One of the top ways to attract customers to your business is to create a Google Business Profile. This increases visibility in local search results, and your business will appear on Google Maps when someone enters a search like “business near me.”
To get your Google Business Profile to the top of the business listings, make sure all the information is complete and current. Establish your social media presence and connect your social media accounts to your profile. Get some reviews and respond to them. Respond to comments customers post.
Google provides free marketing tools like Google Analytics to show you how you are doing and optimize your online presence. Learn to use those to track website traffic and find ways to improve your online presence.
Develop a social media marketing strategy to attract and engage your target audience. Design your social media campaign on the platforms your customers use most often. If your business caters to other businesses, use Linked In. Young women are most often found on TikTok. Define your ideal customer and explore what platforms they use most often.
Publish great content on your website and social media platforms to demonstrate your expertise and build trust with potential customers. Provide tips and ideas that your customers can use to make their lives easier. Respond to comments and replies to your social media posts.
Use free tools like Canva or Visme to create high-quality infographics and visual content. Small business owners are busy people, and these tools will help you produce high-quality content quickly and easily using templates and suggestions from their websites. Use free posting schedulers like Hootsuite or Buffer to automatically post your content.
Develop an email marketing plan to nurture leads and encourage repeat business. Brick-and-mortar businesses can sign customers up for digital newsletters at the cash register, and online businesses can receive emails through social media or their website.
Send relevant content to your newsletter subscribers to keep them informed about your business and promotions. Make it interesting, attractive, and informative. It is a newsletter, not just an advertisement. Building customer trust is one of the most important ways to get repeat business. Use email wisely.
Use free email marketing tools like Mailchimp or GetResponse to create and send professional-looking emails. Their free options provide attractive templates and guidance.
Optimize for local search by including your business in online directories and review sites. List your business in review and referral sites like Yelp or Anji. This will help your business build credibility and attract new customers. You can also track your SEO rankings using tools like Moz or Ahrefs.
Get your customers by creating a referral program to encourage repeat business and attract new customers. Once you have developed a loyal following for your business, they will be happy to refer friends and family there.
Or start a customer loyalty program to reward repeat customers and build loyalty. Tools like ReferralCandy or LoyaltyLion can help you create and manage your referral and loyalty programs. These will help you bring existing customers back and maintain relationships with those interested in your products. This is especially good for places like coffee shops or restaurants.
As a business owner, you have extensive expertise in using your products. Host a webinar or in-house seminar to educate potential customers and promote your business. Most community bulletin boards and event-hosting sites will provide free advertising for educational events. Regular seminars in your area of expertise are a great tool for attracting new customers. This is especially effective at places like garden centers or hardware stores where DIYers shop.
Host a social media contest or giveaway to increase engagement and attract new followers. This can include a free product or service, recognition for something like the best Halloween decorations or the largest pumpkin, or other projects related to the products you sell.
To make the most of these suggestions, develop a marketing strategy to guide your marketing efforts and achieve your business goals. Your overall strategy should include a profile of your ideal customer, other small businesses you compete with, and the size of your customer base. Download a free marketing plan template to determine what you should include in your strategy.
Provide various content on your social media channels to communicate with potential clients at different stages in their buyer’s journey. Do a competitive analysis of other local businesses, especially any direct competitor. Use a variety of strategies, from blog content to posting on community bulletin boards. Find as many ways as possible to show your valued customers how much you appreciate them.
Review and adjust your marketing strategy regularly to ensure it’s aligned with your business goals and target audience. Many businesses assume that once the website is built and the strategy is set, they can move on to other activities. But things don’t stay the same. Redo your market research at least yearly to see how things have changed.
If all this seems too complicated or time-consuming, you can enlist the services of a local digital marketing business to assist you. They can provide technical SEO for your website, social media marketing, and a comprehensive marketing strategy. The money will be well spent if it makes your marketing efforts more effective, helps you bring in more customers, or drive traffic to your online store.
Lynn Ellen Doxon is a novelist and, with her daughter Lydia, the owner of Lyndia Digital Marketing, a marketing firm dedicated to the success of small businesses and creative professionals.
