Small business marketing is an incredibly diverse and fluid field. Think about how many marketing messages you see every day – even every minute! So how do you expect your small business to make a big impact? Digital marketing can be more affordable than traditional methods. However, have you ever wondered whether your parents and grandparents might be right – was everything better in the good ol’ days? Including marketing?
Television vs YouTube
Do you remember a time your whole family gathered around the TV every night, watching the same show? Because you had to. There was only one screen in the house and there were only four channels. But what did you do during the commercial break? Sure, there are jingles and catchphrases you remember from those old TV commercials. But most often it was a chance for Mum and Dad to make a fresh cup of tea or for you to make a quick run to the bathroom.
Video content is still very powerful. And adverts still exist of course. However, using tools like YouTube and Google Adwords needs to be done skillfully and deliberately. To make the most out of the time your potential customers are viewing your brand on screen, you need to work with a dedicated small business marketing agency.
Printed Brochures vs eDMs
It’s not just because everyone is thinking green that printed media has fallen by the wayside. With electronic direct mail or email newsletters, you can personally target your customers. It is important to value the customers and potential customers who have generously agreed to give you their email address. With modern marketing tools, eDMs can target your users’ personal preferences, their past sales, their location and more. Much more valuable to your small business marketing than a static one-off printed flyer that offers no interaction.
Conferences vs Social Media
Conferences and networking events are still valuable sources of information and sales leads. However, where once you would be forced to go in with the hard sell and make your pitch to close the deal on the spot, modern marketing tools make it easier to follow up in a relevant way. You look up your new contacts to connect on LinkedIn. You invite them to follow you on Instagram or Facebook to tell them to your brand story. Or even invite them to interact in a closed group. This avoids an unpleasant hard sell on your prospects and allows you to build a mutually respectful relationship.
Account Managers vs Analytics
Don’t we all just wish a little bit that we were part of the Mad Men universe? Winning clients, taking them out to lunch, bonding with them over cocktails. Looks glamorous, doesn’t it? It’s also endless hard work and there will always be those clients who are only in it for the cocktails who have no intention of buying. That’s where modern marketing tools can be valuable to small businesses who take the time to analyse the analytics.
Drilling down into who visits your online platforms and how they interact with your brand helps inform your future business marketing. Setup Google Analytics on your website. Pull out the user analytics from Facebook or see which of your Instagram posts has been the most popular in the last six months.
There are customer-focussed cues we can take from good old-fashioned marketing. However, digital marketing for your small business in Melbourne is an important and cost-effective tool that can help you go big in a way your grandparents would never have been able to comprehend. If you’re unsure about how to use any of these small business marketing tools or want to start making plans with affordable marketing professionals, we’re here to help.
