Marketing has been part of human lives for centuries. Good old methods such as referrals and word of mouth have sold products and services before modern communication came to be. Major advancement in technology has helped propel marketing to exciting and faster results. Here are some ideas to boost your business today.
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1. Ask for Referrals
You may have high quality products and services, but unless you talk about them, not many will know about them. Talk to your earliest customers about the products and ask for their reviews on what you can improve. Ask your customers to refer one more client to you, and you can offer an incentive for every new customer who comes through referral.
2. Put up Attractive Signage
If your shop is in a physical location, invest in a well-designed sign. The signage will naturally direct prospective customers to your premises. Ebert Signs states that 35% of customer find out about local businesses from seeing its sign while passing.
Signage will be costly to design and put up, but the returns are worth the investment. You’ll need to pay for the requisite licenses to have it on public display, as well as pay for its security. However, you’ll recoup your investment because the value of an on-site signage is equal to 24 full-page newspaper ads every year.
3. Constant Surveys
A survey helps a business owner understand the potential client’s needs and pain points. The business owner will then analyze all data collected and come up with appropriate solutions. Create a survey to understand what your consumers like, how they like it done and at what cost.
The survey results will send you to benchmark with similar businesses on issues such as pricing, so you’re not offering prices that are out of reach. Benchmarking will give you ideas such as how to package products, and other after sale services. Through constant surveys, you’ll know what to improve on, and what to stop doing, to remain relevant to clients.
4. Take Your Brand Online
While the traditional marketing techniques are still useful, it won’t hurt to get your business into the digital space. In fact, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the reach your brand will get in the digital space. Billions of internet users turn to Google to ask even the most mundane questions.
Prepare your business in a way that an internet user will enjoy interacting with. Consult a web designer who can capture your business needs and construct an easy-to-use website for you. Finances Online found out that local queries make up nearly half of Google’s two trillion yearly searches.
5. Invest in Business SEO
Getting your business online is one step, getting it known and successful is another. According to Ready Cloud, 18% of all retail sales are done online, a number expected to reach 22% by 2024. Today’s customers search in Google for product reviews before making a purchase.
Your business rankings on Google matter. That’s where SEO expertise comes in. Invest in content that speaks to your potential customers, with the goal of getting them to buy from you. They may or may not buy from your business, but any Google searcher will appreciate reading or watching valuable information from your website.
Hire an SEO expert who will create content for your business website. This person can also handle online interactions with customers, including answering their questions. Get your business social media handles created and constantly updated. Engage with the social media community by answering their questions, giving useful comments and suggestions and being generally approachable.
Marketers agree that Google is a powerful tool for business. Learn how to do digital marketing for your business by taking short online courses. Google offers many of those to businesses. After applying these ideas, the secret is to stay consistent until you start reaping fruits. Good luck!
