Running your own business, be that as a sole trader, as part of a partnership or as a limited company, can be challenging. As well as finances, cash flow, managing workload and employing staff, there’s also marketing to consider. Marketing is what helps you reach potential customers and build a sustainable business.
Whether you’re local electricians selling services to your nearby community, offering plastering and rendering services, running a cafe or an animal sanctuary, getting your marketing right is all important. You also need to ensure you get seen. When people search for plumbers close to me, you want to be confident that they will find your plumbing business.
Why is it important for small businesses to market themselves and how should they go about it?
Why you should market your small business
Marketing is the means through which your business will be seen. When it’s done well, it should turn your target audience into loyal customers.
There are several key reasons why it’s important to market your small business. These include:
● Improving Brand Awareness and Establishing a Positive Image
Building your brand creates a strong platform for creating a successful business. It allows you to tell your story, set out what makes your business different, and connect with your target customers on a more personal level. When you have a recognisable brand, you can build trust and loyalty, making it more likely that customers will choose your business rather than competitors.
● Highlighting Unique Selling Points to Potential Customers
Your business will have unique aspects that set it apart. When you market effectively you communicate these key elements to your target audience. Whether it’s exceptional customer service, innovative products, or competitive prices, it’s important to showcase your strengths.
● Reaching Your Target Audience
Marketing helps you to identify and then reach your target audience. By developing your marketing strategy you can tailor your message to resonate with the people most likely to become your customers. Tailoring your marketing message to your audience ensures that your marketing budget is maximised.
● Grow Your Business
Marketing lays the foundation for your future growth. It helps you build a sustainable, long-term business and puts you in a position to embrace new opportunities whenever they arise.
What Tools Can You Use to Market Your Business?
There are a range of tools available to help small businesses market themselves. Some of the most effective and commonly used include:
● Using Flyers & Poster
Flyers and posters are a great way to market your business. They provide an immediate, tangible connection with your audience. Physical flyers and posters give your potential customers something to hold and keep and can make your message more memorable than digital alternatives. When someone is looking for local electricians or plumbers near me, having your flyer nearby puts your business in pole position.
As well as being informative, flyers and posters should have a compelling design. They can be placed strategically in locations where you might find your target audience. Many shops and other businesses provide space where compatible local businesses can leave materials. For instance, garden centres may have a board or table with flyers from local landscaping or horticulture companies.
● Using Social Media
Social media has become an invaluable tool for most businesses to reach their target audience. With billions of users, platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have unparalleled reach. Using social media can also help you build a community around your brand, helping to foster customer engagement and build loyalty.
To get the most out of social media it’s important not to spread yourself too thinly. Choose the platform where you’re most likely to find your target audience. Local electricians may find Facebook a great place to find customers and an animal sanctuary might be able to create fun and informative TikTok videos that soon go viral among animal lovers. Plastering and rendering services might find Instagram a good place to showcase their work.
● Creating A Branded Article of News Piece
Branded articles can be a great way to establish your authority in the field. Local physical publications are always looking for articles about different subjects, and you can also use blogs and email newsletters to build up your readership. SEO content on websites can drive customers to your website. Someone looking for a plumber close to me might hit upon an article about plumbing services in your area. Share industry insights and company updates. Answer the kind of questions that your customers are asking.
Get Listed on The Quick Find Directory
If you’re a small business in the Midlands, then getting listed on The Quick Find directory is a great place to start your marketing. As the leading Midlands business directory, we have unparalleled reach across the region.
Quick Find is the original trades and business directory, delivered throughout Birmingham and the surrounding areas to over a million residents annually. Now established as the leading Midlands business listings, it’s the place local people go to find honest, trustworthy and reliable businesses. When you’re listed on Quick Find, you immediately boost your local credibility.
Being on Quick Find can also improve your online visibility, improving your local search rankings and making your website easier to find. When people locally are looking for trusted tradespeople, being listed on Quick Find increases your chances of appearing at the top of their search results. As a result, Quick Find listings can increase your website traffic.
We provide the largest distribution per area of any local directory around Birmingham with up to 25,000 copies delivered per area every three months. Businesses who join us get 20% more enquiries than they had before joining.
Getting listed on The Quick Find Directory can be an important element of your entire marketing strategy.
To find out more fill out our enquiry form or call one of our friendly team today!
