While some companies have struggled over the last year due to the pandemic, many small businesses have managed to find ways to thrive. The next step for these companies is learning how to scale their products or services to accommodate more customers.
What are the best marketing strategies for a growing business? While traditional marketing has its place, customer acquisition in today’s stay-at-home world requires meeting customers where they’re at — online.
Is your business ready to scale?
Premature scaling is a leading cause of business failure. Before scaling, small businesses need to have the pieces in place to support increased demand and ensure continuity. This includes:
- LLC Operating Agreement. While some states, including Massachusetts, don’t require an operating agreement to form an LLC, every business needs established procedures for decision-making, financial transactions, and business succession.
- Policies and procedures. Written policies and procedures clarify expectations and create process consistency across an organization.
- Employee training. While policies and procedures reinforce employee training, they don’t replace it. Employee training should cover cybersecurity in addition to core competencies.
- Business tools. The more labor-intensive a business’s operations, the more difficult it is to scale. Invest in tools that streamline and automate processes such as marketing and advertising. Marketing and advertising processes are critical to growing your company, so what can’t be automated should be outsourced.
Customer acquisition strategies that grow with you
It’s common for businesses to rely on one-off customer acquisitions through networking and word-of-mouth marketing in the early stages. A scaling company, however, requires scalable marketing strategies.
Optimize your digital presence
Digital marketing is cost-effective and produces results. However, it’s easy for small businesses to get lost in the crowd. These optimizations help your business get found.
SEO
Do you have a business website but few visitors? Search engine optimization is critical for website ROI, but many small business owners skip this step due to a lack of expertise. Unfortunately, that leads to little organic traffic and lots of site abandonment.
UX and website design
Business websites should be intuitive to use whether you’re on a desktop, tablet, or mobile device. Google Analytics and conversion rate optimization tools can help businesses understand how customers move through their site and reveal pain points in order to improve the user experience.
Social media
In addition to a website, companies need to be active on the social media channels where their target audience hangs out. You can accomplish this by using social listening tools to assess your current followers and those of your competitors.
Invest in paid advertising
Unfortunately, algorithms make it difficult to get a small business in front of new eyes organically. That’s where paid advertising comes in.
Paid social media
Pay-per-click ads, boosted posts, and influencer-generated content are three social media tactics that increase a brand’s visibility. When crafting a paid social media strategy, consider your goals and cost-per-impression budget.
Paid search
Businesses can also place ads on search engines to reach customers seeking a product or service like theirs. The targeted nature of search advertising ensures not a cent of your marketing budget is wasted.
Geofencing
Brick-and-mortar businesses in particular benefit from geofencing, a targeted search method that uses mobile GPS to advertise based on location. In addition to being cost-efficient, geofencing is highly scalable.
Deepen customer relationships
Customer acquisition is only half the battle. Businesses also need to factor customer retention into their digital marketing strategy.
Content marketing
Content guides customers along the journey from brand awareness to brand loyalty. A good content marketing strategy doesn’t just sell, however. Effective content is useful, informative, and strategic. Email campaigns, culture blogs, and guides are a budget-friendly entry point into content marketing, but for truly powerful content, turn to video.
Opt-in experiences
Customers don’t want to be bombarded by irrelevant advertising. However, when companies deliver advertising in the quantity and timing customers prefer, response rates skyrocket. Email campaigns, including newsletters, are the classic opt-in marketing method with proven success rates.
When you’re ready to grow your business, don’t wait for customers to come to you. These digital marketing tactics grow brand awareness, generate leads, and turn first-time buyers into loyal customers. If you’re ready to build a digital marketing strategy that scales with you, connect with the Allen Roche Group for smARt, results-driven advertising. Call 978-304-4110.
-Chelsea Lamb, BusinessPOP