Build effective, authentic, and efficient strategies to support your dreams and success

By Erin Daugherty

Small business owners wear many hats, and playing the role of marketing director and content creator is just one of them. Effective marketing takes practice, and there is not one single recipe that works for every business. As you strengthen your marketing skills it will become easier to identify what is working, what adjustments to make, and stay consistent with your strategies. Wherever you are at in your marketing journey, these are tips that you can apply today to enhance your online marketing. 

It’s always important to remember quality over quantity when promoting your small business online. There is an element of pressure on everyone to keep up with all of the posts, sales, offers, emails, product launches, etc. from other big and small businesses. My goal is to help you find a flow in your marketing strategies that is both effective, fun, fulfilling, and authentic to who you and your brand are. This will allow you to be more consistent in all aspects of your marketing, rather than going through phases of posting daily, and then not posting for months (we’ve all been there at one point). 

If you aren’t already, using scheduling tools such as Meta Business Suite are extremely helpful for showing up online daily, without taking the time and energy every single day to write all of your posts. Dedicate two to four hours a week to plan as much content as possible ahead of time. I recommend blocking this time in your planner, and keeping notes of your ideas in your phone or in a notebook to refer to when you sit down to schedule your posts. 

It is better to make three high-quality posts a week than ten low-quality ones. So if you don’t have something to post every day, that’s absolutely okay. Those can be days that you explore creating new content and utilizing all of the tools given to you. 

Here are my top six strategies for small business owners to be successful with their online marketing:

• Offer daily deals: Make one post every day highlighting a product or service that you would like to sell, and offer a special deal if someone purchases it within the next 24 hours. This is ideal for story posts that automatically disappear.

• Tell your story: Your community is supporting you as a person and the journey of your business just as much as they are the products you are selling. Use photos and words that cohesively represent your brand and tell the story of how you, your team, and your business came to be. Share about what you offer, and most importantly — why you are offering it consistently.

• Create video content: Utilize all of the posting and sharing tools available to you, especially videos. Other than being favored by the algorithm on most platforms, viewers are likely to spend more time watching your video posts over photos or just words. The most effective video strategy is to create short, captivating videos and include calls to action for viewers to read the caption, visit your website, or whatever it is you would like them to do. 

• Participate in giveaways: Everyone loves free stuff, so don’t forget to host a giveaway every now and again as you are able to. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy or expensive. You can also collaborate with other small businesses to have multiple winners and support one another in spreading the word about what you offer. 

• Follow back: This might seem like a very small thing, but a fair amount of people actually notice when a business they like follows them back. Show support to those who are supporting you in any way you can, just like you ask of them. 

• Consistent branding: Use the same or very similar colors, logos, and wording in your posts consistently so people can easily identify that it’s you and your small business. When humans see something more often, we naturally begin to form more connections with whatever it may be. This is also why posting consistently is so important. At the very least, you want people to remember your small business in a positive light and be able to relocate your page when they are ready to make a purchase. Be original! 

Implementing these tips and strategies into your current marketing plan will support you in being authentic, memorable, and effective online. There will always be new strategies to try, so when you discover things that feel good to you and build positive relationships with your community – stick with them! Be mindful of your energy, and try to create and schedule content in batches to allow yourself rest from planning and executing your marketing plan. 

Social media and online marketing should ideally be a fun aspect of running a small business. While it can be tricky and confusing at times, it’s a chance to share your talent and your passions with the world, and make a positive impact in people’s lives as well as your own. These tips can assist you in discovering the perfect balance of storytelling and branding, so being the marketing director for your small business is enjoyable and exciting. 

If you give them a go, I would love to hear about your thoughts and the results you experience! 

Thank you for tuning in to my top six small business marketing tips. 

Sending love and light,

The Spiritual Sunflower