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How To Effectively Market Your Business During The Pandemic

January 23rd, 2021 Posted in Business, Entrepreneurship

The pandemic has hit businesses hard all over the world since coronavirus reared its ugly head, and millions of businesses have been forced to close. Subsequently, millions more jobs have been lost because of this, causing financial despair all over the world. However, some businesses have managed to make it this far, and if you’re one of the lucky, then you’ll be looking for effective ways to ensure that your business survives this pandemic. Here are some tried and tested tips on how to effectively market your business during the pandemic.

How To Effectively Market Your Business During The Pandemic - loving a good idea image — Photo by **Oladimeji Ajegbile** from **Pexels**

Understand how to effectively reach your target audience

We all know that there’s a diverse range of people using social media in this day and age, but not everyone does, and it’s important to remember that. If your target audience is the elderly, for example, you may struggle to hit your demographic through social media as much as you’d like. Instead, opt for mediums of marketing such as adverts in magazines, newspapers and television adverts so that you can reach your target more effectively. Conduct research on your target audience so that you can choose the most effective medium of reaching them.

Save time with a marketing agency

Effective marketing takes a lot of time and effort, and if you’re busy with other operations in your business, you simply might not have the time to do it. However, you can use a digital marketing agency such as Herdl for many of your marketing needs such as SEO, website design, hosting, and email marketing. After all, if you’re going to do something right, it’s best left to the professionals! While hiring a marketing agency might be an investment, it’s one you should seriously consider to help improve your business’ visibility.

Take to social media…

Social media is the easiest, fastest, and most cost-effective method of reaching many people in one go. Create stunning graphics and videos that show what your business has to offer, and post them on all of your social media platforms on a regular basis. You should also include a link back to your website so that it’s easy for potential customers to head straight to the product they’re after. You should also do some hashtag research to ensure you’re going to hit the right people with your content. Remember when posting anything on social media to stick to your brand image so that your business becomes recognisable through colour schemes, fonts, imagery and your logo. You’ll thank yourself in the future!

…and through that use influencers to raise brand awareness

Finally, influencers are more powerful than you think, and could be extremely valuable to your business. Reach out to influencers in your industry to see if they’d be willing to review your products or services in return for a review on their social media platforms. Their followers will naturally click through and buy your products! You may have to pay an influencer too, depending on their following, but it’s an investment that will eventually pay for itself through the sales you make.

marketing, pandemic, social media

Forgotten Ways to Market Your Business

August 27th, 2020 Posted in Business, Entrepreneurship

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We live in a world where everything is done online. It’s great for businesses big and small and it’s never been easier to get word out and market your business. If you have a good social media presence then chances are your business is already doing well. But are you missing out on potentially bringing in new customers. Here are some more simple ways to get word out and reach a whole new clientele.

Forgotten Ways to Market Your Business - throw a launch party image — Photo by **cottonbro** from **Pexels**

Socialise

We all love to socialise and thanks to social media (I know it’s in the name!) the fun never stops. Whether you ever present on social media or fluttering about at parties, talk about your product. Try and strike up conversations with people who you think may be interested in your product. Be wary of just bombarding people with stats, figures and jargon. It could damage your reputation and turn people the other way. Try and engage them and get them interested in what you’re offering. Leave them wanting to find out more and they’ll do the research themselves.

Throw a launch party

You have a product and you’re a social butterfly. Throwing a launch party and showing people a good time is a sure way to get word out. People will leave feeling good and wanting to know more about your product or services and may even go away and tell their friends…and their friends friends.

Have stationary made

It may seem like an unnecessary cost but it actually doesn’t have to be that expensive. Find a company that will do you a deal on a bulk order perhaps. Creating a mental image to go with your brand is a great way to help people remember it. Order business cards and personalised stationery for any correspondence. Even consider branded pens that you can give to consumers.

Ask for reviews

Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews. With such a saturated market, consumers first port of call when trying to decide between two competitors is to usually look for reviews. The more reviews you have the better and the more likely a consumer will be to choose you. Make sure your service warrants great reviews, one bad review can undo five great ones. But it’s a great way to get people talking about your business.

Wear and use your products in public

You have your stationary use it in public and hand it out where possible but another great way to market your business is to wear it! If your business makes clothing wear it! If not, look at having T-shirts made with your logo on but make sure it’s eye catching. You want people to take note of what you’re wearing so they seek it out. Don’t be remembered for the wrong reasons.

Forgotten Ways to Market Your Business - branded T shirts image — Photo by **Nicholas Swatz** from **Pexels**

launching a business, marketing

How to grow your online shop: 7 social media marketing strategies

June 17th, 2020 Posted in Entrepreneurship

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Growth is something every online shop owner worries about. With so many social media marketing strategies out there, it can be difficult to know what tactics are most effective.

To help you along your ecommerce journey, we’re going over seven strategies you can easily implement to grow your online shop.

Post compelling content frequently

If you want to grow your brand on social media, consistently posting great content is non-negotiable. Users react more favorably to businesses they regularly see in their feeds, leading to more engagement and trust.

However, you don’t need to go overboard and start spamming your followers. Simply create a schedule that works for you and commit to it.

Automate word-of-mouth with social reviews

Reviews are this century’s word-of-mouth.

