{"id":7889,"date":"2017-02-09T09:10:31","date_gmt":"2017-02-09T08:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.invoiceberry.com\/?p=7889"},"modified":"2020-01-24T12:48:16","modified_gmt":"2020-01-24T11:48:16","slug":"18-marketing-ideas-boost-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invoiceberry.com\/blog\/18-marketing-ideas-boost-business\/","title":{"rendered":"18 Fantastic Marketing Ideas to Boost Your Small Business [Expert Roundup]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marketing<\/a> is one of the most important things for any small business.<\/p>\n

After you’ve crafted the perfect product or service, you need to get the word out. Unfortunately, however, marketing budgets for most businesses just aren’t that large.<\/p>\n

That’s why business owners have to get creative and try to find effective marketing methods for low prices.<\/p>\n

We asked some successful businesses what their most effective marketing ideas were.<\/p>\n

Read below for 18\u00a0amazing marketing ideas\u00a0that can help you boost\u00a0your business.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Serena<\/h2>\n

Serena Holmes, President & CEO of Tigris Events<\/h2>\n

tigriseventsinc.com<\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0\"twitter-1\" @tigriseventsinc<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

As an experiential marketing agency, our clients depend on us to capture the voice and story of their brand. In order to market our business, we often shoot video of the different events we organize for our clients.<\/p>\n

After editing them, we upload them to our website and share them on social media. This provides prospective customers with the opportunity to see how we work and give them a sample of the wide variety of events we manage.<\/p>\n

Potential clients want evidence you can do what you say you can. We have found that showing is often more powerful than telling. Online videos that capture our staff and the unique atmosphere of the events we plan have been one of our most successful marketing strategies.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Check<\/h2>\n

Stephen Jeske,\u00a0CanIRank.com<\/h2>\n

canirank.com<\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0\"twitter-1\" @<\/span><\/a>stephenjeske<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019ve found a lot of success on Quora by answering questions related to my field. I find it to be quite addictive, so over the past year, I\u2019ve tried to limit myself to spending just 15 to 20 minutes a day.<\/p>\n

The net result is that I\u2019ve landed clients directly from the answers I\u2019ve written. In my experience, Quora doesn\u2019t necessarily generate a lot of leads, but the traffic tends to convert quite well.<\/p>\n

The key to making this work is consistency. Aim to answer one question a day, and you\u2019ll build a reputation and increase your exposure with every response. By simply doing this, I\u2019ve become a Most Viewed Writer in over a dozen categories related to my field of expertise.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Marketing<\/h2>\n

Tabitha Jean Naylor, Founder of\u00a0TabithaNaylor.com<\/h2>\n

TabithaNaylor.com<\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0\"twitter-1\" @TabithaNaylor<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019m not sure you can really do anything so totally unique in the digital marketing space anymore, because so many crazy things have been tried.<\/p>\n

So for me, it\u2019s always about getting attention in the right way. For example, a few years ago, I got involved with a really interesting dating company that had a fresh take on the world of romance.<\/p>\n

We put together people who loved dogs, and the site was called You Must Love Dogs Dating. It\u2019s a great example of branding, because everyone knew what it was about from the site name, but it also drove a lot of interest, because it\u2019s a fresh way to approach the dating market.<\/p>\n

The lesson I learned that I apply to my marketing agency is to always look for interesting ways to brand my company. Whether it\u2019s through outstanding content, or through posts that go viral, the focus should always be on drawing attention and then converting visitors into clients once I have their attention.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Natasha<\/h2>\n

Natasha Rachel Smith, Chief Communications Officer for TopCashback.com<\/h2>\n

topcashback.com<\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0\"twitter-1\" @TopCashbackUSA<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

When we first launched TopCashback in the US five years ago we relied solely on PR to attract new members. We were by far the most generous cashback site which was a great USP but we didn’t use this as the primary narrative.<\/p>\n

We wanted to create quality content for money-saving-focused media that would give consumers an incentive to sign up to our (free) site. We believed the most effective way to do this was to offer special promotions, such as freebie deals, for new members.<\/p>\n

Third party endorsement is extremely powerful, especially when your brand is unknown. We reached our target market via media outlets and bloggers they trusted, which dramatically increased the likelihood of them giving us a shot over our more well-known competitors.<\/p>\n

This strategy saw our member base grow from the 60,000 members in our first 18 months to fast-approaching two million members three and a half years later.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Check<\/h2>\n

Daren Low, Founder of Bitcatcha.com<\/h2>\n

bitcatcha.com<\/a> | \u00a0\"twitter-1\" @DarenLowch<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

As a business owner, you must determine the methods that work best and use them, then rinse and repeat.That being said, content marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing for an ecommerce business.<\/p>\n

Each piece of online content should be based upon a specific value proposition that meets a customer profile. You need to understand the problems of the people who visit your website and identify how your content helps to solve those problems.<\/p>\n

Start with keyword research to ensure that the topic of your content is actually in demand. Then optimize the written piece for best SEO. Next, pick a platform and present your content in the form preferred by users of that platform.<\/p>\n

For instance, on Pinterest, the content should be presented as an infographic. It\u2019s your job to contact influencers on the site and ask for promotion of your piece. The key is to package your content in a way that it will be seen and shared.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Read<\/h2>\n

David Scarola, Chief Experience Officer at\u00a0The Alternative Board<\/h2>\n

thealternativeboard.com<\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0\"twitter-1\" @TAB_Boards<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

