Sometimes it feels like no matter what you try, you’re hitting a wall with your customers. It doesn’t seem to matter what kinds of sales you’re having, things just aren’t picking up. If you’re starting to notice a lag in your small business, it might be time to think about your marketing strategy. Is yours current and up to today’s top marketing tactics, or is it a little outdated? If you’re trying everything that you know how to to and it doesn’t seem to be making a dent, get in touch with a marketing specialist and see how you can take advantage of what’s hot in digital advertising these days.
Quick Links
Reach Out To Influencers
Have you ever heard the term influencer? It’s hardly a new concept, but it has changed over time. An influencer is a well-known person who has a heavy following on social media. These can be anybody from Russell Wilson (who has 5.43 million Twitter followers) to someone who has a more “modest” following of 50,000 people or less (called microinflueners).
Businesses reach out to these people in hopes of generating new customer acquisition. Influencers get paid to do things like write a product review, do a shout-out or create a social media post hashtagging the company. This can be a hugely successful advertising campaign: By using someone that the public is familiar with and has a strong following of their own, your product and your business are getting exposure to that many more people.
Remember to exercise caution before deciding to do business with someone. Do you have a full grasp of this person’s online persona and what their morals and values are? Would you be proud to introduce this person as a celebrity endorsement or would you be embarrassed to admit it?
Shake Up Your Logo
Imagine all the businesses you know just be seeing its logo alone: Starbucks, Apple, Microsoft and so on. Since it reflects your company and is a symbol to represent it, your logo is an incredibly important aspect of your business. Take a look at the one you currently have an ask yourself if it needs an update.
Even if you’re not artistically inclined, that’s okay; graphic designers are pros at doing this sort of thing and can help guide you through the process. It’s no small task changing your logo; you have to consider things like colors, fonts, patterns and whether or not it looks okay on a mobile device. Not only that, but once it’s designed you have to physically relabel everything. Again, never fear. A good marketing specialist is familiar with all of these concepts and can help to guide you through the process.
Don’t underestimate the power of a logo redesign. Even if it’s not immediately obvious, customers notice a change and tend to take an interest in why you decided to change things up. Work with your marketing team to get something brewing that is perfect for you.
Relaunch Your Website
You’ve already got a website that you’ve always considered fine for the purpose it serves, but now that you have a fresh new logo it’s time to update your website to reflect it. Remember, a brand update symbolizes new beginnings for a company so your website needs to move in that direction also.
If your graphic designer is handy with HTML and CSS, they can serve double duty as your web designer too. Let your team help you get your website put back in order like a beautiful puzzle and get it looking as cool as your redesigned logo. Let your website reflect the work and love you’ve put into pulling your business back together.
Remember that your website is where you need to make sure you’re utilizing SEO to your best possible advantage. Keep your blog section lively and interesting and make sure that you’re sneaky about hiding keywords naturally in your text. The last thing clients want to read is something boring and repetitive.
Make the relaunch a big deal. Create buzz on your social media page and drop hints at what it might look like. Have a mysterious banner across the page as work is being done to get people excited — but make sure that you include a release date! Customers get annoyed if a website is always under construction with no end in sight.
Send Automated Coupon Texts
It’s easy to ignore an email — one quick tap and you can filter all messages from a recipient to go straight to the trash can. While you can certainly block an unwanted phone number, it’s harder to ignore a text message than it is to ignore an email. Think about it: Texts are quick and convenient methods of communication, and while emails can be clunky and require a strong internet connection to load properly, texts take very little time and data.
Armed with this information, consider how you would use text messages to your company’s advantage. Not only could you announce store promotions, but you could also offer interactive services such as “Text YES to receive a coupon code for 10% off your next purchase.” This forces interested customers to stay in contact, which means that your voice is being heard.
One word of caution: NEVER buy information from a third party. This is not only immoral and gross, it’s also illegal and could get you into massive trouble. Get opt-in information from your customers organically that will give you the clients’ permission to send them texts.
When you’ve poured your heart and soul into the business that you built from the ground up, seeing a decline in new customers can seem like a sinking ship. Change your mentality and see what you can do about getting lifeboats for that ship. You’re not as bad-off as you might think you are as long as you take the right steps quickly. Let the professional experience of a well-trained marketing team help you strategize new ways to drum up new clientele — and with hope, keep your business afloat.