Deciding how to market your business can be challenging. You will need to determine the best way to reach customers along with what fits in your budget. You will also need to determine how to market yourself and or your company. The internet helps companies expand their reach and effectively market products and services. Keep reading to learn how to market your small business online.
Best Strategies for Marketing Yourself
Marketing yourself can be one of the toughest things to do for an entrepreneur. However, a fundamental part of brand positioning is presenting yourself and making yourself available to your existing and potential customers. You should want to build relationships with your customers to let them see the human side of your brand. The main issue then is how do you present yourself? What kind of content would people be interested in? How can you build a strong social media presence and not overwhelm your followers to the point of annoyance? Here are some basic strategies for marketing yourself in a safe, responsible, and effective way.
- Become an expert in your niche: When you are beginning to market yourself, you should do your homework and know what you are talking about. Anyone who consumes your content should be able to rely on you for accurate information, and if they happen to know anything about the subject matter, they will easily be able to tell when you are not fully educated on the subject. The result is, you will lose credibility and followers. That is why it is important to choose a niche and then become an expert in it. Identify who you are, what you represent, and figure out what makes you unique. Too many times people choose too broad of a subject and they can get lost in the endless sea of brands and personalities that fall within that subject. The first thing you may want to do is to research your subject and identify what areas are currently being underserved and unaddressed. Then you may want to consider whether or not the market or subject you have chosen is niche enough or if there are ways to get even more specific. The same goes for whether or not you are getting too specific and risk alienating large portions of the market.
Once you have found the perfect niche that is not too general and not too specific, it is time to educate yourself to the point of expertise. Trust is extremely important when you are beginning to market yourself. If you give incorrect information, your reputation can become tarnished. You may want to set aside some time every day to read up on your niche. Additionally, if any certifications exist that are related to your chosen field, you may want to consider obtaining them. Other steps you can take may involve reading articles and/or market research about your industry, setting up conference calls and phone conversations with other experts in your field, and looking into attending industry conferences or events. You may even be so bold as to ask to speak at an industry conference or event. All of these steps work to help you build the established reputation of being an industry leader and expert in your market.
- Build a social media following: The first key to building a large social media following is to know your audience and determine what platforms they are using. Is your audience a younger crowd that uses more of Instagram, Tik Tok, and WhatsApp? Or, are they a little older and have settled into using Facebook and Twitter more. Although most demographics use Facebook and Twitter, you may be able to target a younger demographic much easier with a platform like Tik Tok. Essentially, you want to know where your audience is based on the demographics you are trying to target. Once you create the social media accounts that will be the most effective for your goals, you then want to determine how you can make meaningful content and connections with your audience. Also, you can use your social media accounts to interact with potential customers and other experts in your industry. Make sure you are prompt when responding to customer inquiries. Finally, you want to edit your social media profiles to link directly to your landing page.
- Educate others: A fair exchange of knowledge between experts and inspiring experts is not only good for business, but it is also good for elevating the industry in general. It is important to remember that competition does exist, however, networking, even between competitors, can be a powerful tool.
- Look for speaking opportunities: One of the best ways to make a name for yourself in your industry is to participate in speaking opportunities or Q&A’s at industry conferences and events. When you finally get to book some speaking events, you want to keep in mind you are not selling your product, instead, you are marketing yourself as an expert in the industry. You can reference your product at the end of the speech, however, the main focus of the speech is to help your audience learn more about a particular subject.
- Seek recognition for your expertise: Acquiring certificates and participating at speaking events in your industry is most likely the most effective way of gaining recognition. Other ways may include effectively utilizing your social media and creating a YouTube channel that gives users informative information about your industry and your product. Again, the focus should be education rather than simply selling a product.
- Build relationships: Networking networking networking. Networking is so important that we mentioned it three times. Face-to-face contact can be difficult at times due to COVID and geographical restraints, however, face-to-face interaction is critical for developing long-term relationships that can flourish into unexpected and fruitful business possibilities. For example, if you participate in a speaking event, take time after your speech to talk to people and exchange contact information. Same thing if you are not necessarily the speaker, stick around after a speech from a keynote speaker to introduce yourself and also exchange contact information. Another way to build relationships is to identify important people in your industry and set up business meetings and/or lunches. Offering to buy lunch in exchange for some potentially game-changing knowledge is a cheap and effective way to learn valuable information, or to make an ally in the industry you can call upon in the future.
Considerations When Marketing Yourself
The most important thing to remember when it comes to marketing yourself is that even though it can feel uncomfortable at times presenting yourself to strangers, it is critical for brand positioning and for doing your best to ensure the future of your business. Remember to always be an expert and to do the work necessary to maintain that expertise. Remember, social media and industry conferences or events are essential to marketing yourself to existing and potential customers or business partners. Remember to network and to build long lasting business relationships that have the potential to be mutually beneficial. There are many other things to consider when thinking about how to market yourself, however, there are some of the basic principles that you should always keep in mind.
Conclusion
While you may know and believe how great your products and services are, you need to communicate and show others. Marketing is extremely powerful when done creatively. Startups or small businesses often struggle with marketing budgets as it can be expensive. However, it can help increase sales while in turn should improve profits and cash flow. As sales start to increase, you may need to find affordable inventory financing. At Kickfurther, companies can access the funds they need to finance inventory for up to 30% cheaper than other options. With over 800+ deals funded and a 99.5% success rate, Kickfurther is helping companies sell more inventory now while allowing them to pay later.
