The business marketing game is an ever-changing practice, and the best marketing professionals keep their minds fresh with the newest trends.  Your job in marketing is to stay on top of what your target consumers are searching and exploring, so you can offer just what they’re looking to find. 

If you’re having trouble variating your marketing outlets, expand your skills with a little light research.  Take a few moments to read through a quick explanation of some effective marketing outlets for your small business operation. 

Social media is a massive marketing playground

The marketing opportunities presented by the various social media platforms available to web users are simply incomparable to any other marketing resource.  If your business has not yet tapped into the social media communities on the web, you’re missing out on valuable connections. 

Networking is a significant piece of the puzzle of success, and social media is the ultimate networking outlet for any size business operation.  Here is a short list of some of the most useful social media channels for marketing your small business. 

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Dig deeper into what these platforms can do for your organization, and you will quickly see the potential benefits. 

Build relationships with consumers through email

Email is an excellent outlet for making contact with active consumers, but you must first gather together an expansive collection of connections.  Use your business website as a tool for building relationships with consumers through email communications. Of course, every message that you write cannot be sent to every recipient on your list. If you have done your lead sourcing correctly, your lists should be segmented, meaning that you should have different strategies for maximizing conversions within these groups. Scheduling all these messages quickly becomes a major undertaking. You will likely some way of keeping it all organized. Check out the tool offered here to see a good example of one of these.  

Write communication all over the pages of your business website by using effective design tactics.  This South Carolina personal injury legal website shows just how many different ways you can gather information from your site visitors.  Use your website to build your digital rolodex, and nurture the connections you create through regular marketing emails. 

Offer special clubs, deals, and sales

As more of a marketing strategy than an actual outlet, your business should be dispersing special offers, deals, and sales for return customers.  Loyalty clubs and perks are an excellent way to draw more eyes your way. 

Develop a complimentary mobile application

Work to develop a complimentary mobile application for consumers.  Mobile apps that work with consumers to make purchasing easier and offer special perks to return buyers have been proven as an efficient way to boost small business. 

Consider the examples set by larger companies like Wal-Mart and Target.  Their complimentary mobile apps off special savings for consumers, and they even curbside ordering services. 

Jumpstart a QR marketing campaign

Though QR (quick response) marketing techniques are nothing new, they are still effective.  People love to use their smartphone to discover something new, and your organization’s QR marketing efforts will provide the mysterious stimulation today’s consumers seek. 

By Eddy Z

Eddy is the editorial columnist in Business Fundas, and oversees partner relationships. He posts articles of partners on various topics related to strategy, marketing, supply chain, technology management, social media, e-business, finance, economics and operations management. The articles posted are copyrighted under a Creative Commons unported license 4.0. To contact him, please direct your emails to [email protected].