In today’s internet era,\u00a0marketing\u00a0and technology have become synonymous. \u00a0If you want to advertise effectively in 2017, seek out employees\u00a0who can keep up with trends and changes.<\/p>\n

This means opting\u00a0for\u00a0more\u00a0technical\u00a0personnel rather than just creative types. While the creative side of\u00a0marketing\u00a0is critically important\u00a0to\u00a0developing clever ads and copy,\u00a0marketing\u00a0is\u00a0increasingly involving things like online advertising, re-marketing\u00a0and social media promotion.<\/p>\n

Therefore,\u00a0marketing\u00a0hires should exhibit highly developed\u00a0technical\u00a0skills\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0balance of\u00a0creative\u00a0savvy.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Ian<\/h2>\n

Ian Wright, Founder of Merchant Machine<\/h2>\n

merchantmachine.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

One of the best ways we’ve found to market our business is to host meetup events for entrepreneurs in businesses that use payment technology (e.g. owners of coffee shops, salons, bars, etc.)<\/p>\n

It’s amazing how many of the barriers start to drop in a less salesy environment with a bit of nice food and a few drinks.<\/p>\n

There are two ways to make this work, offer to sponsor a local meetup group that’s already established for your target market. Or consider starting your own if one does not exist.<\/p>\n

The key in either case is to offer something of real value, NOT a sales pitch. Case studies are always a particular favourite, especially ones with hard numbers attached to them.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Get<\/h2>\n

Michelle Zakarin, Co-Owner Regents Review LLC<\/h2>\n

passtheregents.com<\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0\"twitter-1\" @nyregentsreview<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Through my company,\u00a0Regents Review, LLC, I do my best to quickly respond to customers\u2019 test prep concerns and comments using twitter.<\/p>\n

For example, if a parent tweets about test anxiety or if a student tweets about feeling stressed about an upcoming regents, AP or SAT2 exam, I will tweet directly to this individual from the company\u00a0twitter account\u00a0with a message about how to study. Regents Review will then offer to help by including a link to the website for one-day study sessions.<\/p>\n

It becomes more personal because the company is reaching out to the individual directly and people often like and retweet these comments. One retweet can increase followers and also increase web traffic.<\/p>\n

Many will end up following us\u00a0and sometimes ask us questions through Twitter. Since it is a platform which only accepts a limited number of characters per tweet, we can be terse and still get our message out there.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Russell<\/h2>\n

Russ Frazier, Digital Marketing Specialist Founder at\u00a0Visigility LLC<\/h2>\n

visigility.com<\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0\"\" visigility<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

My company recently helped launch a brand new consumer product. To build media and social buzz and blast open the gates with a big intro, we hosted a social launch party. The same concept can be used for a service business.<\/p>\n

The goal of the launch party was to get immediate exposure and build a social following. We organized an event at a local hotel and sent personal invitations to our circle of friends through text, email and social media. We also contacted radio and TV stations with a press release about the party and received several mentions.<\/p>\n

At the party, we had several giveaways. To enter, we asked each guest to invite their friends to like our Facebook page and to share a photo of themselves at the party on their own social media using a common hashtag.<\/p>\n

In one day, our Facebook following grew by 534 likes. In 10 days, we had added 2,725 likes.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Angela<\/h2>\n

Angela Zade, Content Marketer at Evus Technologies<\/h2>\n

evus.com<\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0\"\"\u00a0angela-zade<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

The most effective way to market your business is community involvement.<\/p>\n

Most companies have ties to their community simply because of the people who work there.\u00a0 Shamelessly showcase these connections on your website, company newsletter, social media pages, even framed pictures as office d\u00e9cor.<\/p>\n

Community involvement delivers a \u201cfeel-good\u201d sentiment to everyone who notices, and it can be a tax write off for the company sparing the marketing budget a few cents down the road.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Great<\/h2>\n

William J. McCormick, Bert Wolfe Inc.<\/h2>\n

\"twitter-1\" @bertwolfe<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019ve done collaborative marketing with centerpiece insert cards at local restaurants and event promotions all the way to more traditional things like t-shirts with my personal logo and number to Christmas cards and birthday letters to my customers.<\/p>\n

I also have a unique phone number that utilizes my name at (304) 437-WILL for easy remembrance. The website that I promote is a resource to my customers with videos, blogs, helpful links, and public reviews from other clients who have done business with me.<\/p>\n

I work on pure commission, so the only way to get paid more is to sell more and that means being seen more!<\/p>\n

\n

\"Check<\/h2>\n

Brandon Ackroyd, Founder of Tiger Mobiles<\/h2>\n

tigermobiles.com<\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0\"twitter-1\" @tgermobiles<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Many websites capture emails, but they do it with a pointless subscribe box in the footer. A way to do this more efficiently is by creating a lead magnet – some form of freebie in exchange for their email address.<\/p>\n

For this to work you have to come up with a magnet that makes your customers excited. Ask yourself: what\u2019s the one thing that would be really useful to your audience, and that you could even charge money for (but won\u2019t)? We do this with a free toy on our website.<\/p>\n

You want people to go through the lead magnet, and get something \u2013 gain something useful, get something free, or experience \u201caha\u201d moments. The bigger the positive impact of your lead magnet, the better chance you have given the prospect of moving down your sales funnel at a later date. Ways you can do this include:<\/p>\n