If you are thinking of starting a business or already have one, you will eventually need to market it. Despite the many constraints, small businesses need marketing more than large established ones. No matter the type of business you run, you will need marketing of some sort to drive your sales. Good thing is that with the rapid developments in information and communication technology, you can now market your business at a very low cost. Creating content for digital marketing might not even require any expertise, since there are many online tools available online.

If wondering how to market your business the following are ten marketing tips for your small business.

#1: Set Your Target and Budget

You must have a clearly defined target and set a budget for achieving it, these and other details should be clearly documented in your marketing plan. Avoid setting ambiguous goals because these may waste your time and money. If you aren’t an experienced marketer you will need some help.  Budget is a major constraint for small business marketing, so you should balance things properly to get the best results. Make sure you have a clearly defined end-game because this is what marketing is all about.

#2: Create Quality, Relevant Content

While there are several small business marketing strategies one thing remains clear: for you to achieve your goals you must present the right content to your audience, one that is not boring and at the same time presents your views properly. The best way to catch the attention of readers is to present content tailored to their needs. If you need someone to help you create compelling content that will drive up your sales, contact RenderForest for assistance. They will create a variety of content that you can place on social media, blogs etc. However, if your budget is way too tight, you can simply use their online tools and create all that you need for yourself with minimal cost.

#3: Utilize Google’s Local Offerings

Google is undoubtedly the most popular search engine, and one of the secrets behind their success is providing only content that users want. Google has a large variety of products that can help small business in their marketing thus driving sales. For example, creating a Google My Business Account enables you to be in full control of your business in things such as website, hours of operation, phone number and address. Also with the local search ads, your business can be featured on the Google Maps app or website.

#4: Promote a Social Media Channel

While some people dispute the reliability of social media in marketing, most agree that this is the way to go. There are several social media sites that you can use to promote your business, including LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Studies show that having one social media site that customers are most present on and building it up is a great way to market or promote your business. Consider signing up for social tools such as Buffer and Hootsuite for they will link up your social accounts, and allow you to schedule posts for the future.

#5: Email Marketing

Email marketing is a critical element in small business marketing because it gives them a chance to establish loyalty. But always keep in mind that no one likes spam emails, so only send the right content at a normal frequency; otherwise, your users will end up marking you as spam. Create content that is less aggressive and that shows humanity, for example, announce new employees, social responsibility events and address people appropriately.  The most common email marketing services is MailChimp but of course, there are many others.

#6: Keyword research for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

No need to worry if you don’t have an idea what SEO is, it is the tactics marketers use to obtain higher placements on search engines such as Yahoo, Google, and Bing to increase traffic to their website. While SEO is free, it is very tricky so you may require the services of an expert. SEO is all about keyword research. Luckily there are a variety of keyword research tools such as the Google keyword planner that will tell you which words and phrases your potential audience uses when searching for products or information that your business can provide.

#7: Publish Blogs

Blogging is fun for most people but if you don’t like it you may consider hiring a blogger online to assist you. Publish company blogs where you can demonstrate your competency to potential customers and followers. Get enough following so that you can show your followers your accomplishments including project completions and award announcements. One thing that you must know is that any successful blog is more about quality, not quantity.

#8: Carry out Surveys, Listen and Learn

These are among the best online marketing strategies that will take your business marketing to the next higher level. Remember that marketing is a two-way affair; you need to provide your audience with appropriate content and also provide content that is highly appealing, the only way that this can happen is by surveying, listening and learning.  Whether positive or negative, feedback is very important, as it highlights areas that need improvement or that need to be scrapped off.

#9: Network

As the old saying goes “No Man is an Island,” you need to know other people in your industry for an effective marketing exercise.  While making friends with other people you get to understand their strategies and exchange information, which you can use to your advantage in the marketing exercise.  Note that networking is a gradual process, and you won’t get instant results, so it will take a while for you to realize sales increase.

#10: Be Unique

One thing that you must know is that there are several businesses that provide services like yours, so you will need to be original and uniquely represent your small business through marketing and advertising. Have creative marketing strategy and show people that your business is great, and why it provides better products than all the others.