Marketing any business requires some serious forethought and planning, which is why top firms often employ specialist in house teams to deal with the task. Regardless of the methods they use, these people try to create awareness and promote the brand to the widest audience possible with the level of funds available. Sadly, most of us don’t have this luxury, and so we’re left with no choice but to perform the job ourselves. This is why I’ve taken the time to write this long post today. The budget techniques are out there; you’ve just got to identify them during the early stages to ensure you don’t end up wasting money on less fruitful endeavors.
So, you probably want to know a little more about the methods other small business owners find useful, right? Well, luckily for you, I’ve spent the last month or so performing some extensive research online and have finally managed to uncover 8 of the most frequently used successful marketing techniques of 2013. Hopefully, from the information listed below, you should be able to replicate the positive results produced by others and stand a real chance of competing in whatever industry you intend to dominate. Still, no method is foolproof, and so it’s necessary for you to remember that old saying “if at first you don’t succeed…..”
1 – Targeted Advertising
Thanks to multinational giants like Google and Facebook providing some of the most effective and precise targeting solutions ever concocted, getting your business noticed by the people that matter has never been quite so simple. Obviously you’ll need to spend a considerable amount of time familiarising yourself with the software and how it works, but once this is done you’re free to start your marketing campaign instantly, often seeing almost instantaneous results. Some people seem to think this form of advertising is expensive, but in reality, it’s actually one of the cheapest solutions available and usually the most fruitful.
Not convinced? Then just try it out for yourself. I’d advise you start with Facebook or another social media website before moving onto the more advanced service offered by Google, as this will make the transition much smoother.
2 – Web Affiliates
Before the internet came about, much more emphasis was placed on the importance of networking with other businesses. Since the birth of the digital age, this idea has wavered somewhat, but I firmly believe it’s just as vital to success as it ever was. Sure, you can get lots of traffic to your website with targeting marketing and by producing interesting content, but linking up with other relevant firms and promoting each other can be just as advantageous.
Let’s presume you own one of the many reputable companies that provide UK essay writing services to their clients. Now, although you might be doing fine off your own back without any assistance, can you see how beneficial it would be if homework websites and other related online portals were to link to you and recommend your services? I think you’re starting to get the picture now. Networking is essential, even in the online world!
3 – Free Giveaways
People love getting stuff for free, especially from the comfort of their own homes by simply sitting down at their computers, which is why running competitions or giveaways can be a really good way of attracting new clients and customers. You don’t have to break the bank and do a deal with a major car brand to achieve this, just look through your own product range and see which items you think are most suitable. I recently noticed a new brand on Facebook who managed to get over 300,000 likes on their page by offering a single free t-shirt, so you can probably see just how beneficial appearing generous can be.
If you agree, then it might be a good idea to advertise this giveaway through the usual means to gain some extra interest. Also, let people know you’ll be picking the winners at random, as this will encourage many more entries than you might otherwise get.
4 – Press Releases
These are absolutely brilliant for drumming up attention and creating a buzz around your firm and the products or services you supply. It’s vital that you employ the services of an expert professional writer if you want to see the best results, and although this will obviously cost some capital, it’s usually worth it in the end.
Alternatively, an internet search should throw up many results from companies who specialise in creating quality press releases and taking control of the entire process for you. Although their charges are often very high, they know exactly how to deal with distribution, which is something that would take you a long time to get your head around. This is why I think they might be a good solution for anyone who’s never done think sort of thing before.
5 – Yellow Pages
Still as popular as ever, the Yellow Pages moved online quite some time ago, and though they do still release a printed book every 6 months or so, much of their business is now focused on the internet community. If you’re selling something online, the chances are you’ll need customers from much further afield than those who own local shops, so you’ll be glad to know the new Yellow Pages website is accessible from all over the world and currently ranks very high in both the UK and US.
To the best of my knowledge, it only costs around £150 per year to have your own page, and with that comes the ability to rank at the #1 spot within their website for two chosen keywords. You’d be hard pressed to find anything quite as cheap with the potential for this much exposure, so make sure you get them to include a link to your own website too, as traffic is likely to increase significantly.
6 – Marketing Agencies
Presuming you’ve got enough capital set aside for substantial online advertising, it could be wise to get in touch with a few different marketing agencies to see what they can offer you. Most will guide you on matters relating to SEO and will use the money you give them (minus their commission obviously) to promote your brand using the most effective techniques at their disposal. There’s actually a boom going on at the moment in the world of creative content marketing, so don’t be surprised if you notice your company name appearing in blog posts all over the internet, as it’s actually a very cost effective method of producing immense popularity in a short timeframe.
Also, these marketing experts will be the ones best placed to advise you on anything that could be done at your end to increase awareness and sales. Sometimes firms have pretty poor websites, and this can lead to potential customers feeling less than confident about spending their cash – a marketing agency will help you out with this.
7 – Newsletters
Once you’ve managed to score some regular customers, it would be silly to let them forget about you, and so sending out weekly email newsletters detailing all your latest offers and any new products is usually a good way of ensuring your company stays at the front of their minds. At the same time though, you don’t want to get a reputation for spamming people, so make sure you only send these newsletters when you actually have something interesting to say; otherwise you’ll find that people will start unsubscribing at an alarming rate.
Again, you could employ the services of a professional writer to construct the bulk of your content, as they will know exactly how to make the text catch the attention of your readers. However, if the quotes you receive are simply too far outside of your budget, advertising the job on a freelance website could be the way forward. The quality probably won’t be as good, but at least it will be better than if you wrote it all yourself.
8 – Free Content
Finally, if you’re really struggling for links and you’ve already spent most of your allocated marketing funds on other things, contacting blog owners yourself and offering to provide them with free relevant content will help to produce the results you desire. All you’ve got to do is find a way of relating that content back to your company, so you can get away with including a URL linkback. The people at Google are smart, but they’re not that smart, and so search results can be manipulated using this process, though it’s likely to take you a long time to complete on your own.
Well, that’s all from me this afternoon. I would have loved to stay longer and discuss things in a little more detail, but unfortunately my talents are required elsewhere for a few hours. Hopefully I’ve given you enough information to make a start, and within a few weeks you’ll have more new business than you can comfortably handle.
Onwards and upwards!