With inflation comes the need to cut costs, for everyone! We’re seeing an overall shift in how small businesses are spending their marketing dollars and their time. What are your marketing goals and incentive plans for 2022?
Here are 7 ways to stretch your marketing budget & market your brand a little differently this year:
- Create a family out of your online community
Shoppers who have made a personal connection to a brand or business are more likely
to make return purchases and to tell someone they know about your brand. By
connecting with your online community through quick responses, great information and
just making valuable content that your followers can relate to, will instantly increase your
followers love affairs with your products.
- Invest in Influencers over print or online ads
Influencers are quickly becoming the new ad campaign. Gone are the days of needing a
high profile celebrity to sell your product. Having someone real that speaks directly to
your target audience can have a huge impact on how your business makes sales. There
are a lot of influencer options and pricing information available so you’ll need to do some
research to make sure your money still makes the biggest difference.
- Create meaningful or personal video content for social media
If you’re not ready to spring for an influencer, use your own message! You, the business owner, your team, making genuine video content showing what’s happening behind the scenes or right there on the floor, is a great way to make a personal connection for you and your customers. Small business owners will always have the ability to grab the heartstrings just by showing their passion for their product! Let your customers see your excitement of a new product being unpacked, or a new program you’re rolling out. Celebrating employee birthdays, family celebrations, etc are also a great way to let your customers see how important your team is.
- Fill your philanthropic needs with Value-Based Marketing
With the “shop local” movement gaining so much traction during the pandemic, so did the opportunity to feel like we, as consumers, are making an impact in our communities. Small businesses can offer programs that reward customers for making a donation to a favorite charity or challenging your customers to donate a certain amount that your business will match. It’s an easy way to engage your customers while spreading the word of the good your business is doing right here at home.
- Online Referral program or Word of Mouth Incentives
While incentives and referral programs are a new way to market your business, they are being used more by small businesses because it further enhances that personal touch. Creating or adding a button to your website that immediately links to social media or online reviews and then offering discounts to those that participate is an quick and easy way to generate buzz, while collecting sales.
- Building Meaningful Relationships by prioritizing customer face time
This is perhaps the biggest trend we’re seeing in marketing. The return of customer satisfaction and relationship building. The pandemic helped us all to realize how important we truly are to each other. Whether it’s family or every single customer that walks through your door. We appreciate some of the simple things that we took for granted in our “pre-pandemic” days. Building relationships and allowing each customer to feel truly valued every single time you see them, can be a very strong marketing tool. Everyone wants to feel appreciated. Everyone wants to feel like they’ve helped someone out. Leaving your customers with an impression that they do that every time they shop with you is a warm and fuzzy feeling you can bank on.
- Educating your customers & potential customers with Immersive & Educational Content
This is where we’re seeing social media really do some good. When you can educate your customers about a product or service, you’re helping them understand your process. You’re making the buying experience deeper than just a receipt and a thank you. Educating on supply chain and how your products are made is a great way to engage your customers.
These suggestions all have a common theme: Customer Engagement. We’re seeing businesses go back to a grass roots approach of using the people they have in place to create value based marketing and marketing ideas that work for their customers. Knowing your customers and how to best reach them can help you identify which strategy would be a good starting point. Whatever your marketing strategies include, at Localmize, we’re here to make sure your website design never lets you down, that your online presence shows your best side and keeps your online reputation exactly where you need it to be. Let us know how we can further help you or someone you know!
