6 Small Business Marketing Strategies to Focus on in 2021
It’s the start of the new year, but as a business are you prepared? This past year was hard on everyone, and it pushed small businesses to think outside the box, pivot, and create an online marketing plan. As a blogger who is also a Digital Marketer, I want to share 6 Small Business Marketing Strategies to Focus on in 2021 which highlights some key areas to focus on this year to see improvement with your online presence (and possibly sales!).
Review your Branding and Audience
Whenever I have volunteered to teach via a webinar for WiNGS, I always encourage for businesses to ‘check-in’ on their branding and audience as a way to refresh and analyze any changes. Audiences change as our business grows, therefore it is important to review if our target audience is the same or different. You can also identify new audiences that perhaps you didn’t know existed before. The best way to do this is to analyze Google Analytics and also social media insights offered through apps such as Facebook and Instagram. It is here that you will be able to view your demographics and compare them to last year. The branding for marketing (logo, color pallet etc) may not need too much of a refresh but it’s good to look anyway to make sure your branding still fits you and your company style.
Content Marketing
This is always a tough one when I speak with Small Businesses. Trying to develop the right type of content for your online presence will be determined by at least 4 things; your company values, your target market audience, the message you want to convey and your business goals. Types of content to look into creating this year are:
Blogs
Video
IG Reels
IGTV
Youtube
TikTok
Social Media Post
Carousel Style or single (also known as static posts)
Pinterest Image
Instagram or Facebook Live
Webinars
Facebook and Instagram Advertising
There are two different forms to advertise, using the “boost” button to promote your content for “x” amount of days, or going through the more advanced option using Facebook Ads Manager. I would suggest learning how to promote your product or service by using the “boost” button which allows you to set your audience, and also your budget. The good news is this is a very affordable way to reach thousands of people, which is why I encourage you to set an advertising budget this year and get your business out there!
Boost your Email List
Not all businesses see the need for Email Marketing, but it’s highly effective! You are not only talking directly to clients, but you can segment out your list of subscribers and offer special discounts or promotions to gain sales. One way to boost your email list is to include a pop-up on your website to encourage subscriptions. Once you set up your email marketing (I use MailChimp mostly), be sure to share your sign up link through your social media and other channels.
Create a Social Media Strategy
You cannot create a social media strategy without knowing who your audience is. If it’s been a while, I highly suggest that you review your audience and demographics first before proceeding with a strategy. Once you have that down, it will be easier to think of what type of social media ideas to put out there.
Outline your Goals: I always see the SMART system in use when thinking about your strategy (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound). I personally just right down a short objective paragraph, and about 5 values, along with my goals on what I want to get accomplished. I try to keep it simple!
Establish your Audience: check out your analytics with Google (your website has to be connected to this first), and Instagram and Facebook analytics to view who your audience is.
Choose your Platforms: You don’t need to have all social media accounts. Start with two (the main two I see a lot of progress with are Instagram and Facebook), and then work your way into adding more accounts as you see fit.
Review your Competitor Profiles: This is pretty self explanatory. Be aware of who your competitors are. While you may not have the same audience, it’s good to view what type of content they are posting, and how engaged their customers are.
Establish a Budget: how much do you want to spend on Facebook ads and Instagram ads? Those two are the most affordable. Google ads is another option, but it can be more expensive. Do you want to hire someone to work on only social media? Check in on your budget needs.
Create Consistency: Scheduling Programs (or Automation) are great to use in order to have a consistent posting schedule. This is where you can upload content, input your caption (text), and schedule it to post to Instagram or Facebook on certain days and times. Check out Facebook Creator Studio (free to use), Sendible, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social to start.
Learn and Apply SEO
Search Engine Optimization, is one of those things that will assist all of the above in functioning to it’s fullest when applied. Here are some SEO Basics:
Backlinks: Using backlinks from other popular articles or sites that are rich in Google search, is what you want to sprinkle into your website or especially your blog. Keep your backlinks up to at least 3 minimum. Too many backlinks can cause google to think your site or blog is spammy and makes it harder to read.
Meta-links or Meta-tags: I’m placing this on here because it’s something i’m currently discovering and learning more of! There is an area on your site where you can include key words to help others find your site or blog better. Here is an article that explains a quick an easy guide to meta tags in SEO.
Blogs: Having a section where you write blogs, is a great way to boost your SEO.. At minimum, your blogs should be between 300-500 words or over. Additionally you can create a pin to go along with the blog post and include your blog link to the pin so users can visit your site (thus gaining more website views!).
Invest in E-Commerce and Webinars
It’s no secret that allowing for customers to shop online for your product or service is the way to go for 2021! There are many more webinars today that are being offered at low cost or free due to the current situation. Some e-commerce sites are Etsy, Shopify, Weebly, and commerce for Squarespace to name a few.
What areas out of these 6 are you going to focus on this year? Let me know below!
