royalty on sales is a tested way of encouraging old customers to introduce new customers to the product.

Online affiliates that use this format abound giving incentives, coupons and cash rewards for every new paying customer an old customer introduces to the product or service.

Market Research

The business owner needs to do market research before he can determine the type of marketing that could effectively represent the business. Market research is done by professional marketing service providers for a fee or through surveys.

They use questioners, hand outs, door to door participation, research, and random interviews. Other methods are employing the use of focus groups and customer demography.  

All of the above is simply to offer better services to your customer base through proper pricing, packaging and after sale service delivery.

Budgeting

The business should work within its means, having a huge budget channeled towards marketing does not always translate to increased sale. The business should use only the amount they can afford and tailor the marketing strategy to fit the budget.

The lower the budget the more unhands approach is needed.  The bigger the budget the more professionals you can hire to execute your vision.

Questions and Survey as Marketing Tools

Surveys and questioners are important when gathering data that would be used as a guide for marketing campaigns. The quality of the information is only as good as those interviewed so adequate useful and correct data is very important.

The researchers play an important role in gathering this data by doing field work.  They need to ensure full compliance including quality questions and respondents.

Customer Service

Having a good marketing machine without top customer service is doomed to fail. You get people interested in your product and the response time from your end is inadequate.

 Business owners should invest in their staff so customer service and experience is flawless like a well oiled engine. Telecommunication businesses and commercial banks usually have well train and effective customer service.

 Without such responses they would not only lose business but their customer base.

Blogging as a Marketing Tool

Every business needs to have an online presence whether it’s a website, blog or social media presence. Ignoring the full potential of the internet places the business only within its immediate environment.

 Having an online presence is easy and an effective marketing tool. The entrepreneur could pay a developer to build a website or use the numerous free and paid hosting platforms to build the blog.

Most free hosting websites have readymade templates and easy to use formats.  The two top websites are blogger and WordPress.

Upgrade and post new content regularly and remember nothing puts off a customer like unresponsive button. Make sure your links or tags including a toll free phone number for customer service works.

 Other things are free promotions, freebies and branding.

Using Media Platforms for Marketing

The common practice is using electronic media like television advertisements, radio jingles and paid interviews which are all very effective.  The business can sponsor an occasion or event targeted at their business core customers.

 If the business is involved with products that have something to do with the youths, then targeting the youths through musical concerts or programs. Newspaper advertisements are also very effective marketing tools.

Product Pricing

The products price might be the stumbling block to success. Without correct pricing there is no competition and the potential customer may seek other products despite the higher quality of your product.

A good example is a 450kg sachet of powdered milk. Although top brands have a wide reach and better branding more relatively unknown brands seems to steal the market through product pricing.

 They offer the same quantity at a reduced price thereby allowing the shrewd buyer purchase the lower product and denying the premium brand a paying customer.

To run a successful marketing campaign the business should effectively merge direct marketing, good sales and services.

A well priced product and customer satisfaction equates to sales and profitability. A marketing campaign is all about new and existing customers and making profit.

Active Participation in Online Activities

We have highlighted the need for a small business to have an online presence.  The owner can take it a little further by getting involved in discussion groups.

Join forums, social networking, commentary and other online activity with a view of marketing his business to the members. You can get more follower and new customer’s.

The business should use social media such as Facebook, twitter, MySpace and other online communities. The business could take advertisements like banners or text links.

Business Networking

 Market your business through a networking platform where professional meet and exchange contact.  The business owner might reach people that make a difference to his business.

 Business networking is an effective way of drumming up new business prospects.  Other places that business owners network is joining associations relevant to the business.  

Join communities that do the same type of business, go to parties and attend seminars and network.

Technology in Marketing a Small Business

The use of technology covers direct marketing SMS and email listing.  It helps identify demography, spending pattern and so on.

The direct impute from modern devices like smart phones, i pad, mini laptops make marketing research and survey gathering seamless. It’s effective and reduces poor communication skill, invalid data and laziness of the field agent through real-time GPS monitoring and location finder.

Write Articles

If the business owner has a flare for writing he can join an article directory.  Write content that could complement the product or service.

 The article should reflect the advantages associated with buying into the services or purchasing that particular product. Using online press releases is an effective way of introducing new products to the general public.

 It is not limited to your immediate environs but the entire world. Blog posts and content contributory websites work.

Exchange of links as long as it is not spamming could also direct traffic to your blog. This method could increase the visibility of your website and attracting potential customers.

 Effective Use of Down Time

When business is sluggish and slow use direct marketing.  Re-introduction the brand, use effective bulk marketing structure, one on one contact, open house and engage your customers in interesting ways.