Oh small businesses how do I love thee. I remember the early days of running 834, when it was myself, Bentley the wonder dog, my computer and a can-do attitude. The world was my oyster and I was going to make it my bitch.
Then reality set in, how would I get my name out? What organizations should I join? How do I manage social media? How will potential clients find me?
As 834 continues to grow so does our client base, but my love and passion for small business has only intensified. Understanding where a business needs to focus it’s time and money as it relates to marketing is why we have been around for 10 years.
When starting out, here are my suggestions on what to focus on.
- Social media: this is a great way for you to connect to potential customers and supporters. Understanding how to utilize your networks is the key. What content do you post? How should you structure a post? What are your competitors doing well?
- Email marketing: creating a tool for ongoing communication and news sharing is key. Who should be on your list? What should be included in an email newsletter? How do I design it?
- Website: I am hoping you have a site, if not – get one. A website is the first place a potential client will go to find out more information about your company, social media is a close second. Do you know what keywords you should be weaving into your copy to ensure you are found through search engines? How do you ensure that your site is optimized for search engines? What about blogging?
Social, email and your website are all examples of inbound marketing and they are all incredibly important to growing your business. I know this firsthand as the founder of 834. In the coming months, my team will be launching small business specific tools that will allow you to compete with the big dogs on a small dog budget.
Stay tuned.
