Starting a small business is risky, with only 25 percent of business ideas surviving beyond the first 15 years of operation. The best ideas and marketing strategies will help you find staying power in your industry and engage with your target audience. Forming a business and building a website to find sustainable success in the United States is not enough.
Having exciting business ideas that help your business stand apart from your competitors is the name of the game, and digital marketing is one of the best ways to achieve that goal. New marketing ideas and innovative products will add value and generate more sales for your startup.
The good news is that you’ve discovered this helpful guide to the eight business ideas you should use to build brand awareness and gain new customers. Continue reading to learn more marketing tips today!
Table of Contents
1. Host a Social Media Competition
Social media is an incredible tool you must leverage to reach your audience and gain more customers. Nearly 4.5 billion people use social media regularly, and you can contact them with a tailored message to build brand awareness and demonstrate how your goods or services add value to their lives.
One of the best ways to use social media as part of your digital marketing plan is to host a competition on your company’s account. Your target audience loves free stuff, and your competition is a chance to draw them in and show them more to love about your business.
Give away something free to the competition winner in exchange for the social media engagement it causes. Make the prize as expensive or low-cost as you wish. Sit back and enjoy the new followers and customers you gain with this marketing strategy.
2. Use User-Generated Content
Another excellent marketing tip when growing a business is using user-generated content on your social media and website. Your target audience will feel less biased with your digital marketing when using content from your customers rather than posts you’ve created yourself.
UGC helps potential customers see someone else in their shoes. They gain confidence that they’ll find happiness and value in your goods or services.
Create incentives for your existing customers to share content of themselves using your goods or services. Build a catalog of quality UGC to share on your social media pages.
3. Partner With Small Businesses
Partnering with other small businesses is a core component of a solid marketing strategy. You’ll gain access to your partnering company’s followers and customers when you agree to work with them. It’s one of the best ways to market your small business when using a limited marketing budget.
Find a small business with a target market that overlaps with yours. You want to avoid an arrangement where you compete with your new partner for business.
Consider offering discounts on your goods or services for joining your partner’s mailing list. Social media is another spot where you can shout each other out and build brand awareness for both parties. You’ll support other small businesses while gaining access to a larger target audience.
4. Attend Local Events
Getting out in your community and meeting the people who work and live in it is crucial to your marketing strategy. It’s one of the best business ideas to forge strong and lasting bonds with your target audience and help them put a face to the name. Marketing automation is excellent, but other effective ways to market your small business exist.
Set up a booth at your local farmer’s market or craft fair to spread awareness about your company. You should also have a few products on hand that your audience can try. Your local government could also have a list of local events for small businesses you can attend.
5. Sell Mystery Packages
The human brain loves a good mystery, and you should use mystery packages to generate more sales and excite your customers’ lives. It’s an effective way to move slow-moving inventory. Market these mystery packages as affordable surprises and watch them fly off your shelves.
It’s the perfect chance to introduce your customers to more of your products so they gain familiarity and comfort with your brand. Learn more about what is marketing automation to help you sell more products and mystery packages to build your business.
6. Implement SEO
SEO is one of the most vital elements of a well-rounded marketing strategy for small businesses. You should have a business website when using SEO to gain more customers. Your website needs a blog page where you can publish quality, helpful content.
You want to produce content your target audience can use to learn more about your brand while gaining new knowledge and skills that add value to their lives. Using the best keywords to rank higher on Google and other search engines is also critical.
7. Offer Free Samples
As mentioned earlier, your target audience loves free things, and free samples are no different. Your free samples allow you to try a product without risk or cost. It’s an excellent marketing strategy if you have enough inventory to sacrifice some while gaining new customers.
8. Use a Referral Program
Referral programs are an effective way to leverage your existing customers into new ones. Offer your current customers discounts or promotions when they convince friends or family members to sign up for an email list or to make a purchase.
It’s an inexpensive form of marketing effective when growing a small business. Discount codes and priority access to new products are the two best promotions for your customers.
Try These Business Ideas With Your Brand
Trying and implementing new ideas for digital marketing is essential in the 21st century. The internet is rife with fun marketing and business ideas you can do to attract positive attention and gain new customers.
Social media competitions are an excellent way to drive engagement, while user-generated content makes customers feel special and seen. Free samples and customer referrals are other effective options to add to your marketing strategy that promotes growth.
Are you ready to watch your small business take off and grow? Check out more of our marketing and technology blog content to gain new ideas and marketing tips for your startup company today!
