As a small business owner do you ever feel like you’re in a canoe in the middle of a lake holding a fishing pole for hours without a bite?
It can be tricky navigating the business world and figuring out how to get more than just the bait on your line.
Maybe it’s time to start using a net.
There are several marketing hacks to take advantage of and good reasons why they work. So, if you’re struggling, give it a go and you’ll be sure to have plenty of fish in your boat in no time!
Post and Respond
Sometimes the most basic concepts are the ones that get overlooked.
Say you’re looking for a yoga studio for your weekly session and you find a place that’s hosting a free trial. Would you even remotely consider joining the studio if, say, the instructor neglected you, hardly shared any tips, and was completely boring?
Probably not.
It’s important to…
- Run metrics on the best social media platforms
- Get on a regular posting routine and schedule things out
- Include lots of engaging content including videos and images
- Make sure that you create high quality content that is actually useful
- Be real and build personal connections with your audience
Remember that the average attention span for people scrolling through social media is about 2 seconds.
Make your two seconds count!
Honesty and Trust
A good quote says “If you want to be trusted, be honest”.
Honesty leads to ➜ Trust which leads to ➜ Reliability which leads to ➜ Value
If you advertise a product as being super high-quality — say socks for this example, and you hype them up to be the best, most long-lasting socks on the market… but they are actually made of poor quality material that falls apart right away — you’re going to lose trust in the people who bought your socks in the first place.
Losing trust is going to quickly turn into a reputation of unreliability, which in turn will bring the value of your product and business down.
So for the sake of your business — start with being honest about what you’re offering.
Are your socks not 100% cotton? Be real about that fact and aim for what the pros are.
Maybe they’re more affordable? Or good for short term use?
Just remember that honesty is key to success.
Proof and Reviews
There are plenty of people in the world who rely on reviews and recommendations from others when it comes to products and services. No 5 stars? No thank you.
Social Proof is the secret sauce that brings your super scrumptious recipe together.
People are going to be much more inclined to eat the dish if there's a good reason for them to do so.
So how do you get people to leave a review?
- Special giveaways or offers
- Send reminders to VIP lists
- Use website popups
- Email blasts
- Set up your google page
- Make announcements on social media
Whatever you do — build it up and make sure to thank those who help out!
Branding and Consistency
“I’ve got a reputation to uphold!”
Anyone go through a goth stage in high school? Or maybe you were more of the cheerleader type?
Whatever your “phase” was, in a way, you wanted to showcase who you were and what you were all about. A personalized brand called you.
Branding is incredibly important — It’s the identity of your company. It’s going to help with your other category of recognition and build associations with your audience.
With that being said — be consistent. You want people to see something associated with your brand and immediately connect it to your company.
Getting Started
To break it down — build consistent brand recognition on a platform of honesty and trust. Use reviews as social proof to showcase the quality of your product or service, and make sure to keep engaged with your audience.
If you’re struggling to pull everything together (or simply just don’t have the time) — She Reigns Creative can help!
We design, host, and create Marketing plans for all kinds of businesses — we can elevate yours or create it from scratch. Book a free strategy session to discuss what this could look like for you!