Nicole Boyer — February 21, 2018 — February 21, 2018
StartupStockPhotos / Pixabay
Small businesses have been eyeing a bigger share of the market. Sadly, every new marketing style seems to favor enterprises with a big budget. Nonetheless, there are new subtle practices that young startups can use to get ahead of the pack. Consider some listed below to grow your bottom line this 2018.
- Separate your brand from your name
What ails young entrepreneurs is fame without money. It can be frustrating when everyone knows your name yet your account is in the red. That is the problem that many creative and budding entrepreneurs face. Instead of marketing yourself, market your business. For artists, writers, bloggers, and fashionistas, if you are not getting an opportunity to market your products, then a show is not worth your time.
Think about this, P Diddy is not the brand Ciroc is, and not many people might know Larry Page, but everyone knows what Google is. So if you have been caught up in trying to make a name for yourself, it’s time for you to stop. Start making a name for your goods and services.
- Home Teas
As a small startup, you don’t have to chew more than you can swallow. Set out to eat into the market bit by bit. One way of doing that is by having tea parties at home where you invite potential clients in your niche. It shouldn’t be a struggle to make sales in the comfort of your living room if you network with an industry veteran to assist you in this. They will introduce you to a ready pool of market.
- Get media contacts and make news
Business moguls know how to leverage media relationships. If you ask them, you will find out that they don’t write a check for every media mention their brand gets. Why not try the same? Know a successful blogger and have him/her on speed dial. Journalists, on the other hand, are always fishing for stories. You have an opportunity to provide that by engaging in CSR activities; you can volunteer to clean the streets or fight for a worthy cause. How do you get media contacts? Most writers leave their email addresses below their stories on the papers. That’s a great place to start. But you can choose to be an active citizen and participate in social events in your communities, that’s where you will run into members of the press.
- Tell the story behind your brand
There are so many businesses offering the same services today, and now customers want to associate themselves with brands that inspire confidence. You can easily do that by telling your brand story. How you conceived the idea, what sparked your interest in that niche and what problem you aim to solve? A powerful brand story is a leverage you need to get a share of the corporate market in 2018. We know that Steve Jobs started Apple computers from a garage in his home and that Ali Baba founder Jack Ma got rejected from Harvard 10 times. What’s your story?
- Try out video reviews
As mentioned earlier, the current generation is tickled more by video than by literature. It’s time to give your reviews a revamp. At this point, you must have realized that reviews are more impactful than direct adverts online. You can take a notch higher with video reviews and explainer videos about your products and services. Make the videos brief, informational and fun. If you can, get an influencer to feature in the video. That’s how you will increase the footfall to your business this 2018.
geralt / Pixabay
- Get into live streaming
Live streaming on social media can be what it takes to take your business from the red. There is a new generation of consumers that live in the cloud. They are intense content consumers with an affinity for interactive videos. Facebook video is a great tool to start with a live video for your small business. The video streaming function can allow you to target a specific audience. What’s more, you will be seeing the reactions live in form of emoji’s floating on the screen during the stream.
Successful businesses use live streaming to showcase products and interact with their target communities. For the music niche, live streaming is an indispensable tool. Teasers, limited offers, insights, special events, office tours- there is so much to do with a live video. And another thing, don’t limit yourself to one channel. There is Instagram, YouTube and many others that will help you amplify your brand with the power of live video.
- Use Google Business Photos
It’s a founded on the 360-degree photo concept. You have to upload your photos in JPG or PNG format to Google listings. The idea is to give your customer a virtual tour of your business without them having to click many links on your site. This feature enables businesses to be listed on Google searches together with their street view, directions, and products and services. It also works wonders with SEO.
- SMS short codes
It’s time you got that 4 or 6-digit number to subscribe customers to your SMS program. Once you get people subscribing to your shortcode, you can hit them up with offers, coupons, and promotions by way of text message. SMS peer to peer protocol is impactful and affordable. All you have to do is come up with a campaign keyword, and find an SMS provider to host this service. Once customers opt-in to the campaign, wherever they are you can be sure to reach them on their phones with your business.
- Blog like a millennial
The demand for information and content exceeds supply. Every new year we have new internet subscribers and that should mean good news for your business. Despite the prevalence of video, many people still have the time to read blogs. Psychology 101 states that information search is a vital step in the customer buying decision. The best thing about blogs is that they enable you to be elaborate. You get to talk about your products and services in details. To influence the market with blogs, write in a way that resonates well with your clients.
Use your blogs to stimulate emotions. Consider using memes, slang and any other thing that will get you at the top of your customers’ minds. Big brands are big on emotions with their TV ads. You can even pull a page from their book and do it better online.
Use any of the above hacks, or all of them and your gross turnover will grow by leaps and bounds this 2018.
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