I've been helping businesses for the last 9 years with marketing and social media management. I've learned a few things along the way that have helped me to understand and support various types of business, whether its B2B or B2C. I would 100% recommend sitting down and map out a marketing strategy that will specifically reach your target customers. There is no one-size fits all approach to marketing a business.
Here are a few tips I have learnt along the way.
Know Your Market
I’ve said this many times through my social posts. But before you can truly connect with your audience, you need to first know who your ideal customers are and where they spend the most time online. Research if they are likely to be on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, this will depend on the target demographic. You can look at creating an audience persona, (How to find your target audience) to get a better grasp of your target customer. Research your competitors, locally if you’re a high street business. See who engages with each of their online platforms.
Have an Online Presence
You need to have a fully comprehensive online presence before posting anything online. Even if it’s a simple website that will give customers all of the information they need to take action. Even with a presence on all of the social media platforms your target customers use, you’ll need to be able to direct them to a website that contains information about your services, descriptions of your products, or a full-scale store where they can make purchases.
Use The Tools Available
Utilise the tools available to create content to build a picture of your business and your offerings. Use good quality photography and graphics. Schedule your media using a social media tool. You can bulk upload content for a week at a time.
Community
As networking through local events and industry-specific conferences is a little tricky at the moment. Find your community online and interact through your social channels. Create various posts to engage and build your online following.
Collect
It’s important to collect email addresses. Online orders and bookings can include a checkbox that allows customers to sign up for special offers. You can also collect email addresses when purchases are made in person. Use these email addresses wisely sending special discounts or information about new products to those who sign up.
Repeat Business
Your biggest assets are your existing customers. Make an effort to give those customers a reason to keep buying from you. Listen to feedback and make changes in response to what your existing customers say.
Your marketing efforts will help you win new customers and increase repeat visits from existing customers. By setting up a strong online presence and networking within your own communities, you’ll increase brand awareness. When you back up your marketing efforts with a strong product and great customer service, you’ll see your revenue increasing each month.