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August 15.2020
2 Minutes Read

Marketing Hacks (That Make Your Life Easier)

Marketing your local business can seem like a full-time job. Most business owners can’t afford to have a marketing department which means that you’re adding marketing to all your other responsibilities. 

Since there are only so many hours in a day, it’s essential to have a few tricks up your sleeve: things that can help you fine-tune your marketing and get the most bang for your buck. Here are some marketing hacks to help you focus your attention and reap the rewards. 

Pay Attention to Your Data 

When was the last time you looked at your data on Google Analytics? If it’s been a while – and if it has, you’re not alone – then it’s time to take corrective action. 

The truth is that your analytics provide a wealth of information that can help you improve your marketing and grow your business. For example, do you know which page on your website has the highest bounce rate? Can you pinpoint which blog posts are getting the most traffic? 

Review your data and take notes. The best marketing decisions are data-driven. Then, I suggest setting aside some time – even 30 minutes a week can be helpful – to stay on top of your analytics and put them to use. 

Ask Your Customers for Feedback 

Customer feedback is essential for every business. You need to know what your customers think to figure out which marketing tactics will have the biggest impact. 

There are several ways you can reach out to your customers. They include: 

  • Email 
  • Text messages 
  • Social media posts 
  • Surveys 

I love client surveys because they provide an easy way to collect data. The key is to keep the survey brief and focused – and make it easy for your customers to respond. 

Get Your Customers Involved in Your Marketing 

You already know that reviews and testimonials can make a big difference for your business. You should be asking for reviews regularly – something you can do: 

  • At the point of sale 
  • In email 
  • In a text message 
  • On social media 
  • Via a chatbot 

You should also be approaching your most loyal and most satisfied customers to ask for a testimonial. Testimonials are generally longer and go into more depth than reviews. While written testimonials can be helpful, your best bet is to ask for and record video testimonials. Videos get a lot of engagement both on websites and on social media. 

Embrace Video Marketing 

Are you one of the small business owners who has shied away from video marketing because you think it’s too technical or too expensive for your budget? If so, it’s time to shed those (dated) beliefs and embrace video marketing for the powerhouse it is. 

Video content can help you: 

  • Increase your open rate for marketing emails 
  • Get huge engagement numbers on social media 
  • Earn a high return on your investment 

You can post videos on your website or blog. You may also want to link to them in social media posts, emails, and text messages.  

Keep in mind that video content doesn’t have to be expensive to produce. You can create Facebook Live videos from your computer or phone. Consumers don’t expect a high-gloss finish on live videos. Just make sure you have good lighting and a good microphone and do what you can to minimize background noise. 

Market to Mobile Customers 

When people look for local businesses like yours, they’re far more likely to search using a mobile device than they are a computer. That means that you should have a mobile-adaptive site and marketing that specifically targets mobile customers. 

Some of the most effective mobile marketing techniques to try are: 

  • SMS messaging (text messages) 
  • Call-only ads  
  • One-click calling on social media 
  • In-app advertising 

You may also want to think about beacon marketing, which allows businesses to use Bluetooth technology to ping customers when they’re near the business or store. Local customers want convenience and you can use mobile marketing to provide it. 

Monitor Your Competitors 

Has it been a while since you’ve peeked at what your competitors are doing online? If the answer is yes, then you’re missing out on a great opportunity to find gaps in their marketing or borrow their ideas for your own business. 

Set aside some time to cruise your competitor’s websites and social media pages. You should be looking for: 

  • The keywords they’re targeting 
  • The audience they want to attract 
  • The places where their marketing falls short 
  • The content that gets the most engagement, e.g. blog comments or social media shares 
  • The tactics they’re using to engage visitors to their site 

It’s important to pay attention both to what works and what doesn’t work. You may have a close competitor whose website isn’t properly optimized for a local keyword or is missing out on connecting with their audience. You can capitalize on their shortcomings to fine-tune your own marketing. 

Diversify Your Marketing 

When I talk to small business owners, one of the most common mistakes I identify is that they’re not diversifying their marketing. Many have a few tried and true techniques that they use and they’re not in the habit of testing new things. 

I’m not saying you should abandon the things that you know are working for you. However, it’s a mistake to rest on your laurels and assume those tactics will work forever. They may not. Marketing is a constantly evolving field and the businesses that do the best at it are those that remain agile and open to new possibilities. 

What I suggest is carving out some money from your marketing budget to experiment. You don’t need to spend a fortune. With a small investment, you can play around with your ad targeting or test out some new content formats to see how your audience reacts. 

The bottom line – and the thing I hope you’ll take away from these suggestions – is that you don’t need to spend a ton of time or money to get the most out of your marketing. Keep an open mind, try new things, and use what’s available to you. The profits will follow.

