6 Ways to Promote Your Small Business

With so many buying options for customers, what makes your business stand out from the competition?

Gone are the days when word-of-mouth would solely do the trick. It still works, of course. However, to create awareness of what you sell nowadays, it's crucial to have a promotional strategy in place, especially if you're a small business. 

Lucky for you, there are many ways to create awareness of your brand and your products/services. The traditional tried-and-true methods and modern ones, i.e., social media and live selling. 

Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry; we’re here to help!

This blog will focus on 6 budget-friendly ways to promote your small business for the world to see. 

Let's start.

1. Engage Your Customers Online 

Many brands today recognize the potential of social media channels to promote and sell products. However, a majority are still clueless. 

Social media presents the perfect opportunity to personally engage with your target customers.

For example, replying to their comments, thanking them for purchasing from you, asking them to review your products/services, and more. 

If your customers feel heard, they will likely remember your brand. Plus, having excellent two-way communication with your customers creates brand loyalty, which in turn increases word-of-mouth marketing. 

2. Optimize your website

Remember in the first tip how most people research a product online before purchasing it? One of their first stops is the brand’s official website. 

It’s essential to use relevant keywords throughout your website so that your target audience can easily find your website when searching for things related to your business. 

The best way to do this is to write and upload blogs on your website, as it helps attract potential customers. 

It's how many businesses differentiate themselves from their competitors and builds a relationship with their customers; by providing them with informative content that's helpful to them!

3. List your business

If you have never listed your business on Google, this needs to be your first task after reading this!

By setting up an account on Google My Business, you can list your company on Google and direct potential customers to your products. 

It works like this: people search for a product/service relevant to your business, and Google shows them where to purchase from, including your business!

Pro Tip: You might already have a business profile and not know it. By claiming your business, you can fix any errors that deter customers. It also helps to legitimize your company. 

4. Ask for Customer Reviews

We recommend acquiring genuine, detailed reviews on Google, your website, and social media pages like Facebook. 

If you still need to be convinced, consider this: approximately 93% of people admit online reviews influence their purchasing decisions! 

Many customers forget to give reviews, so to motivate them to leave a review, you could offer them a discount on their next purchase as an incentive! 

5. Use Influencer Marketing & User-Generated Content

This is one of the best ways to spread the word about your brand. When a customer posts a photo, video, or unboxing, it provides invaluable exposure to your business. A potential customer seeing something like that is more likely to purchase the product. 

To incorporate this into your marketing strategy, prompt your customers to post about you on their accounts. Just ask! It's really that easy. 

You could always incentivize them through promotions or discounts if they post your product using a specific hashtag! But don't always ask for 5 stars. Most users will give those 5 stars even if they’re not being honest. And what’s the point of getting 5 stars that don’t mean anything?

In all honesty, a 1-star is excellent too! Just reply to them and show the world how professional and customer-centric you are trying to take care of the issue. At times, 1-star ratings with a professional business reply earn more street cred than a 5-star from a reader. 

Additionally, influencer-generated content could play a significant role in promoting your brand and increasing your sales. Wondering what influencer-generated content is? It’s similar to UGCs, except that content is posted by an influencer with a greater reach to promote your content.

Sometimes, you might have to pay for influencer-generated content. If your budget doesn’t allow that, you can barter and offer merchandise in exchange for promotional content!

 

6. Offer Incentives for Repeat Purchases

Nothing works like a good incentive!

To spread the word about your brand, you can offer your existing customers an incentive if they refer their friends and family to you. 

Furthermore, you could offer deals on your products/services, e.g., Buy one get one free sale (BOGO), to attract new customers. 

People might be hesitant to try new brands they might not have heard of before and need an incentive to purchase from a new brand. 

The Bottom Line

As a small business, your primary goal is to create a name for yourself in an industry filled with other well-established brands. Promoting your company is a great way to get yourself out there. 

It will be challenging initially, but you'll get the hang of it once you start.