How To Increase The Visibility Of Your Small Business
As a small business owner, it can be hard to gain the traction you need in order for your company to flourish. This is due to the fact that you have to build your brand from the ground up, so it can be hard to bring in customers to begin with. However, there are various different ways in which you can easily boost your brand’s visibility - which, in time, will allow you to achieve great success. Here’s how you can achieve these goals.
#1: Understand your brand. In order to appeal to your target audience, you need to know everything there is to know about your brand. This means far more than being able to describe the products you have on offer - you need to be able to provide detailed answers to the following questions.
Where do you see your brand in 10 years?
What do you provide your customers with that they couldn’t get anywhere else?
What kind of person shops at your store? What are their interests? What are their likes/dislikes?
What brands are you in direct competition with?
By gaining a thorough understanding of your brand, you’ll know exactly how to market yourself moving forward.
#2: Get to grips with marketing. When you first launch your own business, you may be filling in for every role within the company. This could mean that you will be a one-person marketing team, even if you have little experience in the field. In that case, it is essential that you take the time to figure out which marketing techniques are best for your brand. For example, should you pay for sponsored posts to feature on particular websites or on a certain social media platform?
Furthermore, you should ensure that your advertisements are consistent and on-brand. For example, their content should not vary widely across platforms, as it is better to build a cohesive idea of what your brand offers instead of sending out mixed messages. Try to keep the design simple and stylish without overloading the viewer with information. In order to create stunning advertisements, you don’t need to be a photoshop pro, although it would help. In fact, there are plenty of online tools, such as Canva, that can help you create stunning advertisements and branded content in no time at all. Alternatively, you could bring in graphic or web designers to help you get the job done.
As your company grows, you will need to hire some kind of marketing specialist. Whether that means you outsource staff or hire your own team - they will be able to take marketing to the next level, thus helping your company grow from strength to strength.
#3 Build an online presence. The next step towards increasing the visibility of your business is by giving yourself a platform from which you can be heard. For example, you should ensure that you set up several social media channels - as this is a great way to communicate and connect with your target audience.
However, you should ensure that your social media accounts are active instead of simply posting advertisements on them. Share relevant content, customer pictures and reviews and ‘behind the scenes’ pics of products. Respond to comments and direct messages, and find new ways to engage with your growing audience. This can help boost your engagement and encourage people to follow your brand. The more followers you obtain, the more likely they are to make a purchase. Remember to pay close attention to your social media metrics, which will help you figure out where you could be going wrong. For example, keep a lookout for:
Your highest performing posts (most likes, shares, comments)
Your lowest performing posts (least likes, shares, comments)
What time of day your posts get the most engagement (morning/evening/night)
Who is engaging with your content the most? (What demographic?)
Account mentions (have your customers tagged you in posts, have other brands shared your content?)
How many times your advertisements have encouraged your viewers to visit your website.
How many times viewers have made a purchase after viewing your website.
Furthermore, you could also use forum software to set up an online forum for your brand/company. This provides you with the opportunity to connect with your customers on a deeper level - by engaging in active conversation with them. For example, you can use your forum to discuss upcoming product launches, company developments and more. As your forum grows, so will your business, and you may even be able to monetise your forum. This means that you can further supplement your income.
#4 Attend local/online events. Another way in which you can boost your brand’s visibility is by attending local events or those hosted online. For example, if you sell craft products - you could drop by a local market and set up a stall. This is a great way to connect with customers and begin developing a relationship with them. This will also present you with an excellent networking opportunity, as you get to meet other local business owners.
Furthermore, you should also keep an eye out for any online events that will allow you to further showcase your products.
#5 Give out promotional products. Promotional products are another effective way of boosting your brand’s visibility and reaching out to a broader audience. However, it is vital that you choose the right promotional products for your brand - as otherwise, you will waste money on products that will not get used. Therefore, you should choose promotional products that your target audience would find particularly useful or exciting. They should align closely with your brand and the kind of things you already have on offer. This could include:
Pens/Pencils
Notebooks/Pads
Cups/Mugs
T-Shirts/Hats
Face Masks
Tote bags
USB drives
Laptop cases
Stickers
Sweets/Chocolate
Furthermore, when designing your promotional products, keep the design simple as this is the most effective way to boost your brand’s visibility. Do not go overboard on colours or text - as this means your potential customers will be less likely to use the product. Though they are a form of advertising, they are not in themselves a direct advertisement and shouldn’t appear to be.
#5 Focus on developing the brand. Perhaps the best way in which you can boost the visibility of your business is by ensuring that you continue to sell quality products or services. For example, if you work on developing your brand, then you will naturally bring in more customers as you grow. This organic growth depends entirely on your ability to provide for your customers, ensuring that they get exactly what they need from your company.
After a successful product launch, it is easy to sit back and let the products talk for themselves. After all, word of mouth is a great marketing technique that has been used for centuries - we often buy products that are recommended to us by our friends and family. In fact, this form of marketing has caused the growth of the online influencer. However, as time progresses, customers will begin to look out for the next big thing - and if you don’t have any other products to offer, they will quickly lose interest in your brand. Therefore, if you want your business to grow - you need to be ready and willing to put in the hard work each and every day.
As soon as one product launches, it's time to start thinking about your next step. If you stay focused and keep improving, you’ll remain successful.