If you’re starting a small company or want to start one, you undoubtedly dream of one day becoming a major player in your industry, able to toss about big statistics and be featured in publications like Forbes. That’s an admirable goal, but you’re still firmly ensconced in the here and now.
These methods are proven to work for small businesses just like yours. They include long-term and short-term techniques that may or may not provide immediate effects. This is the reality for small businesses like yours: You may not have the resources to spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising, so your best bet is to use these nine tried-and-true methods for attracting new customers to your company.
Some are so obvious that you’ll kick yourself for not considering them sooner. Pay-per-click advertising isn’t something that every company can afford. That’s why we decided to list 2022 small business marketing techniques that every company, regardless of its marketing budget and business promotional items, may attain.
1: Correct Your Listings
On the desktop, “next to me” searches are increasing at an astronomical rate. They’ll be much more critical in the age of voice search. Approximately 22% of voice searches are dependent on location.
Make sure to claim your Google My Business profile if you haven’t already. When someone searches for your company on the internet, this is the most prominent listing they’ll see. Have you wanted to start correcting your listings right away? Check out Birdseye’s free listing scan, which tells you how accurate your listings presently are on the internet.
2: Submit Requests for Review
Customers rely on online reviews. The more reviews you have, the better. As a result, you must encourage your consumers to submit feedback. In the eyes of your consumers, this is social evidence.
Make sure to submit review requests through text and email to receive the best results. This simplifies the customer’s experience. Because they don’t have to seek for you, they save time and effort. Have them click on the link and leave a review.
3: Respond to Customers’ Reviews
Many company owners do not reply to customer feedback. That’s a grave error. According to Harvard Business School research, its overall star rating improves when it responds to customer feedback; however, it offers several advantages.
First and foremost, it aids in the development of consumer loyalty. If you say something like, “Thanks very much, we hope to see you again soon!” to your consumers, you’re increasing the likelihood that they will return.
An added benefit of responding to customer feedback is that it may help your company’s search engine rankings soar. Google has said that your website’s SEO will improve if you reply to customer feedback.
4: Adding Web Chat to Your Website
Businesses have found success using webchat. Our clients like Rick Patterson of Pretty Handy Guys Handyman Services have noticed benefits within the first month of using webchat. Using web chat instead of phone or email is advantageous since it is more convenient. Many individuals prefer to avoid phone conversations whenever possible, and emails are often overlooked in today’s world. Webchat provides the best of both worlds: consumer convenience and a high probability of responding to their query.
You may be thinking about whether it’s practical for a small company to add web chat to its site. There’s a good chance you don’t have the staff to answer client conversations as they come in. Fortunately, a whole crew isn’t necessary.
Small organizations can use webchat more efficiently with a system like Birdseye. When a consumer asks a question through chat, an automatic message will be sent. You’ll be able to react from your smartphone when you get the opportunity. It’s a simple technique to increase the number of clients that visit your website.
5: Send Customers Text Messages
Texting is still a favorite method of communication for consumers, even though they are more likely to ignore advertising emails in their inboxes. 98% of people check their text messages each day.
Text messaging may assist you with various tasks, like advertising a deal, soliciting feedback, and sending a recurring appointment reminder. Keep in mind the importance of including a compelling call to action (CTA) to encourage your customers to perform the required action.
6: Be Consistent in Your Online Presence
Even though you presumably already have a Facebook page, it’s essential to keep active on social media. Customers now expect companies to be active on social media channels like Facebook and Twitter.
Although Facebook’s organic reach is minimal, people increasingly expect companies to post on social media more frequently. We’ve found that publishing favorable reviews is a low-effort approach to connecting with consumers. Because, after all, no one can sell your company as a client can
7: Include User Reviews in Your Online Presence
You don’t have to limit yourself to social media to show off your evaluations. Spiegel Research Center has seen an increase in more than 360% conversion.
It’s possible to include user evaluations from Birds Eye directly into your website. To provide you with the most up-to-date information, the Birdseye review feed automatically collects and updates customer evaluations from all over the web. Website visitors may notice the positive feedback from your satisfied client right away.
8: Improve the Efficiency of Your PPC Campaigns
The last way social proof might benefit you is in paid Google advertisements. If you’re already running these advertisements, look at the seller reviews on Google. Using these seller ratings, you may show your total star rating in your adverts.
According to Google, click-through rates soar by 17% when advertisements include seller reviews. To run Google seller ratings, you must follow a few rules. What you’ll need is: The nation you’re advertising in must have had at least 100 reviews in the past year.
9: Enhance Customer Satisfaction
Finally, make some efforts to enhance your customer’s overall experience with your business. Remember that satisfied customers are more likely to spread the word about your company. The key to increasing the number of satisfied customers is to examine the input received from current ones and look for areas where things may be done better.
Net promoter score surveys are a simple approach to measuring customer happiness. Customer satisfaction is measured by the net promoter score, a 0-to-10 scale that estimates consumers’ willingness to suggest a company to their family and friends.
Examining the feedback left by your rivals may also help you identify potential areas for growth. Your competitor’s consumers may be praising their customer service, and you’re unaware of it. You may learn a lot from these evaluations if you pay careful attention to them.
The Ending!
Businesses that are not directly competing with yours exist in your industry. You should explore partnering with them, mainly if they are more known than you in the market.
For a partnership to work, you both need to bring something to the table that the other person doesn’t. A coffee firm, for example, may team up with a company that makes cups. It’s fair and advantageous to both parties.
Fans of both brands will find their items helpful and appealing, leading to a rise in leads and sales for both companies.
