Marketing a small business

Marketing a small business is quite different from larger businesses. For one, you won't have access to a large marketing budget like you with a large company. You also don't have the resources available that a big business does like partnerships. Small business marketing mostly consists of marketing to a target audience. Instead of hitting up everyone in your state with large newspaper advertisements, you will seek out local advertisements. If you have a niche market, you will focus on publications that they read like magazines or newsletters.

Knowing your target audience will help your business become more productive and efficient. You will be able to generate marketing promotions that are designed specifically for them, cutting out the time and money you waste on promotions that go out to general audiences.

Conduct market research through surveys on your web site or through social networking platforms. This is a great way to find out who your target audience is, why they buy your products and when they buy your products. Plus, you will also be able to gather information about the types of publications they read and where they go to find products you sell.

Small businesses need to focus more on low-cost marketing efforts. Online marketing is actually one of the best avenues for small businesses as you can participate in local pay-per-click advertisements. This way, if you are a local Chinese restaurant, you don't need to worry about competing with Panda Express and the larger food-chains. Use social networking sites to build your online presence and boost your credibility. Plus, the other benefit of social networking is that it is free. All you need to do is log in and respond to your customer's questions and concerns.

A great way to decrease your marketing budget expenses is to partner with other small businesses in your area. Look for non-profits or other organizations that want to do large things like newspaper ads, but they are unable to because of budget constraints. By talking to them about splitting the cost, you can both gain the exposure you need without the extra cost of doing so. Partnering with other local companies is a great way to build your credibility as well.

Since the other business may already have a reputation, you can piggyback on their reputation to build your businesses credibility. Simply having your names in the same sentence will cause people to take notice of this and they will look into your small business. Try to place business cards at their location or do a small marketing promotion that can be placed at their location. Of course, you will need to offer them the same return by placing their brochures or marketing promotion at your location as well.

Use press releases to announce your small business to the media. This is a great way to have a local story run about your business. If the news media likes your company, they may even come on-site to do a story on location. Press releases are also a great way to boost your credibility online. It allows customers to research a little bit about your company and it can help to increase your web site traffic, giving you greater visibility online.

A great marketing promotion for small businesses is to use your existing customers. Customer referrals are one of the best ways to gain new customers and greater exposure. Encourage your existing customers to refer their friends, but be prepared to offer them something in return like compensation, a discount, or a free product. Discounts are one of the best ways to get your customers to participate as it is basically like getting cash compensation just for telling their friends about your company.