Where and How Do I Market My Small Business?
Find your target audience
Find out where they spend time
Find out their primary mode of content consumption
Watch the business roll in
So you started a business. Now, where is the clientele? I have some scary news for you, bringing them in is your job.
The good news, is that it isn’t as hard as you think. There is a tried and true process for seeking out those who need your product or service and leading them to your business.
Finding your target consumer
You sell a product or service that not everyone wants. If you edit manuscripts, you do not want to market to people with no desire to write a book. You want to make sure that you promote yourself and your business to the right consumers.
Those in your target reach have a pain, a need for something. What need does your company meet? If you edit manuscripts, your client’s pain is that they have written or want to write a book, but they need a set of fresh professional eyes.
Write down what problem your product or service solves, then decide who you should market to. An editor will market to writers, a yoga studio will market to people seeking fitness and tranquility. Make sure to write down demographics as well, like age, gender, and type of employment (business owner or lower-level employee).
You have the solution, you just need to figure out the problem and who has it.
Figuring out where your audience spends time
When I say “where” I mean in what space. Do they watch TV? Are they on social media, like Facebook or Tiktok? Do they spend their days at business networking events? Wherever that is, market there!
Ideally, you want to diversify your marketing strategy by promoting your business in all these spaces. You will reach a larger audience this way. But for now, just start with where your clientele spends the most time. To find this out, analyze your data.
Analyzing market data sounds hard, but what it really comes down to is paying attention to where you get the most business, and what price bracket that business is in. Someone you meet at a business networking event may pay you more money to do a bigger job. In the example of a yoga instructor, a business owner might pay more for a private class for employees, while an individual pays for a single class.
There are also free and paid tools that aid in market data analysis. Like Google Analytics, Meta (formerly Facebook) Insights, and Adobe analytics.
Find out what type of content your audience prefers
Some demographics prefer different kinds of media. People in business networks may prefer to get information by word-of-mouth. After all, they are there to create business relationships. Some demographics are not on social media as much, so TV ads are where they learn about new products or services.
Whether your demographic reads a lot, watches TV most or spends their time scrolling social media, videos are in! The average adult today has an attention span between 8 and 12 seconds, but you need to catch their attention before this. All the vital information should be presented in the first 12 seconds. The only way to ensure the info is received within 12 seconds is to use video.
Videographers control the amount of time it takes to get to the hook. It is the best way to capture your clientele’s attention, but there are many different ways to reach your target audience with videography.
Now, look at the market data you got from step two. Is your audience in a business network setting? You want to use short informational videos about your business and fill in the missing information in an oral presentation.
If your audience watches TV, you will want a professional videographer to shoot an advertisement about your product or service and pay for air time.
If social media is where your demographic is, short clips called reels are trending. Reels can be as easy as taking a video with your phone and uploading it.
Note that quality videography is imperative in marketing. You want to make sure the people watching your video can see the product or service, and hear the information shared in the video. Closed captions can help accessibility, but they do not substitute sound quality. You want those you are marketing to be impressed by the product or service, not distracted by the poor videography.
Make sure you do a little more research on the best way to get your information out using videography. Does the space allow for easy interaction (in person or online)? If not, include all the vital information in the video.
The last and final step is to watch your business succeed
These steps are just a start to bringing in new clients, but you will see growth if you follow them.