Eight simple marketing strategies for small businesses

As a small business owner, you will want to set yourself apart from your competitors. However, with so much information available online, you may be unsure where to begin, or not have a budget for sponsored advertising. There are simple ways in which you can raise the profile of your business – online and on social media – without spending a ton of money or effort. Here are eight effective tips to get you started:

1. Correct your listings
When looking for companies, searches for “near me” are increasing – specially on desktops – at an exponential rate year after year. They’ll become much more crucial when voice search becomes more popular. It’s estimated that 22 per cent of voice searches are dependent on location.

Make sure to claim your Google My Business profile if you haven’t already. This is your most visible listing, since it will appear whenever someone searches for your company.

2.  Submit requests for review
Customers rely on customer reviews. It’s preferable if you have a lot of reviews. That’s why it’s crucial to ask your consumers for feedback. This is the type of social evidence that your clients will believe.

Make sure you send review requests via text and email with a link to obtain the best results. The consumer will appreciate how simple the procedure is. They don’t need to waste time hunting for your company. They only need to click the link and leave a review.

3.  React to customer feedback
Many company owners do not reply to negative evaluations – that’s a huge blunder. According to research conducted by the Harvard Business School, responding to customer evaluations results in a higher overall star rating.

Responding to reviews, on the other hand, provides a number of advantages. First and foremost, it aids in the development of consumer loyalty. A simple “Thanks a lot, we hope to see you soon!” will assist your clients form a great picture of your business and urge them to return for more.

In addition, replying to reviews might help your company rank better in search results. Responding to reviews improves your SEO, according to Google. It’s also a good idea to add a second phone number for work or business to your personal cell phone with a mobile app.

4.  Make webchat a part of your website
Businesses can benefit from webchat. Webchat is successful because it is far more convenient than traditional modes of communication, such as phone and email. Many individuals nowadays avoid making phone calls whenever unnecessary; emails are also frequently disregarded. Webchat combines the best of both worlds: consumer convenience and a high likelihood of receiving an answer to their query.

If you are wondering if adding webchat to a small business’ website is feasible, it is. You probably don’t have the resources to have a workforce ready to respond to client interactions. However, you don’t need a huge team to do that. When a consumer asks a question via chat, an automatic message will be sent to them. When you get a moment, you’ll be able to react from your smartphone. It’s a simple process to increase the number of website visitors who are potential clients.

5.  Text your customers
While customers are more than ever dismissing advertising content in their inboxes, they still like messaging. The open rate for text messages is 98 per cent. Whether you’re looking to promote a deal, get feedback, or send an appointment reminder, text messaging will assist. Just be sure to include a compelling call-to-action to encourage the consumer to take the desired action.

6.  Maintain a social media presence
Make sure you are  active on social media, even if you already have a Facebook profile page. These days, customers expect businesses to be active on social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Though organic postings on Facebook have a poor reach, people now expect businesses to post on social media on a frequent basis. Positive evaluations have shown it to be a low-effort strategy to contact customers. After all, no one can sell your company like your customers can.

7.  Improve the effectiveness of your pay-per-click campaigns
Another place where social proof might benefit you is in your sponsored Google advertisements. Consider Google seller ratings if you’re already running these advertisements. You may use these seller ratings to show your total star rating in your adverts.

Adding seller ratings to your advertising, according to Google, raises the click-through rate by a whopping 17 per cent.

Of course, there are some conditions that must be met in order to use Google seller ratings. Here’s what you’ll require:

• At least 100 reviews in the previous 12 months in the country where your adverts are appearing
• At least a 3.5-star rating overall

8.  Enhance the customer experience
Last but not least, take some measures to enhance your customer service. Remember that a satisfied consumer is more likely to tell their friends and family about your company. Going through client feedback and identifying possible areas for improvement is the key to producing more satisfied consumers. Examining the evaluations of your rivals might also help you identify areas for improvement. Perhaps your competition provides excellent customer service, as seen by client reviews. Paying attention to these reviews might help you figure out how to improve your own company.

Finally, manage all of your listings and reviews in one place, as flipping between multiple sites to edit your listings and check your feedback is a lot of effort.

The writer is a business analyst and digital marketing professional.