Starting 2014 Right With A Strong Marketing Strategy (That Won't Break The Bank)
One of my favorite resources for great small business growth ideas is Slideshare. I came across a compilation of 19 shoestring-budget strategies that will help you connect with your target audience without going broke – exactly what a small business needs to expand their presence and stay financially healthy.
Here are my suggestions to move these ideas to implementation.
1: Pick three out of the list and focus on them. If you try to tackle the entire list, you will do a mediocre or poor job for all of them. Then, once those are done, move to the next three. The greatest ideas fail at implementation because we bite off more than we chew.
2: Determine what you can outsource, and what you need to manage yourself. For example, if you decide to join a Chamber, you personally need to cultivate those relationships, so ensure you have enough time to be present in the organization. If you decide to write a blog, you need to build your editorial calendar and write your blogs, but can outsource the mechanics of posting and sharing.
As a small business owner, deciding how and where you will dedicate your very limited time is essential to your success.
3: Finally, if an idea isn’t working for you, pivot quickly. Drop the tactic and move on. It’s all about figuring out what works best for you at this point in time.
Here is the link to the complete presentation.
Here are the tips:
1. Establish a web presence
2. Join your local Chamber of Commerce
3. Claim your local Google listing
4. List your business on local directories
5. Ask your customer for online reviews
6. Optimize your site for mobile devices
7. Join a business incubator
8. Start a blog
9. Create videos and post to YouTube
10. Comment on blogs in your niche
11. Create a monthly email newsletter
12. Create premium content to collect emails
13. Establish a presence in social media
14. Optimize your site for search engines
15. Conduct a free webinar
16. Use QR codes in your print materials
17. Set up Google analytics
18. Start a contest
19. Cross-promote with another business
These tips have helped me launch two successful businesses. Do you have any marketing tips to skyrocket 2014? I’d love to hear from you.
Good luck!
~Marissa
