Advertising your small business is not always a simple task, especially if you are unsure about which platforms and tools to use
Knowing how to promote your small business properly provides you with more opportunity to grow while maximising your online reach, generating leads, and earning revenue.
With the right tools and marketing tactics, you can advertise your business to your target audience, at the right time and within budget.
PPC/Google ads
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) marketing is one of the most common and popular forms of advertising online. Using PPC ad campaigns is an effective way to reach your intended audience, giving you a chance to create multiple advertisements simultaneously to see which works best.
Using Google Ads, you can target very broad or specific search terms. You can aim your ads directly at people looking to purchase, or you can capture an audience that’s only at the research stage. It depends on where in the sales ‘funnel’ your business wants to attract potential customers or clients.
PPC marketing is highly advisable once you are already familiar with both short and long-tail keywords that are most effective at reaching and appealing to your target audience.
If you’d like to find out more about outsourced marketing services, give us a call on 0115 671 3868
Social media ads
Since the advent of social media, it has become a go-to resource for individuals and professional online marketers alike. Instead of just search terms, you can target social media ads towards particular populations, e.g. mothers under 25 living in Manchester.
Using social media to create new advertisements and campaigns for your small business is a great way to make the most of your budget while taking advantage of in-depth data and analytics.
Social media ads come in the form of sponsored posts or promoted ads, using photographs, graphics, and even video media to spread the word and share your message while representing your business.
Some of the most popular social media platforms for marketing campaigns include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even Pinterest. If your business targets a younger age range and demographic, consider working with platforms such as Snapchat while implementing live videos and daily stories with your current following.
Social media marketing can be hugely beneficial – it gives you the proper tools to monitor and manage each campaign. Use these tools to learn more about the wants and needs of your intended users and followers. Home in on your target demographics with specific keywords and by using A/B testing (testing one ad design against another) to discover which method of communication and marketing works best for those you want it to reach.
Create a posting schedule once you have launched social media pages to represent your brand. Consistency is vital when you want to maximise your online reach.
Share updates regularly and try to avoid significant update gaps. Being inconsistent can quickly lead to fewer opportunities and lower exposure for small businesses and brands. This is especially true if you’re just getting started on building an online audience and following.
Generally speaking, social media campaigns should be part of a wider social media marketing strategy – click the link if you’d like our help creating yours.
Retargeting ads
After you have created your first campaigns and online ads, launching a retargeting ad campaign is a must to optimise your marketing strategy. Use retargeting ads once you have data from people who’ve engaged with your main campaigns.
Retargeting ads are delivered only to people who have already seen an earlier ad. There are two significant benefits to retargeting: first of all, retargeting ads are cheaper to buy and, secondly, your audience is more likely to convert because they have already seen your offer!
Retargeting can be used as part of a Google Ads campaign, in Facebook advertising and pretty much anywhere else you can buy digital advertising space.
Email campaigns
Although social media and PPC marketing campaigns have become increasingly popular in the last decade, it is still worth investing your time into running effective email marketing campaigns.
Email campaigns are more intimate than traditional ads and sponsored posts and our experience in running them for clients tells us they work!
Use email marketing campaigns to speak directly to your subscribers; people who have a genuine interest in learning more about your small business and what it has to offer.
Make email marketing work hard for you by collecting and monitoring the engagement each email gets from subscribers.
Target individual groups of your current email newsletter subscribers based on their past behaviour as it relates to your small business. Create segmented email lists to focus on subscribers who are first-time visitors, users who currently have items in their virtual shopping basket or individuals who are loyal and long-term followers.
Email campaigns are instrumental in building a strong sense of community among your followers. At the same time, email marketing provides you with an additional method to track and monitor the engagement of your audience.
Video media campaigns
Millions of advertisements and promotions are shared with users on social media and across the web each day. With ad blindness on the rise, creating an effective marketing campaign requires a bit of creative thinking and brainstorming.
Using video media is one way to stand out from the crowd, especially when you choose to use social media to promote your small business.
Video marketing can drastically increase the amount of engagement your online presence receives, especially when your brand understands exactly the right way of presenting to your market.
Videos and animations provide you with the opportunity to share the message you intend for your audience in less time and using a format that is easy to load and relatable to all users, regardless of the demographic you want to reach.
Guest blogging
Guest blogging is a tried and tested method of growing the presence of a small or online business. Networking with other individuals who own similar websites or blogs like your own is a great way to make waves in the market or niche you represent. Reach out to those who run sites that are relevant to your own to find out about the possibility of guest blogging.
Guest blogging on another website is a way to share your knowledge or expertise regarding a topic that is both relevant to your own business and the audience of the site you are posting on.
It’s also a phenomenal way of getting respected and relevant websites to link back to your own, which is great for improving your site’s SEO.
Providing others with the opportunity to guest blog on your site when you are first getting started is an excellent way of bringing their audience to your platform.
