Business owners always want the company to succeed. In order to reach that success it is really important to invest money in marketing. The problem for the small businesses is that they do not have the large marketing capital that the big companies have.
A local marketing company is your best bet but what you should know is that most of the smaller firms just have around $5,000 to spend on marketing per year. You could always look for more budget through various methods but the main focus should always be put on maximizing results with the budget you have right now.
How do you do that at a local level? Believe it or not, it is not that difficult to promote something properly from services that are really straightforward (like a restaurant) to those that are highly niche (like even selling Lycoming cylinders).
Here are some suggestions that are pretty effective:
Always Focus On Digital Outreach.
Most small businesses that sell at a local level will stay away from digital methods like SEO or social media as they think this is not going to help much. They just have basic websites set up. Small businesses tend to be overwhelmed by how many digital options are available. A good approach is to start as small as possible. Talk with the customers you have and then see how they found you. Learn about the information types that are going to be helpful like the influence of the price. Because you have to do as much as possible with the money you have available, such information is highly useful.
Offering First-Time Freebies.
Most people love receiving freebies and you can add this to your local marketing ideas list. For the small business that wants to get new leads, free services or products can do the trick. This can bring in new customers and will even help promote among their friends as they let them know about the deal. However, this gift should not be conditioned by things that are too complicated.
Special Promotions.
The brick and mortar company has an opportunity to host different promotional events with the local community being the target. Customer appreciation days or similar campaigns are always going to work really well on the long run. You can offer something as simple as scratch-off cards with small prizes.
Foot traffic tends to automatically increase when special promotions are available. The trick though is to use something that you know your customers are going to love. This is so much easier said than done. When you get it right, brand loyalty will increase and you will even turn first time customers into repeat customers.
Local Event Sponsorship.
You can even organize your own local events if this is something that you can afford. When that is not the case, sponsorship may be enough. Emotional engagement is what is activated with this. Companies end up giving back and they build personal community relationships at the same time. Events and sponsorships are very popular in marketing these days because of a very simple reason: they work. Putting up banners at events also give you the visibility you need to spread your marketing message. You can find various different reasons why an event can be organized, not just launching services and products as some think.
