Sometimes it seems like everybody’s a “marketing expert.” But there really are true marketing experts, and we went looking for some. And we hit the jackpot in a big way when we found 25 online marketing tips from experts at bitrebels.com. The tips are presented in an infographic format, which makes for great (and easy!) reading.
Full disclosure here: This was compiled by ExactTarget, a salesforce.com company, for 2013. But good marketing is good marketing, even strategies and tactics that are built around trends. And even though the digital world is changing at the speed of light, these trends did not emerge and will not disappear in a year! We think the experts would agree that these tips are still right on for 2014.
At the very least, the tips included in this infographic will challenge and stimulate your thinking. And they’re organized into the following categories:
- Cross-channel marketing
- Mobile
- Social
- Marketing automation
- New and emerging trends
We love it! The accompanying description bears repeating: …It will be an exciting year with lots of creative opportunities, that’s for sure!
Online marketing is big, yes, but small business owners should still be integrating offline marketing into their overall business marketing strategy. Small Business Trends says that even the term offline marketing is really a misnomer, because social media and other web-based marketing channels are always beneficial to offline business. The key: Cross promoting online and offline. The site provides five offline marketing ideas to help get your business noticed. (Don’t be fooled by their simplicity; these are timeless and powerful approaches!)
- Networking
- Flyers
- Business cards
- Newsletters
- Sponsorship
Small Business Trends encourages small business owners to try these tactics, if you aren’t already using them. Because, as they say, marketing trends come and go and come back again! (But we think these never really went away.)
Last but not least, in an Ask an Expert column published in USA Today, attorney, author and small business/entrepreneurship expert Steve Strauss discusses tips on marketing small businesses. Strauss says far too many small business people spend too much time working in their business, not on it. (He draws on the book The E-Myth by Michael Gerber.) Bad strategy, because clients and customers leave. They just do. And spending time working on your business will ensure that you aren’t in crisis when they do!
So he offers four effective (and affordable) ways to work on and grow your business:
- Tap into the power of testimonials from satisfied customers. This is one of a small business’s most powerful marketing tools.
- Rev up your word-of-mouth advertising. You can, Strauss says, make this happen,instead of waiting and hoping that your customers pass your information along.
- Stay in touch. It’s a fact: You must stay top-of-mind; there’s just no getting around it. Strauss points out that this is one of the best ways to turn a one-off customer into a repeat customer.
- Get free help. Strauss reminds us that there’s so much to know and so much that’s changing so fast, it’s unrealistic to expect to be able to do it all yourself. So reach out and tap into the myriad resources (e.g., SCORE, Chambers of Commerce, etc.) available to small businesses.
Use these tips to take a fresh look at your marketing strategy to make sure you aren’t overlooking the simple, the low-tech, even the obvious. Chances are, you’ll end up a smarter business owner with a bigger small business!
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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