Advertising and promoting your small business is crucial because it can help you to:
- Reach a wider audience
- Boost brand recognition
- Stand out from the competition
- Drive leads and sales
When your name is in front of more potential customers—and you’re controlling the narrative around your brand—you can generate more revenue and continue to grow your business.
How to promote your small business
Four great ways to promote your small business are through:
- Social media
- A business website
- Advertising
- Community involvement
Leveraging these tools will help you reach more customers—if you use them effectively.
1. Maximize your social media impact
One of the best ways of advertising your small business is getting the most out of social media. Social media is a great choice because it is low cost, allows opportunities for customer engagement, and it can allow you to reach your target audience more effectively.
Focus on one or two social channels
If you want to increase your social media presence, start by choosing the social media formats that best fit your customers’ habits. Don’t try to be an expert at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok—instead, decide which platform (or two) would be the best use of your resources.
Post regularly
It doesn’t look great to post every day for two weeks and then go silent for months at a time. Instead, find a sustainable pace and keep posting regularly. A content calendar can help you schedule posts ahead of time and keep you on track.
Engage with your audience
Social media is a two-way conversation. Try to respond to comments from your followers in a genuine way—especially if they’re saying positive things about your products or services.
2. Make your website more relevant
Your website is a great place to tell your brand story. There are a few different ways to make your business website more engaging and relevant to your customers.
Do your homework
A little market research can go a long way. You need to understand the needs of your target audience so that your website will resonate with them.
Use strategic keywords
Understanding SEO and using targeted keywords on your website can help increase your hits from search engines and draw more potential customers to the site.
Keep your website up to date
Regularly updating your website with fresh, relevant content can make it more appealing to both regular visitors and search engines.
Make it mobile friendly
Many people browse the internet primarily on their phones, so you want to make sure your site looks great (and is easy to read) on mobile devices.
Add calls to action
Guide your visitors towards taking the next step, such as making a purchase or signing up for updates. This can be a simple as including buttons that say, “Learn more” that lead to pages with additional information, or links for additional recommended purchases.
3. Get better ROI on advertising
Advertising for a small business is all about making the most of your money. Small businesses are often working with limited funds, so it’s important to make sure your marketing investment goes as far as possible. Here are a few ways to get a good value for your spend.
Decide where to advertise your business
Not all advertising channels are right for every business. TV ads can attract a lot of attention, but they can also be expensive—often prohibitively so for a small business.
It’s important to consider your target audience and the type of product or service your business offers. You might get a better return on investment with digital advertising, which can be both affordable and more targeted to your potential customers.
Create a marketing budget
Advertising for small business doesn’t have to break the bank. A smart marketing budget can help you stay on track with advertising spending, and make sure you spend with intention. It can also give you a reality check when you start dreaming about more expensive options.
Use our guide to save
There are also several other ways to save, such as using referral programs, utilizing marketing automation tools, and more. Check out our guide to saving money on marketing to learn the details.
4. Get involved in your community
Marketing small business isn’t all about ads. Want to know how to promote your business locally? One of the best ways to do this is by connecting with your local community. This can improve your local reputation, increase your exposure, and even provide access to new customers. Here are a few different options you could pursue.
Collaborate with community organizations
Partnering with local schools, nonprofits, and community groups not only builds positive relationships in your community, but also offers a way to give back.
Participate in local events
Local markets, outdoor concerts, and local parades can be great opportunities to not only make sales, but also increase brand awareness. Find out how much it would cost to sponsor part of an event, or to set up a booth.
Work with others
Look into partnerships and collaborations with other small businesses in your area. For example, if your company sells granola bars, see if there are any local gyms that might want to partner with you to promote your product as an after-workout snack.
Why this matters
With the right approach, you can give customers a more personal connection with your brand and give them a reason to remember your business. Standing out from the competition isn’t always easy, but promoting your business is a great way to make it happen.
Keeping track of financials can be one extra task that may be limiting time you could be focusing on promoting your business.
BILL Spend & Expense software will keep your finances organized, help you manage expenses—and it’s completely free. Schedule a demo today.