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When you get the idea for your business you may be a buzz of excitement and optimism for the next steps. Starting the business is possibly the easiest thing to do, but what about the next steps in terms of moving your business forward? Many people have started a business in the last twelve months because they have had more time to consider it. There are a lot of attributes to get your business off the ground. However, the truth is a business needs a good marketing strategy to reach out to the right people and to the right customers. So what should you try? 

Often you may feel overwhelmed by all of the options available to you and that is understandable. How do you know whether you are using the hashtag, the right campaign and also what is needed to make the right decisions for your business. With that in mind, here are some of the tricks of the trade when it comes to marketing trends and what you can do to make the most of it.

Old school methods still work

Back in the day, when there was little or no technology around to reach people instantly, you needed to work that little bit harder to advertise your business. Most of the time this included things like leaflet drops and printing out information, but this method can still work for you as a business. There are a lot of websites that can offer great printing options and then it is a case of distributing them out to the local vicinity and beyond. Many people are wanting to support local businesses right now, and shop small so this could be a great way to help improve the reach of your business. Radio was also a popular method years ago, and again, this could still work for you as people still enjoy listening to the radio and the information they get from them. A decent advertising message and campaign could make this work for you. So don’t discount the old methods, you may find that this could be an excellent method to try. 

Prospecting is a good idea

One of the hardest things about generating new business is prospecting potential clients and customers. If it isn’t your idea of fun, that is understandable, not many people enjoy the cold calling side of pushing a business. After all, calling people when they are not necessarily expecting the call may not always be pleasant. But a great tip is to utilize the customers that have made contact and then haven’t progressed with their enquiry further. The trick is to find out why. You may be surprised as it could be something simple as not having the answer to their question on your website or wanting further information and consideration. The more you focus on this area, the more you may find that you start to convert missed customers and make that all important sale for your business. 

Having a marketing strategy 

It may sound obvious, but having a strategy when it comes to your business could help you to make the most of it. This is marketing in all avenues, so it could involve leaflets, radio, TV or social media advertising. A marketing company could help you to finalize what is best for your business. Whether that is tech marketing for a specific trade or niche, or marketing with a focus of an industry in mind. A marketing company can help you to understand your target audience and then you will know what direction that you want to take.  

Having a responsive website

Marketing is one thing, but if your website or the place you are directing your customers to go isn’t up to scratch then this is where you will lose customers. It is important for you to ensure that you do what you can to have a responsive website. This means that the page loads up quickly, that you have decent pages and a responsive ecommerce page for customers to place orders and make purchases. This is an essential aspect of any marketing plan, it is all well and good having the customers, but if you can’t complete the transaction you will lose them. 

Being present in your local community 

Your local community is a great place to start when it comes to your marketing strategy. So many more people would rather support a local or smaller business these days, so advertising locally could be a good option. It might be that you write up a press release for your local paper, there are plenty of websites that have tips on how you can write yours. Or it could be that you sponsor local events and get involved within the local community to get your business name and brand seen and heard. The more you focus on the local community, the more you can become the expert in your field in your local area. This is the aim for many as you want to be the sole provider of what you do within the vicinity. Most people want to support local businesses, now more than ever, so this is something that you can capitalize on. 

Doing social media differently 

Finally, social media is by far the avenue people choose when it comes to marketing their business effectively, and I can understand why. So you may want to think about doing things a little differently. Perhaps using your personality instead of making every post business focused. Or maybe you could use other tools within the social media platforms like live video, for example. Taking a closer look at your imagery and content could also be advantageous to your business. The more you place a focus on this, the more you can extend your reach and do more for your business. Social media is one of the easiest and more efficient ways of advertising your business. 

Let’s hope that these tips and tricks help you when it comes to marketing your small business.