9 Proven Growth Growth Marketing Strategies Every Small Business Shoul

At least half of all startups don’t make it past their first birthday due to a combination of different factors. Poor managerial skills, limited capital investment, and a lack of robust marketing plans constitute the key reasons why small businesses fail.

In this article, we shall narrow our focus to effective marketing techniques that small businesses can deploy to get ahead of the competition. The post shall highlight digital and traditional marketing strategies so you can pick one that aptly suits your business needs.

 

Digital Marketing Techniques for Small Businesses

1. SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is arguably the most effective online marketing technique. This method entails getting websites, blogs, and e-commerce stores to rank higher on search engine result pages (SERPs). Simply put, SEO is the reason sites like Netflix, CNN, and National Geographic pop high up on SERPs for search terms related to their respective industries.

The first step to succeed in SEO marketing is to engage the services of a specialist. Natalie Coyne prides herself on offering cutting-edge growth marketing tactics for small businesses located in and around St. Louis. She tailors her SEO strategies to meet the needs of each business.

Besides, Coyne provides different metrics to track your SEO performance. She’s the real deal for local St. Louis businesses looking for bespoke search engine optimization services.

2. SMM

Social media marketing (SMM) is exactly what the term implies. This type of digital marketing takes place primarily on social networking platforms and partly also on online community forums.

To paint a picture of SMM’s efficacy, it would interest you to know that Facebook alone has over 2.95 billion monthly active users. YouTube and Instagram enjoy over 2.7 billion and 2.35 billion monthly active users, respectively.

While most people are on social media for fun, a significant percentage are looking for something to buy.

3. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a special type of social media marketing where small businesses partner with famous internet personalities (influencers) through product endorsements.

The best thing about this digital marketing technique is that influencers don’t necessarily have to be experts in the products they’re promoting. All they need is a sizable following.

However, small businesses need to pick influencers wisely. You want to avoid scandalous or controversial internet personalities as these may harm your business more than good.

4. Email Marketing

Every email a business sends to potential customers technically constitutes email marketing. That’s regardless of its primary content.

Initially, achieving success with email marketing required employing a large marketing team, which only diminished the finances of small businesses. But with the growth of email marketing software, you no longer need to worry about spending significantly on email marketing campaigns.

Some email marketing apps are intelligent enough to tailor the message to the recipient, making them even more reliable than human marketing personnel.

 

Traditional Marketing Techniques for Small Businesses

1. Flyers

Flyers appeal to small businesses due to their affordability. This method is also effective for businesses trying to target local markets.

All you need is to print flyers and distribute them to mailboxes within your neighborhood. Remember to keep the message brief and concise. The focus should be highlighting your products and services while providing your contact information.

Print your flyers in color schemes captivating enough to seize anyone’s attention.

2. Posters

Posters tend to be more effective than flyers. That’s because there are various locations where you can display them, including public spaces.

Certain supermarkets and malls also provide free bulletin board spaces where small businesses can advertise their products.

As with flyers, the idea is to keep the message brief and to the point. You could also entice potential customers by stating that you offer free coupons, discounts, appraisals, etc., depending on the nature of your small business.

3. Referrals and Recommendations

We’ve highlighted the significance of enticing potential customers through deals and discounts. It’s such offers that make referrals an effective marketing technique.

Customers aren’t only looking for quality products and services. They’ll also be happy to buy from stores that offer amazing rewards.

Small businesses can leverage the opportunity to ask their customers to get the word out. The technique works best for online purchases, as clients can simply share the link to your e-commerce store on their social media pages.

4. Cross-Marketing

Cross-marketing is business-to-business referral marketing where small businesses partner to promote each other’s brands.

For instance, a customer visits your store looking for certain goods. You don’t deal in such products, but know someone who does.

Since you have a cross-marketing arrangement with the other trader, you only need to direct the customer to their store.

5. Event Marketing

The last marketing technique on this list also works best for businesses targeting local markets.

One key benefit of event marketing is that it provides networking opportunities. You can interact freely with attendees as you seamlessly pitch your products and services to them.

You could also join the sponsors list for a small price to give your brand an even bigger exposure. Don’t forget branded giveaways, such as t-shirts and caps.

Summary

Having a robust marketing plan can help your startup beat the competition. We hope you can pick a suitable marketing technique from the above list, depending on your business needs.