Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
With the explosion of the Internet as a medium, it is no wonder that there are so many types of marketing strategies to choose from. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of the more popular ones:
Affiliate Marketing: This is an effective marketing strategy for both small business owners and website owners. It combines good old-fashioned word of mouth advertising and free e-books with paid marketing tools. However, this method is mostly used by people who already have a product to sell or a website to promote. Because of this, it does not apply to new entrepreneurs.
Video Marketing: This is also known as Web Video Marketing. It is another form of online marketing, which is often used by websites, small businesses, and even online marketers. Unlike the other two strategies, this type of marketing focuses on a brand or company's reputation. Producing videos today isn’t as expensive or complicated as it was even a few years ago. Even some of the topic thought leaders are simply using their iPhones to record content.
Content Marketing: This is also known as Blogging or Website Marketing. It is most often used by website owners in order to promote their businesses online. When done properly, this method can increase the value of your website or blog. This can be done with articles and links that link back to your website.
Direct mail Marketing: This method, which is also known as Automated Direct Mail, is very efficient and cost-effective. All that is needed is a large enough mailing list and your business can send out newsletters almost every week. A large mailing list can also help you determine how many people are interested in your product or service. This method is not recommended for digital businesses, but for local businesses it can still prove to be valuable.
Search Engine Optimization: This is the most common method used by businesses today for attracting customers. If your business name is a well-known one, then you can also try using this technique. It involves improving your site's page rank in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Email Marketing: This is an extremely useful form of marketing and should be used to its fullest extent. If you have a website that focuses on a particular niche market, then you can use email marketing to create interest. Using this form of marketing, you can communicate with customers through emails about the products and services that you have to offer.
These are only the most common types of marketing strategies available for small businesses. There are many more that you can consider. However, it is your job to decide what kind of marketing strategy will best benefit your business, and which one will fit your budget.