7 Unique Small Business Advertising Strategies That Can Change Your Life!
by Abdul Aziz Mondal Small Business Published on: 22 February 2019 Last Updated on: 18 September 2024
If there’s one thing a small business needs to do, it’s stand out.
Over half a million small businesses start up each month. As one of them, you’re up against the big sharks in your industry and the schools of other fish swarming your space. A business needs to fight to carve out its territory, and it does that by standing out.
Small businesses should not abandon traditional marketing. Experts recommend that offline strategies that drive visibility, like putting up the best commercial flagpoles, can be an exciting way to spread awareness about the brand.
This can attract the right target audiences to your brand. Using offline strategies is an excellent idea for small businesses looking to attract local footfalls in their region.
That’s why we’ve put together these seven unique strategies for advertising for small business.
1. Run a Competition:
We all like a freebie now and then. Your customers are no different.
As a small company, you might think you can’t afford to give anything away for free. But this small sacrifice could bring new customers to your doors. Therefore, advertising for small business is an investment that pays for itself.
Organize a giveaway through your online presence, local media, or in-store. You’ll reach a catchment of customers who might otherwise have never engaged with your product.
The chance to win something free appeals to a primal area of the brain — which is also true of any good marketing technique.
Your entrants will remember your brand’s generosity even if they don’t win. You’ll have put yourself on their radar, which means they could seek you out the next time they need what you’re selling.
2. Social Media with Attitude:
Blah, blah, social media, blah. That’s what modern marketing advice can sometimes sound like. But you can find fresh new territory in social media if you go into it with a little attitude.
They’re not exactly small fry, but the Wendy’s chain shows us how it’s done. By getting sassy on social media, they stand out from the dull roar of marketing media around them.
Small businesses can use the same trick. Since you’re not held back by the stuffed shirts in a boardroom somewhere, you can bring personality to your business.
This could even take you viral, boosting your business signal.
Granted, this can be a tightrope to walk. Keep the tone gentle. You don’t want to get into unprofessional fights on social media and end up in a blunder.
3. Get Noticed on the Street:
Pounding the sidewalk might seem like the last century, but small businesses still have much to gain from old-fashioned legwork.
Setting up in a busy area with a lot of foot traffic can help you reel in customers from the street, whether to your brick-and-mortar store or online space.
Handing out a leaflet gives your potential customers something to take away.
Of course, you can always combine it with a freebie — no one said these marketing ideas are mutually exclusive.
You might question whether this is a creative idea, but in an age where everyone seems focused on the online game, it might surprise you how few of your competitors are fighting in this arena.
4. Support Your Community:
While we’re playing the local game, some marketing ideas for small businesses never die.
Supporting your community is one of those ideas. It’s an excellent way to establish a rapport with your customer base while showing you’re an ethical, community-minded company.
Is this relevant in the age of the internet? Ethical consumption occupies the mind of the modern customer. You show your stripes as a caring business if you support your community.
There are various ways to do this, from sponsoring a local team to holding charity events. The key is to get involved in what your community most needs.
5. Make Unlikely Friends:
A small business is a dorky kid in the playground. So why not do what they do and befriend someone who won’t get pushed around by the other kids?
Your business can do that by making some unlikely friends. You won’t be able to hitch your wagon to a giant in your industry — neither of you would benefit. Instead, aim for larger businesses that hover at the fringes of what you do.
If you run an office supplies company, for example, then ask your clients to back you up. There’s a good chance some of them will be larger than you. By promoting your products via their approval, you can get a leg up on the marketing game despite your size.
6. Stick Close to Customers:
Big businesses can afford to treat their customers as disposable. That doesn’t hold for a small business.
Don’t be afraid to be a little clingy in your promotional ideas. Of course, you don’t want to annoy your customers, but your customers are your lifeline in your early days. If you can keep them returning, you’ve built a stable foundation for future growth.
This kind of regular cash flow means everything to a small business. So, to inspire loyalty, catch up with your customers through newsletters and the like.
As patrons of a small business, they’re likely to be more receptive to keeping you afloat than the customers of a larger company.
7. A Pen (That’s Mightier Than the Sword):
Just getting spotted in a sea of similar businesses is one of the challenges facing the growing company.
That’s where promotional items can help you. Small business promotional items can turn your gifts and gizmos into portable advertising bombs for your business.
Anytime someone reaches for a pen or sip of coffee, they’ll see your brand. It’s not as glamorous as a name in lights, but it will get you noticed.
Marketing is a form of indoctrination, after all. Promotional items serve the same purpose as a catchy jingle in an ad or a viral meme. They don’t tell people much about what you do, but make sure people remember you.
And It’s A Wrap!
These tips for advertising for small business should get you on the road to reinvigorating your small business advertising with some tricks to make you stand out.
Don’t be afraid of the spotlight; embrace it. Showbusiness is a kind of business, after all. Are you looking for more marketing strategies? Check out our sales and marketing section.
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