In the past, big corporations tended to have advantages over small businesses because they had more funds to play with, higher-quality teams and a better established brand name. However, these days, thanks to technology, smaller ventures can actually use most of the same tools that larger firms have access to while enjoying advantages such as being more agile, responsive and capable of taking risks.
If you’re keen to take on the “big boys” in your industry right now, you are in luck when it comes to marketing and growing your business. Read on for some top ways you can build your venture today using tech strategies available to everyone.
Table of Contents
Big Data
Big Data has made a big impact in the business world for years, and today it is easier than ever for small firms to gather, analyze and utilize information. Big Data is incredibly helpful when it comes to analyzing which marketing avenues work best, which customers should be targeted,which products or services are selling best or bringing in the most leads, and where, when and how people shop.
You should be using data analysis to help you make more effective decisions and in quicker time frames, and to provide better customer service to your clients. It is there to help you cut costs and maximize your budget and is brilliant at streamlining processes.
To really grasp how much of a benefit Big Data can be to your business, and to work out how to use it best, it pays to consider hiring staff with online graduate degrees in business analytics and data science — or else pursuing the degree yourself. The investment can help you to grow your business much more quickly and to increase the profits you make.
Video Marketing
Another key tool not enough small businesses are using is video marketing. In the past, the cost of creating quality videos meant that only large corporations had the budget to produce them; today technological advances have reduced costs, and organizations of all types to take advantage of video marketing. Thanks to the video apps and other video software on the market, you can create a professional video in just a few minutes on your smartphone.
If you’re wondering why you should spend the time on investigating this marketing avenue, consider this: Video promotions typically achieve higher engagement levels with audiences and are shared more frequently, so you get more eyeballs on your website and products or services. They also provide more longevity than most other advertising options. In addition, videos help you improve your search engine optimization, so your company ranks higher on Google and other search engines.
To make videos work for you, try to keep most productions short, at around 30 seconds or less. You can break up longer messages into concise, focused videos and then collate them as a series. Since most people are so busy and because you’re competing for their attention, you must make content as bite-sized as possible. Add in clear calls-to-action and your contact details on each video, and always find a way to provide value for the viewer, whether that’s through being inspiring, moving, entertaining or delivering helpful information.
User-Generated Content
You may not be familiar with the term “user-generated content” (UGC), but there is no doubt you have seen it in action. This term refers to any type of content consumers create themselves about brands or products and services. User-generated content is created and shared by fans of a company and includes things like testimonials, product reviews, person-to-person recommendations, social media shout-outs, blogs, forum posts and more.
UGC is effective because rather than you “selling” your business and its wares to consumers, you let your happy customers do it for you. The benefit of this is that other shoppers are more likely to believe and be affected by messages that come from their peers. In turn, this leads to more leads and more conversions. Plus, it’s also kind to your wallet since it’s free advertising and brand recognition that you don’t have to outlay funds for.
To utilize this strategy, find ways to encourage your clients to become your ambassadors, advertisers and raving fans. Welcome your customers to upload photos of themselves with your products on social media using a set hashtag, set up a forum where people can chat amongst themselves about your wares, tell clients you’ll support them with photographs and information for any blog posts they’d like to write about your brand and make it quick and easy for customers to write reviews or testimonials.
About Carson Derrow