 

Other articles in this issue;

10 Practical Local Marketing Ideas You Can Deploy Right Now
Facebook Ad Objectives… Explained
How to Ask for Reviews (And Get Them Fast)

Email Marketing Marketing Automation Reputation Marketing Video Marketing

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06.05.2022

10 Most Common Mistakes Small Businesses Make on Social Media (and How to Fix It) 

As a small business, social media is your secret weapon for marketing. It's essential to use social media to reach new customers and connect with existing ones. Whether you're just getting started or already running a highly successful campaign, there's always room for improvement. In this article, we'll explore the top social media mistakes small businesses make and how to fix them, including our own tips on improving your social media marketing strategy. Not Posting Regularly Enough One of the most common social media mistakes small businesses make is not posting regularly enough. This can be for a variety of reasons, from lack of time to simply forgetting. If you're not posting regularly, your audience will quickly lose interest and move on to other brands that are more active on social media. The fix: Set aside some time each week to plan and schedule your social media posts. If you can, designate someone on your team to be responsible for social media and make sure they have the time and resources they need to succeed.  Some popular social media planners include Hootsuite, Later, and Buffer all with free to paid plans. Posting Too Much On the opposite end, some businesses post a little too much. This can be overwhelming for your followers and turn them off from your brand. It's important to strike a balance between posting too little and too much. The fix: Take a step back and analyze how often you're posting on each social media platform. If you're posting multiple times a day on any platform, try scaling back to once a day or a couple of times a week. Experiment with different posting frequencies and see what works best for your audience. Remember that each industry is different, so what frequency is too much in one niche is perfectly fine in another. Not Posting Relevant Content Another common mistake is posting content that isn't relevant to your audience or industry. This can happen if you're trying to be too general in your social media marketing or if you're not sure who your target audience is. As a result, your posts will fall flat and fail to engage your audience. The fix: Take some time to research your target audience and what kinds of content they're interested in. Once you know who you're talking to, you can start creating content that resonates with them. If you're struggling to come up with ideas, try looking at what other businesses in your industry are doing on social media. Use social listening tools to track relevant keywords and see what kind of content is being shared the most. Then, adapt and improve upon it for your own audience. Not Engaging with Your Followers Another mistake small businesses make on social media is failing to engage with their followers. This means more than just responding to comments and @ mentions (although that's important, too). It also means liking, sharing, and commenting on other people's content. The fix: Spend some time each day engaging with your followers and other people in your industry. Like and comment on their posts, share their content, and start conversations. Not only will this help you build relationships, but it will also make your brand more visible to new potential customers. There are many tools that can help you organize and consolidate all your social media profile into one dashboard. These listening tools can single handedly change the game if you’re trying to increase your engagement across all social media platforms.  Sprout Social, Salesforce’s Service Cloud, and Reputation are the best at this. On a budget? Try Hootsuite. Not Measuring Your Results Measuring your results is essential. This is important for any marketing campaign, but it's especially important on social media. With so much noise, it can be easy to get lost and not know if your efforts are actually paying off. The fix: Use social media analytics tools to track your progress and measure your results. These tools will help you see how many people are engaging with your content, what kind of impact you're making, and where you can improve. Without measuring your results, it's impossible to know if your social media marketing is actually working. Many platforms will have these tools built in, but addition services like Sprout Social, Buffer Analyze, Hootsuite, and Social Report, can give you deeper insights about your customer base and what resonates with them.  Not Having a Strategy One of the biggest mistakes small businesses make on social media is not having a strategy. They might post randomly or without any purpose, which can lead to wasted time and effort. The fix: Having a social media plan in place will guarantee that your efforts are more successful and are working to assist your company's broader objectives. When you're coming up with a strategy, it's critical to keep in mind these goals so that you can create material that supports them. Additionally, figure out what your social media goals are, what you want to get out of it, and make sure to track them with analytic software (mentioned above) to ensure that your work is paying off. When developing a plan, remember who your target audience is and create content that speaks to them that aligns with your goals.  It is essential to take some time to develop a strategy since it's easy to get lost in the sea of social media and fail to accomplish anything without it. Not using social media to its full potential Social media is a powerful marketing tool, but many small businesses don't use it to its full potential. They might not take advantage of all the features available, or they might not use them to reach their target audience. The fix: Make sure you're using all the features available on each social media platform. For example, on Facebook, you can use groups, events, and Messenger to reach more people. On Twitter, you can use hashtags and lists to organize your followers. And on Instagram, you can use Stories, Live Video, and IGTV to engage with your audience. Take some time to learn about all the features of each social media platform and how you can use them to reach your target audience. Then, start using them to your advantage. Not Promoting Your Content Not promoting your content can be a big mistake, especially if you're a small business with limited resources. If you're not promoting your content, it's unlikely that anyone will see it. The fix: Promote your content on social media and other channels. Use paid advertising, share it with influencers, and post it in relevant groups and forums. Don't make the mistake of not promoting your content. Make sure you're doing everything you can to get it in front of as many people as possible. Not taking advantage of social media trends Trends are everywhere and they're easy to pick up if you use social media in both a private and work setting. Taking advantage of a trend can make your post go viral, especially if it's curated to your audience. Ignoring trends will make you miss countless free promotion opportunities. The fix: Use social media trends to your advantage. If you see a trend that's relevant to your business, jump on it and use it to promote your content. Not only will this help you reach more people, but it will also make your brand more visible and relevant.  If you're not sure where to start, check out some influencers in your industry and see what they're doing to get eyes on their posts. Use can also use free websites like Google Trends, TweetDeck, and BrandMentions to track trends. Ignoring negative feedback It's inevitable that you'll receive some negative feedback at some point. And while it's not pleasant, it's important to take it in stride and use it as an opportunity to improve your business. The fix: Don't ignore negative feedback. Respond to it in a constructive way and use it to make your business better. Negative feedback can be painful, but it's important to listen to it and use it to improve your business. Bonus tip: Remaining in your comfort zone can kill your social media marketing efforts If you're not comfortable with change, you'll never be able to take advantage of new opportunities or reach your full potential. The fix: Be open to change and willing to try new things. Social media is constantly changing, so you need to be too. Conclusion  These are just a few of the most common mistakes small businesses make on social media. By avoiding these mistakes, you'll be well on your way to social media success.
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