Consumers are so “over it.” They do not tolerate commercial interruptions on TV; if they listen to the radio, they go for those stations with a minimum of advertising; they throw those mailbox flyers in the recycle bins. The point is this: consumers are smart, they know a hard sell, they don’t want to be disrupted, and they shy away from businesses that do these things.
In many ways, this is a huge gift to small businesses that don’t have a lot of advertising dollars. Effective marketing is no longer accomplished by filling the airways with lots of noise. It is accomplished by establishing relationships with audiences in ways that are not actually selling products or services. And this type of marketing is very low-budget – it takes knowledge, research and time, but not lots of money.
How It’s Done
So, you are a small business, and you want to make your mark on the Internet. What are your steps?
1. Start with a Great Website
If you hire a designer, there will be a cost, of course. But, even for a low-budget company, this is critically important. When visitors land on your site, they must be impressed and they must want to stay and navigate around a bit. It needs to be sleek, have great visuals, be really easy to navigate, and immediately capture attention. One of the most popular ways right now is an explainer video that shows the value and benefit of the product or service. Throwing in a little humor doesn’t hurt.
Example: To see one of the best examples of an explainer video that is fund, captivating, and shows value, hop on over to Dollar Shave Club and view the landing page video. This video was made for $2500 when the company was new, just a few years ago. It is now a multi-million-dollar business, and this video has had millions of views.
Make it easy for your visitors to “convert,” whether that is to provide an email address for more information or a discount, or to move right on to a purchase. The longer you can keep a visitor on your site, the more opportunity you have to show the value of what you offer and get a conversion.
2. Have a Business Blog
Lots of small businesses resist setting up a blog, and they should not. When visitors access a blog post, they are on your site, and this is always a good thing. You can do a lot when you get them there. You can educate them; you can entertain them; you can start a conversation with them; you can give them an opportunity to share what they read with their communities on social media. Your posts must target the needs and wants of your audience, and not your desire to sell them something.
Example: If you sell deck paint and stain, there are a large number of topics that will be of interest to people that relate to your products but do not sell them directly. Make an iPhone “how to” video with a regular person staining their deck; write about deck repair; write about types of deck materials; write about “winterizing” decks and deck furniture; write about other exterior topics related to landscaping, gardening, etc. During the warm weather seasons, you can write about outdoor cooking. You want to have topics that your target customers find interesting or funny.
If you give them something unique and new, they will share it. And you must make it easy for them to do so. Have sharing buttons on your posts. Also, make it easy for them to comment and ask questions.
A Word About Blog Post Writing: People want simplicity. And they don’t want long pieces of text. Writing posts is a special skill.
- You have to break up that text with headings, bullets, visuals.
- You have to have great compelling titles;
- You have to surprise
- You have to appeal to emotions.
If post writing is new to your, or if you fear you are unable to be creative, then spend the money and hire a writing service to produce your posts – at least while you develop your own skills.
3. Use Social Media Big-Time
If you know the demographic of your customer, then you can learn where they hang out on social media. And that is where you develop an online presence. You want to do the same things on social media that you are doing on your blog. Post content that engages and attracts your targets. Here are just a few ideas:
- Post funny and inspirational content
- Come up with your own holidays related to your product and celebrate them in funny ways
- Profile your customers and your employees
- Publish surveys and hold contests
- Get a mascot
- Get a cause and support it heavily. Offer to make a donation with each purchase; share photos of your participation in charitable events
- Offer special deals for sharing our content
There are a huge number of creative ways to engage customers and potential customers. Spend some time on those business social media pages that are competitors or that are related to your niche. See what is most popular and emulate those types of posts.
Above all, have patience. It takes time to master this new type of marketing. But it is what the ‘new” consumer expects and appreciates. Build your brand by building relationships, and you’ll be successful.
Guest article written by: Steven Mehler is an experienced writer, SEO expert and social psychologist that works as an editor at a local newspaper and a freelance writer at EvoEssay.com. He has a long-term experience in writing articles based on blogging, marketing, SEO and social psychology.