If you are a small business owner who is looking for innovative (yet tested and proven) ways to boost your company profile and to market to new segments of potential customers, then read this quick guide of five timeless marketing tactics that have been proven to keep on giving throughout the years. When you are a small business, you can’t always afford to outsource your marketing, and that’s why it’s so important to strategize and to build on what has worked traditionally. It’s true that to see new yields in your customer base you have to be willing to be innovative, but that certainly doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. Here are five tips that build on what those who have gone before you have done so well:
Tip #1: Launch an Email Marketing Campaign
In an Internet-driven world, you need to make use of email marketing. Sending a monthly newsletter with coupons or company news, or sending an email that invites customers to click through to your website for news and promotions are both excellent ways of marketing your company. Send email campaigns on Monday mornings for a better chance of clicking through and reading.
Tip #2: Send an Old-Fashioned Letter
Known as “letter boxing,” sometimes nothing quite beats getting an old-fashioned marketing letter in the mail. You need to know your audience for a letterbox campaign to work to your ultimate advantage, so consider sending a direct marketing letter or a flyer through the mail to market to audiences that are shown to appreciate mail.
Tip #3: Give Away Promotional Products
Although some may think promotional products are “gimmicky”, if done properly, they are a tactic and make awesome customer gifts. The key is to select a promotional product (with your company’s name and contact information printed on it) that the customer actually will use and care about. Take this for example; anytime a business has a “we’re green” type of marketing message, promotional tote bags make awesome relevant products. In other words, give relevant gifts that your customers are going to get some mileage out of instead of putting on a shelf never to be used again.
Tip #4: Follow-Up with Your Customers
After you’ve launched your campaign, wait. Then follow up. It’s important to get feedback from your customer base and to listen to their concerns. What do they want? How do they like the changes they are seeing? Consider a quick phone or email survey to follow up with your best customers. Offer them a promotion for completing the survey and giving you feedback.
Tip #5: Build Your Social Media Base
If you are going to be modern and with the times, you have to build on the traditional paper marketing campaign and take advantage of social media platforms. The best thing about social media platforms is that they offer an unprecedented way to reach potential customers, and engage with them. By learning how to promote your brand on these platforms, you can build an online audience, advertise promotions and create a sphere of popularity for your products and company.
Follow this quick guide of tested tips to improve your marketing campaign and increase your company profile. All it takes is a little strategizing and a little effort to boost your appeal and to make your customers happy. Hopefully, you will pick up a few more along the way.
Photo Credit: Flickr/crabchick
