Top 6 Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

Top 6 Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

Marketing is the game of influencing minds.

It revolves around creativity and involves smart decisions.

Marketing has evolved from traditional fliers and holdings to hashtags and endorsements.

Did you know that up to 17% of marketers have decided to use podcasts as their next marketing breakthrough?

This statistic alone explains the transformation of marketing in the 21st century.

Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with your small business marketing.

Mike Volpe

Whether one looks at the success of establishing diamonds as priceless possessions of a woman or whether we look at the pink for baby girls/blue for baby boys debate, it is visible that high-budgeted marketing in the former has made massive changes to viewership and lifestyle.

However, the reality of small business marketing is that you don’t necessarily have to spend thousands of dollars on a campaign to convert your potential buyers into existing customers.

The age of digitalisation has introduced the world to a myriad of nifty ideas that have helped marketers reach their goals and more.

We believe that draining one’s bank account in the availability of affordable options is a rather stupid idea – make sure you don't do this!

To help our readers, we combed countless digital resources to shortlist the most pocket-friendly marketing ideas for small businesses.

Whether you own an Etsy store or a cosy coffee shop at the end of the block, here is a list of small business marketing ideas that any startup can make sure they use.

So get your note-taking gear out; it’s time for brainstorming new marketing ideas for small businesses!

1 – Make best friends with social media

Social media is business marketing’s best companion – it's an excellent way for business owners to spread the word about their product or service.

It helps develop a secure connection with existing customers and brings more customers to your doorstep (real/virtual).

A strong presence on relevant social media platforms can boost your sales and help you find the recognition that your business truly deserves.

Being consistent in your posts and spontaneous in your response does not require much investment other than your time and effort.

We suggest that you take your time finding the best platform for your small business and then hack into the list of successful entrepreneurs with your effort and hard work.

It is an unwritten rule of thumb that Instagram and Facebook are ideal for any lifestyle-related stores such as restaurants, boutiques, and craft shops.

Twitter works well for academia, while Snapchat is perfect for the contemporary vibe of millennial existence.

If you own an online leather jacket store, there’s no harm if you start a style blog too.

The blog will help you remain relevant on the internet and lead to views for your leather products.

2 – Hire a local photographer

Once you have pushed yourself and made business pages on relevant social media platforms, you must get your products a professional shoot.

This does not mean that you need to hire the highest-ranked commercial photographer.

This goal can instead be achieved through the help of local, up-and-coming photographers who have the skill and knowledge but lack experience.

Such photographers will not only accommodate your professional demands but would also benefit from the exposure your posts get them.

A mutually beneficial agreement of this sort will push them to become your photographers of choice and agreement.

Many digital creators on platforms such as YouTube hire local photographers to cover personal events or photoshoots.

The local photographer would help you relax and live in the moment.

They would let you focus on the task you are best at instead of broiling in stress about learning a new skill or going to an annoying friend for a favour.

You and the local photographer can make both teams up for a long-term agreement which will help you design an excellent theme for your content while also giving the other party a chance to expand their portfolio.

However, you are responsible for making the photographer feel comfortable and not exploited.

They may lack experience, but their knowledge and skills are not to be disregarded.

Remember that any publicity is good publicity for your small business marketing.

So if a local photographer finds you hard to work with, they can inform others and make it hard for you to get affordable photoshoots from photographers around town.

3 – Create eye-catching graphics

Graphics will always be the centre of attraction, whether you market your products through old-school print media or follow the millennial social media trail.

Puns, animation, and illustrations are various forms of visual techniques that help businesses.

You can take help from a professional graphic designer to help you with infographics and develop a visual theme that we will discuss later in the article.

Your posters, pamphlets, and business cards would all need a catchy image to attract attention.

What could be better than hiring a local graphic designer from the classified sections?

Creativity in graphic design is a sure-shot way of garnering attention for your business.

Whether you decide to play with the “from my head to-ma-toes” track or go ahead and define a new course for yourself, it’s entirely up to you.

The added effort of a local graphic designer would help you create a ‘local’ image that comes in handy for brick-and-mortar businesses because it creates the idea for the people, hence why these values work wonders in towns that appreciate their lineage of old citizens.

The regional theme in graphics is ideal for business in the South.

4 – Concentrate on content quality

Any form of written marketing, whether online email marketing or on paper, needs a prompt use of words and attention to detail.

