Think of your favorite small business. How did you hear about them? Word of mouth, social media repost, sign on the side of the road, ad in the newspaper? Small businesses all over the world have a place to thrive in this side of the 21st century because of marketing. Read more to see why!

Small businesses hit an all time high in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over 4.4 million small businesses opened. The reason so many are able to exist and thrive? Marketing. Technology allows the spread of information across communities, states, and nations. You can order almost anything from anyone no matter where you are in the world.

Many small businesses are backed by their communities and thrive from local support. But how do you attract new customers and grow a small business into a big business? Marketing with a clear and strong brand identity. What is a brand identity? It is the establishment of having a cohesive logo, color palette, voice, and direction for your company. To do this, you must have consistency and unity across the company.

Having a social media presence that attracts people from afar helps build new clientele and boost reputations. Creating unique branding pieces such as mailers, flyers, pamphlets, and merchandise/products elevates a business that advertises your business for you. Hosting fun events and giveaways is always a plus that brings more attention to your business. Building a visually appealing and informational website with SEO optimization and keyword customization is also a key to success.

All of these marketing tactics are great! But you may still be asking, why? Why is marketing so important and what makes marketing good/bad? Marketing is “a cornerstone of success for small businesses, enabling them to stand out and attract customers effectively. By implementing foundational strategies, like developing a unique brand identity with logos and professional websites, small businesses establish credibility and visibility”(Harders, SDSU, para 6). So, what makes marketing good? Its focus on customers at the center, a value-driven approach, authenticity, and engaging strategies and content. Bad marketing is when the product is the center of the approach, there is a lack of authenticity, the content is boring and unrelatable, and it all feels like a transaction.

Lets define some of these fancy marketing words for someone who is new to the marketing world:

SEO Optimization: “Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing web content and websites to increase visibility on search engine result pages (SERPs). SEO involves a variety of techniques and tactics aimed at helping websites rank higher in search engine results, such as keyword research, link building, and content optimization. SEO also helps with brand awareness and organic traffic and is a long-term game that will help drive down marketing costs” (ebrcc_yd7ab8, 2023).

Keyword Customization: “This feature allows you to customize and set keywords for each product in your catalog. You can use various word use cases in different languages and start relying on synonyms, jargon, or slang words to help your customers find products much more quickly” (Luigi’s Box, 2023).

I hope you have learned the right way to market a small business and the reasons behind it. Marketing is not the only key to success, but it is a big factor in growing and thriving as a business.

Sources:

ebrcc_yd7ab8. (2023, March 10). Everything You Need to Know About SEO – East Brunswick Regional Chamber of Commerce. East Brunswick Regional Chamber of Commerce. https://www.ebrcc.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-seo/

Luigi’s Box. (2023, February). Luigi’s Box. https://www.luigisbox.com/features/custom-keywords/