Operating a small business requires owners to possess a variety of skills ranging from product development and manufacturing to accounting and marketing. Prior to opening the doors for business, every owner should develop a business and marketing plan to ensure they implement strategies required to reach their goals.
The greatest challenges small business owners face is having sufficient time to accomplish daily tasks and obtaining sufficient income to engage in effective marketing strategies. Fortunately, options exist that can help owners in both areas.
When starting out, it can be beneficial to work with freelancers to assist with most business tasks. Owners can hire website developers, graphic artists, virtual assistants, copywriters, bookkeepers and accountants, and marketing professionals.
Marketing is often one of the most expensive aspects for any business. Building brand recognition requires extensive marketing efforts. Thanks to the Internet, small companies can develop a strong online presence for a fraction of the cost of print marketing efforts.
Numerous online marketing strategies exist, so it is important to become familiar with what is available and how to implement each strategy into specific business models. Internet marketing is comprised of websites, blogs, social media marketing, banner ads, pay-per-click advertising, online videos, audio podcasts, email marketing, electronic newsletters, informational reports, and mobile marketing.
No one is capable of utilizing every strategy without help. Many of these strategies can take weeks to develop and require additional time to track results to determine effectiveness of ad campaigns.
A good solution is to hire an online marketing agency. These professionals can analyze current advertising methods; help owners develop short-and long-term marketing goals; and determine which campaigns provide the best return on investment.
The key for developing successful marketing collateral is to seek out strategies that provide maximum exposure for minimal cost. One of the most cost-effective online strategies is that of social media marketing.
This venue levels the playing field for small businesses with limited marketing budgets. Popular techniques include developing a Facebook business page and Twitter account, but there are numerous social media outlets.
The primary goal of social media marketing is developing long-lasting relationships. This can be accomplished by providing useful information and interacting with visitors.
Nearly every form of Internet marketing can be promoted through social media. Companies can create how-to-videos or infomercials that can be published on company websites, blogs, or video publishing sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. Videos can easily be shared through social networks such as Facebook and StumbleUpon.
The same holds true of audio podcasts. Podcasts are a popular marketing tool that can be used by small business to mega-corporations to provide consumer information. Podcasts can be published at directories such as iTunes and offered in a downloadable format via company websites or shared via social networks.
To capitalize on a variety of advertising methods requires developing a strategic marketing management plan. Doing so allows owners to track results and determine if ad campaigns require improvements, should be scrapped, or promoted more aggressively.
Contracting freelancers or hiring marketing consultants can ease burdens for small business owners and free up time for them to focus on business management. Those who are new to business ownership should spend time at the Small Business Association website at SBA.gov.