You cannot publish material written by a fifth-grader on your social media or business card.

Hence why content management agencies are your helping hands.

If you feel that you cannot create content that resonates with your audience, or you lack the time and ability to make credible posts, then depending on an outside agency would only bring you good.

If your content isn’t driving conversation, you’re doing it wrong.

CEO, Small business owners

Agencies hire professionals who know what they are doing and will try their best to bring you the desired results.

B2C marketers understand the significance of SEO in digital marketing and its critical role in developing a brand image in recent years.

86% of B2C marketers have stated content marketing as the most effective in terms of conversions.

Many such companies help reduce your content creation woes and let you concentrate on other minutiae that could be troublesome if left unmonitored.

5 – Try the traditional marketing ideas for small businesses

In the superfast, innovative, and contemporary society, if you take a step back and try conventional marketing methods, there’s a significant chance of success.

Guerilla Marketing is the term for freeform marketing techniques applied on the roads and everywhere for publicity.

You can use classroom chalk to write your social media handles or contact information on your door.

Paint graffiti on the wall, release printed balloons or distribute free stationery and car magnets with your logo as cheap and effective marketing techniques.

Email marketing lists, text marketing, and local event pitch could take you much farther than your expectations.

Email marketing has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches—at scale.

David Newman

Traditional marketing ideas for small businesses could lead to an eccentric marketer who loves everything old-school.

Your small business will boost its (online) engagement and visits if word gets out about your unique way of doing things.

Whether you decide to hold a puppet show on the sidewalk to attract people to your craft shop or whether you play jazz to gather more people in your café is up to you.

Alternatively, offering a buy one get one free on your website would help create a buzz in your initial business days.

6 – Create a theme

Whether you own a brick & mortar store or are engaged in e-commerce, a specific theme for your store can work wonders for you.

Have you ever spotted the infamous glossy lips logo of Kylie Jenner Cosmetics or the burger logo of Burger King and recognised the brands even from a distance?

If yes, you have already experienced what a consistent theme does for a business.

You, too, can apply similar techniques of thematic marketing ideas for small businesses.

To illustrate with an example, we can open a hypothetical small business in the middle of town.

It’s a coffee and croissant shop with a minimalist theme of simple furniture and vintage art.

The shop has plain pamphlets printed on recycled paper and a few assortments of plants throughout.

The simple plants-vintage-minimal theme can easily be followed on social media, in customised mugs and even on napkins.

All of these will help your store gain recognition and become word-of-mouth referrals by the local visitors.

Conversation with customers will increase sales, even if the product or service is never mentioned.

George Farris

Almost all of the marketing ideas for small businesses we have discussed above depend on little investment of money and a lot of your time and effort.

A few hours of creative thinking and management can help you create marketing ideas for small businesses – taking it to a much larger audience.

All you need is a relaxed mind and spirit of creativity with practical utility, and you are sorted for life!

Top marketing ideas for small businesses quotes

• “Content marketing is the only small business marketing idea left.” ~ Seth Godin
• “Stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in.” ~ Craig Davis
• “Make your customer the hero of your stories.” ~ Ann Handley
• “Your brand is so much more than what you sell.” ~ Jon Iwata
• “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” – Simon Sinek
• “Market like the year you are in!” ~ Gary Vaynerchuck
• “Don’t find customers for your products; find a way to get products for your customers.” ~ Seth Godin
• “Content is king, but distribution is queen, and she wears the pants.” ~ Jonathan Perelman
• “Content is the atomic particle of all digital marketing ideas”~ Rebecca Lieb
• “Make your marketing useful; people will pay you for it.” ~ Jay Baer
• “Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” Andrew Davis
• “Help your customers, and you help your business.” ~ Leo Burnett
• “Business has only two functions – marketing and innovation.” ~ Milan Kundera
• “Email Marketing aims to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” ~ Peter F. Drucker
• “The sole purpose of marketing ideas for small businesses is to sell more to more people, more often and at higher prices. There is no other reason to do it.” ~ Sergio Zyman
• “What decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form.” ~ David Ogilvy
• “Marketing aims to make selling superfluous.” ~ Peter Drucker
• “Marketing takes a day to learn and a lifetime to master.” ~ Phil Kolter
• “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” – Seth Godin
• “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Last update on 2023-09-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API