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make it personalLet’s face it, marketing for small businesses can be pretty difficult. It’s much easier for big companies that have huge budgets to just try everything to determine what works and what doesn’t. When you have to pick and choose methods in order to spend your money wisely, it gets a bit more difficult.

Navigating that balance isn’t easy, but it is definitely doable. Let’s jump into Dan Scalo’s Entrepreneur article, “6 Ways to Think Outside the Box When Marketing Your Small Business.”

  1. “Get personal.” Use your brand to further the individual user’s brand. Personalization can go a long way, friends. You may laugh at personalized M&Ms, but people eat that stuff up (literally and figuratively). Get creative with it and start adding personal touches to your inventory. It can be as simple as putting someone’s name on something– it goes a long way. People love seeing their name on stuff. It comes with the territory of our selfie society.
  2. “Promote customer engagement.” Speaking of the selfie culture… Customer engagement can go so far when it comes to promoting your brand. Word of mouth is some of the best free marketing that ever existed. Maybe start an Instagram campaign to get the ball rolling.
  3. “Say thanks.” A simple thank you can make or break your brand reputation. It doesn’t cost anything to show appreciation. By showing that you truly care for your customers, you are fostering loyalty and respect. You can host an event in their honor– or if that’s too much, you can provide a special THANK YOU discount to returning customers. It’s the simple things that shows really appreciation and will ultimately put you out on top.
  4. “Develop a loyalty program.” And on that same thread, let’s talk about loyalty. If you feel like you can’t keep returning customers, it’s time to really boost repeat business. Promote that repeat business by developing a loyalty program that gives customers perks for coming back.
  5. “Utilize LinkedIn.” LinkedIn is actually a really cool platform. Sure, tons of people use it to connect with potential employees/employers, but it can be used for so much more. You could join or create a LinkedIn member group in order to reach other small businesses and share ideas and network.
  6. “Survey your current customers.” Your current customers are just as important as new business. You want to make sure they feel supported and like you have their best interests at heart. Listen to what they have to say by asking them to participate in a survey. They get to express their opinions and you get to see how you can improve. Win, win.

Sure, small business marketing can be challenging, but if you really think outside the box or just apply a bit of knowledge, you can go a long way with a little.