If you’ve ever asked yourself the question above, then this small business roundup is for you. You’ve got a great product or service in place, but how do you get customers to learn more about it and about you and your company? Marketing may not be as hard as you think and there are plenty of tools and a lot of advice to help you along the way.
Social Media
Survey says: Small business finally using social media. A recent study shows a significant shift in the use of social media as a marketing tool for small business. Check out some of the interesting numbers as small business seems to be finally adapting to the social Web in a big way. MarketWatch
Facebook remains the platform of choice. Small businesses still swear by Facebook as their main social media marketing outlet saying it is still more effective than all other alternatives. You can check out a graph showing the breakdown of social media channels as well. eMarketer
More Data
Series of surveys show increased acceptance/effectiveness of social media. Paul Gillin has this roundup of surveys all showing that the time has come for social media marketing in general. Though the Constant Contact survey is the one most sited in connection with SMBs, there is some other data here to confirm the trend. Business2Community
Check out the full Constant Contact survey here. Check out the rest of the data in this survey released in time for this past Small Business Saturday. The Fall 2011 Attitudes and Outlooks Survey has plenty of insight of interest to your small business. Constant Contact
Is email really dead? Though it may be the last tool you think about in your marketing tool box, e-mail should not be counted out. Check out the infographic below and follow our link for a version you can share. VisibleGains
Book Shelf
Google + for Dummies. Susan Payton takes us on a guided tour of the newest social media frontier with a review of this new guide to Google +. If you’ve been slow to get started, join the club, but understand the value for your business. Small Business Trends
Mobile
SMBs prepare to invest in mobile. Though a survey may show small business still lags behind in the use of mobile marketing, other data points to the fact that mobile marketing may soon be on the increase among small businesses. ZDNet
Why mobile could be key to last minute sales. Not only can mobile marketing provide a compliment to your social media campaign, it can also provide important boosts where needed to generate sales on Holidays and at other special times. Venture Beat
Advice
Tips when designing your marketing plan. When coming up with a marketing plan for your small business in the new year, don’t forget these five important points. Your marketing plan should be the key to bringing in more clients and customers. Be sure you get your it right. SFGate
Other Tools
Project Rev 2012 offers marketing advice/tools. A new project focuses on delivering marketing advice and tools to 10 specially selected small business owners and entrepreneurs in an effort to help them find more customers. Business Wire
Image: Shutterstock
Small businesses tend to be too busy, too overwhelmed or too confused to really dive into social media as they should. Then when they do, they tend to focus on Facebook without really thinking about what platform is best for their type of business. Time should be spent planning how to use each platform to its greatest potential.
Great Post! For our restaurants, we have been using email marketing the last few months and it really driving business and helps build loyalty and relationships locally with customers. We were using Constant Contact and just recently started using RedCappi (www.redcappi.com), which is a lot easier to use. Email is working 🙂
Excellent information in this article. Marketing your small business doesn’t have to be difficult. Create a plan, follow through with it, stay committed, and be patient.
To Your Success,
Stacie Walker
It seems the trend is all online. I do a lot of online marketing especially via Youtube. I still feel people read in certain age groups, so don’t discount the old fashion newspaper depending on what type of business your in.
Hello everyone I’m a 25 year old business lady, a co partner to a 30 year old business man. We are in a Mechanical field ( A motor Industrial Business), The name of our workshop is called VIMLA ENGINES, GEARBOX, DIFFS AND SUSPENSIONS (PTY) LTD. We are two driven, energetic and more passionate young people who love fixing All Makes and Models. I seem not to know how to get our workshop out there to be known. if there’s anyone who can assist me in Advertising our Workshop and getting it out there to be known and to compete more with other workshops, like Mercedes Benz, Audi, VW AND SO FORTH! Please note we are not manufacturing any cars, Trucks or Buses, we repair the Gearboxes, Engines, Diffs, Steering Boxes and all the other Sub Systems helping the Main System (Vehicle) to function. PLEASE HELP US. 081 722 6030