Having product review apps on your shop’s site creates trust and leads to more sales. When your customers are happy, they’ll want to convince others to buy from you too, so let them share the love!

Make it easy to share your products

Add social share buttons to your site, particularly for Pinterest. If a customer likes your item but can’t buy it right away, they can pin it for later.

Even better, someone else might see that pin they’ve saved of your awesome product and click onto your website. Your potential customers are doing some of the marketing for you!

Be active on the right #hashtags

Hashtags can be a little complicated, because there’s different rules for different social channels. Luckily, there are tools available to find ones that align with your brand, aren’t oversaturated, and will yield the best results.

It’s also a great idea to create your own shop-specific hashtag. This encourages your customers to post photos with your products using that tag.

Align your posts with a trending topic

When you post about what people want to read about, both on your social media and on your shop’s blog, you’ll naturally attract potential clients. If you properly utilize SEO in your posts, it’s easier for people to find you.

If you need help in this area, SMR Digital is an organic search agency providing link outreach, SEO, PPC and social media marketing services.

Invest in an infographic

Infographics are a quick and visually-appealing way to help your customers make informed decisions, or educate them about your brand.

Here are some templates to give you a few ideas.

Make your Instagram shoppable

There used to be a big hurdle driving traffic from Instagram. Now, for business pages, it couldn’t be easier!

The same way you’d tag any other account, you can now create product tags. These shoppable posts allow users to tap and see prices, then click through to purchase. They fit in seamlessly and don’t come across as spammy.

ecommerce, marketing, selling online, social media

3 Reasons Why Your Small Business Will Fail (Unless You Take Action)

August 14th, 2018 Posted in Entrepreneurship

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According to research, only 50% of businesses survive at the five-year mark of starting out. At the ten-year mark, only a third of those businesses remain open. Scary? Absolutely, especially if you are an entrepreneur looking to begin a small business any time soon. The figure is bleak, although hope isn’t lost. There is some comfort if you’re a glass-half-full type of person in knowing that your business still has an opportunity to survive (if you’re in the successful 50% after five years) and that success is still possible if you begin to understand why some businesses fail, and why others succeed.

In this article, we will consider some of the reasons why many businesses fail, but will also give you some tips on how to take action to prevent the same happening to your business. With good planning and effective management, there is hope for you, regardless of the shocking statistics that cause many a business owner worry.

3 Reasons Why Your Small Business Will Fail (Unless You Take Action) Business failure - closed sign image

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Business Failure #1: Poor financial management

Your business will fail if you don’t have control over your income and expenditure. Trying to grow your business too fast, paying over the odds on technology and other business equipment, and poor pricing strategies, are just some of the reasons why you may get into financial difficulty. Many businesses run at a loss in their first year of business, so steps need to be taken and you must only pay for essentials like HR software from Cezanne. Don’t run before you can walk is a useful motto, so it pays to be steady in the way you move your business forward. Growth will come later; in the first few years, you need to find ways to survive financially. Cost-cutting is key, as is only purchasing items that are essential for the everyday running of your business. Hiring an accountant is one expense that could be considered necessary, as is making use of accountancy tools that can be downloaded onto your computer or smartphone. Planning is key, so using the resources that are available to you, find better ways to budget and manage your finances to ensure you don’t run out too soon.

Business Failure #2: Failing to match the competition

Your business is one of many, and you not only have to match the little guys in your industry, but there are also the business giants online and off that are threatening your time in the business world. While it’s difficult to have a completely unique USP, you still need to find ways to be different to those other businesses around you, as well as maintaining a professional image to ensure clients, customers and investors take you seriously as a business owner. So, in terms of differences, remember to create your brand identity to help you stand out from other businesses at the outset. Then find ways to beat the competition, perhaps by offering a better level of customer service, offering better pricing policies, and delivering a superior product or service.

Look for ways to appear professional, even if you’re only a small business entrepreneur operating from your bedroom. Having a professionally produced website is a start, so outsource this to a web development company if your skills aren’t up to scratch. And then consider a virtual business address, which is far more professional than having your home address as your contact details. To answer the question, how do I get a virtual business address for my company, follow the link for one low-cost example. By matching (or beating) the competition, and by maintaining a professional image, you will stand a greater chance of success. Read more about developing a professional brand here.

Business Failure #3: Failing to market effectively

When starting out in business, there is no place for the wallflower. You need to shout your arrival from the rooftops, ensuring consumers are alerted to your existence in the business world. By considering every marketing tool at your disposal, you need to promote your worth, telling future customers why they need to consider your business over those that operate a similar service to you. Of course, as a fledgling small business, money is a key. You may spend your money on a marketing campaign at the beginning, and have very little to spend later on. Thankfully, there are low-cost ways to market your businesses, without you having to run the risk of financial ruin within the first few months of opening your doors. You should then make an effort to commit to marketing throughout the course of your business, never resting on your laurels after one campaign, as your business rivals are always set on snatching your customers away from you.

Finally

Is your business doomed to fail? Will your business face bankruptcy? We hope not. You should be applauded for opening up in business anyway, despite the risks. To ensure your survivability, heed our advice, and commit to research in all facets of the industry you are involved in, ensuring you stay relevant for many years to come. We wish you every success.

3 Reasons Why Your Small Business Will Fail (Unless You Take Action) business failure - from failure to success image