Geo-targeted ads
Geotargeting has come a long way since the very beginning of the Internet.
Today, using both PPC and social media marketing provides in-depth features for geotargeting and reaching your target audience based on their age, gender, specific interests and, of course, geography.
You can also use geotargeting ads to learn more about your most active users while gaining valuable insight into locations which provide you with the most leads and engagement. Geotargeting is great if you only supply services and products to a specific area.
SMS/MMS mobile ad campaigns
SMS and MMS mobile ad campaigns can be highly effective if you are interested in building an audience with the use of smartphones. However, they are also viewed as intrusive when poorly done, so use them with care.
Because most web traffic today is due to mobile browsing, offering SMS/MMS mobile ads can drastically increase your website’s traffic and lead generation, especially once you have developed a substantial subscriber list and following.
Use SMS advertisements to share exclusive deals and promotions while sending reminders of new content or product releases to individuals who have subscribed for updates.
QR codes
QR codes provide a unique method of advertising, primarily if your small business sells physical products. Use QR codes on the packaging of your products to give customers secret or exclusive links, discounts, or exciting information.
Display advertising
Display advertising is often considered an original form of online advertising as it allows you to share banners, buttons, and text links on specific websites across the web.
While display advertising has become less effective due to the increased use of ad blockers and browser plugins, it can be beneficial for small businesses in a highly specific niche or market.
Display advertising works best once you have established your small business and have connections with relevant websites that are popular with a high volume of traffic. It also helps to have a decent budget and optimised conversion funnels because advertising in high-traffic locations is expensive.
Using display advertising is a way to create a campaign that promotes brand and business awareness to those who have a use for your small business and the products or services you provide.
Native advertising
Native advertising has become increasingly popular with the advent of social media. Native advertising includes ads and campaigns that appear as specialised sponsored or guest posts for users browsing social media and other relevant platforms.
Use native advertising campaigns to blend in while promoting your small business and driving traffic to your website or online eCommerce store. The key here is to make sure your copywriting is high quality and serves your business and audience well.
Popular companies and brands use native advertising to generate more online followers while increasing engagement on individual campaigns they launch.
If you’d like to find out more about outsourced marketing services, give us a call on 0115 671 3868
Chatbots/automated marketing
Chatbots and automated marketing solutions are on the rise for both small businesses and existing corporations. Chatbots can be implemented with a live chat function on your website to help reduce the human resources necessary to communicate with all of the visitors your site receives.
Use chatbots to gather information or to redirect customers to the appropriate page on your website based on their wants and needs.
Chatbots are useful to collect, organise, and interpret data of people who visit your website or interact with the bots themselves. Live chatbots are optimal to boost your brand’s professional reputation online while also providing additional customer service for those who need help shopping or learning more about your products and services.
Branded business apps
Consider developing and launching your very own small business app for both iOS and Android devices. Branded business apps provide your loyal customers and followers with an individualised platform to learn more about your products while conveniently accessing items and shopping from any location.
Use branded business apps to share important news and updates with your current users while promoting upcoming product releases or exclusive discounts for those who currently have the application installed.
Watch out though, apps cost a lot to develop, can take a long time to come to fruition and there’s no guarantee of success. Make sure there’s an appetite for one before embarking on this route.
Specialised ad campaigns
Specialised ad campaigns require a bit of creativity depending on the market and niche you intend to reach. Use websites such as eBay, Etsy, and even Amazon to showcase and sell your products, providing you with even more exposure than when you choose to use traditional ad platforms.
Specialised ad campaigns are optimal for small businesses with little to no current followers, allowing you the opportunity to spread the word of your products while also promoting the name of your company and brand.
In addition to promoting your products, specialised ad campaigns can be beneficial to your website’s SEO, especially when using big name companies to share your products such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.
Radio advertising
Radio advertising has become more affordable with the expansion of the Internet and alternative media outlets on which to promote campaigns.
Use radio advertising if you are targeting an audience who spend plenty of time driving to work or travelling with their family. Radio ads can pique the interest of prospective customers while heavily promoting brand awareness.
Podcast campaigns
Consider promoting your small business with the use of popular podcasts that are relevant to your company and the market you want to reach. Create a voiceover ad campaign while reaching out to relevant podcasts to implement campaigns that are engaging and motivating to listeners.
There’s also opportunity to launch your very own podcast once you have an established audience of followers. It’s remarkably easy to get started today and you can use your podcast to speak about relevant topics that are most useful to your loyal customers and listeners while generating additional brand awareness.
To sum up…
Understanding the most popular ways to advertise your small business is essential to avoid missing out on opportunities to attract new clients and to solidify a name for yourself in the market or niche of your choice.
Need help? Just get in touch with our friendly team through our contact form, or click the link to email us directly. We’ll tell you about the best ways to get the results you deserve.
If you’d like to find out more about outsourced marketing services, give us a call on 0115 671 3868
