7 Highly Effective Small Business Marketing Ideas
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The amount of marketing advice available online can be overwhelming. I get it; you want to find what works for you, something that you can sustain, but for some reason, you're just not able to put your finger on the right approach for you or your brand. The good news is that no two strategies are the same, and there are plenty of effective ways to market your business.
In this blog post, I am sharing seven highly effective small business marketing ideas.
1. Create a Recurring Video Series for Pinterest and Instagram
One idea is to create a recurring series focused on a specific topic within your niche or area of expertise. If you have a hair salon, for example, start a weekly series on at-home styling tips, sharing tutorials on managing specific hair types, seasonal haircare advice, or quick mid-day hair fixes for busy professionals.
Video content is not going anywhere, and you already know this. What if you don't want to show your face on video? You can still get away with this by doing voiceover content or using stock videos, but people buy from people, so you will need to think strategically about how you can build a relationship with your potential customers.
What makes this powerful is the cross-platform marketing potential. Once you've recorded your videos, you can repurpose them on platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Threads, TikTok, and even LinkedIn.
Create a recurring series on social media on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, or even Threads, and once your series is complete, edit the videos together and share a complete tutorial on Pinterest.
By adding Pinterest to the mix, you increase your discoverability. Pinterest's search engine nature means your content has a longer shelf life, and you can attract leads who are searching for similar topics months after the video was posted.
You'll want to remember to do Pinterest keyword research, ensure that your Pinterest pins are optimized for Pinterest, and include your keywords.
2. Incorporate Evergreen Content into Your Marketing Strategy
Evergreen content is content that's going to help you stay visible without having to chase every trend you see on social media. Unlike trends or seasonal content, evergreen content remains relevant over time, making it a no-brainer to incorporate in your marketing strategy.
Some examples of evergreen content include:
Your brand story
Thought leadership content
Foundational educational content such as your unique frameworks, etc. This can be in the form of how-to guides, masterclasses, etc.
Case studies
These can be in any format, but bonus points for blog posts, podcast episodes, and YouTube videos. Extra bonus points if you share that content on Pinterest. When you pair evergreen content topics with search engine marketing, you get a win-win situation.
To help you come up with evergreen keywords and topics, you can use keyword research tools such as keysearch.co and Answer the Public. Based on the keywords you find, you can create evergreen content.
3. Host Regular Networking Sessions
Networking sessions are really practical when it comes to promoting your products and services. The nice thing about networking sessions is that you can personalize each session to address different business needs.
For example, each month, I host a virtual coworking session where we address various content marketing topics at the beginning of the session, and then we follow the Pomodoro technique for the remainder of the session to check things off our list. This has been an incredible way for me to get leads and meet incredible business owners.
Here are some ideas for networking sessions you could host:
Virtual coworking session
Morning coffee meet-up
Virtual panel discussion
Pitch your services event
Virtual networking and coworking events can be held for any niche and business type. This is a great opportunity for anyone to grow their network, and the worst thing that can happen is that you walk away with a new connection or two.
4. Start Blogging About Your Niche
You know how we often hear that a specific marketing method is dead or dying? I remember hearing this years ago about podcasting (and clearly, we know this isn't true.) Sometimes, I see comments floating around online about the fact that blogging is dying. It's also not true. About 77% of internet users read blogs.
In addition, even if different demographics prefer other types of content. We should also always be thinking about driving evergreen traffic to our brand; blogging is one of the most effective ways to do so.
When creating blog content for your readers, always think about using your blog as a top-of-funnel and introduce an offer or solution within your blog post.
Here are some helpful questions to answer to help you create better blog content.
What problem or solution will my blog post offer to my readers?
How do I want my audience to feel after reading this blog post?
Am I using optimized graphics throughout my blog post?
Am I using my keywords?
Am I linking to relevant sources and also including internal links?
Hubspot has an incredible free resource to help you with your SEO efforts.
5. Launch a Podcast or YouTube Channel
We often think that we need to be 100% ready in order to launch something new. While I can stand behind a good launch strategy, if you wait for something to be perfect, the reality is that it may never happen.
A podcast or a YouTube channel is always a go-to recommendation for my clients because you can start with what you have and improve as you go.
Some creators on YouTube start with no special equipment; it's just them, their phone camera, and the message they want to share. They take time to learn about keywords and how the platform works and eventually move on to better editing and effects.
The same goes for many bloggers; your own unique writing style can sometimes take time to develop, over time you refine how you do things based on what you see is effective and how you like to do things.
The same applies to podcasts; many podcasters start by using the voice memo feature on their mobile phone and work their way up from there. My point here is to remind you that you don't have to wait for things to be perfect.
6. Share Client Wins
I consider client wins evergreen content. While it's important to ask for testimonials and create case studies on a regular basis, testimonials are incredibly effective in showing potential clients what it's like working with you, the quality of your products, and can also speak on how you are as a person.
Remember, people buy from people, and testimonials are a great way to show your community exactly what it's like working with you.
Here are some tips for testimonials:
Create a process where you ask for testimonials at various times during your journey with clients. For example, I like to ask for testimonials about my onboarding process within a few months or work together to speak on experience and results and if/when a client relationship ends.
Make it easy for your clients. While you're having a check-in call, ask if they would be ok sharing a quick video testimonial that you can use on social media.
Take screenshots of positive messages you get on social media. If people in your community get results from implementing your free advice and send you thank you notes, that speaks volumes about your work.
Create story highlights on Instagram with your testimonials.
Incorporate testimonials throughout your website.
Share testimonials in your newsletter.
You can ask for testimonials at any time, and simply remember to be consistent with your efforts.
7. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)
User-generated content (UGC) can be a game-changer for small businesses looking to expand their reach without spending a fortune on marketing.
Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your products or services on social media by tagging your brand or using a specific hashtag that you create for them to do so. Offer incentives like a monthly giveaway or a chance to be featured on your website or social media accounts.
This works especially well for product-based businesses like fashion retailers, skincare brands, or even restaurants. UGC content not only creates authentic content but also acts as social proof to potential customers who may be interested in visiting your restaurant or shopping in your boutique.
There are so many ways to help your community discover your brand and help them get further in the buyer's journey. The tips shared in this blog post are my favorite because they often require little to no resources, or they are ideas that are pretty cost-effective to help you get some eyes on your business.
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