5 small business marketing tactics to see results this quarter

Long-term marketing goals and short-term financial goals all the time come together, but there are a few small business marketing tactics you may implement today that may deliver short-term results while also positioning you for long-term success. Here are five of them.

1. Re-engage lapsed prospects and implement a system

There are tons of former prospects in your customer relationship manager (CRM), email inbox, and even direct messages on social media. These people were once interested but didn’t buy, so you moved on. But something may have modified and it’s value checking. So test it out.

• Create a list of contacts who went cold 3-6 months ago

• Send them a easy message via email, text or social media to re-engage them (example below)

• If you already have the tools, create an automation that may send messages to unconverted leads every 1-3 months

• If you do not have automation tools, just put it on your to-do list to send campaigns periodically

An easy message you may send is: “Hi [First Name]it’s been a while since we last talked about how to do this [Company Name] he could help you [accomplish your goal]. Is now a better time to consider this more seriously? I hope you’re doing well!” You won’t re-interest all of your cold leads, but you’ll get enough of them and you’ll get them quickly.

2. Ask for Google reviews (and earn more).

One of the best small business marketing tactics to see results each now and later is to get more reviews. For most businesses, the best platform for collecting reviews is Google. If you have more reviews on Google than your competitors, you’ll rank higher in Google search results and gain more customers. For more Google reviews:

• Create a business page on Google

• Get a link to Google reviews (go to your profile, select “Get more reviews” and copy the link there)

• Once you’ve got finished working with your customers, ask them to leave a review

• Inquire by text, email, verbally and/or in person via QR code

• Please remember to respond to every review

Asking for reviews needs to develop into a standard process, but if you are just starting to get reviews, you may start by sending out an email and text message campaign to all of your customers asking for feedback to provide you with an initial boost.

3. Create backlinks (external links) to your website and key pages

Earning backlinks – that is, where other sites link to yours – is one of the best ways to increase your rankings in search results in addition to get referral traffic from these sites. The better part is that almost all small businesses don’t do this, so it’s easier to see the results.

Most small businesses can focus on a few areas to gain high-quality backlinks.

• Local business directories, resembling those from your Chamber of Commerce

• Business review platforms resembling Google, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Bing Places, Yellow Pages, TripAdvisor, Angi, etc.

• Post articles to digital media resembling local news stations, neighborhood magazines, association newsletters and industry blogs

• Offer to provide these outlets with quotes for other items they are working on

• Consider sponsoring non-profits, government organizations and athletics – most will link to sponsors on their website

A fast Google search for “Top [my industry] corporations in [my city]” may also show you some lists that are value trying to get backlinks from.

4. Encourage people to participate in future marketing

For effective marketing, you would like a growing list of subscribers. This list takes some time to create, but you may quickly arrange ways to subscribe. The easiest place to start is with contact forms, wherever customers buy or develop into potential customers. Make sure you collect cell phone numbers and email addresses and have a checkbox allowing users to opt-in to receive marketing communications from you.

Blog pop-up forms that appear after 60 seconds or halfway through the page and exit intent pop-up forms on product pages are very effective in acquiring recent subscribers. Most CRM systems, website builders, and email marketing platforms have these options.

SMS opt-ins are also gaining popularity (because they work), which inspires customers to text a keyword to your number to benefit from offers and other updates in exchange for 10% or 20% off their next purchase. In most cases, you may configure any or all of those options in just a few minutes. How about fast and effective marketing?

5. Post day by day on social media and actively engage in activities

Your target market spends time on social media, so it’s best to spend time on social media marketing, creating content, and interacting with them. Choose one platform where your target market spends the most time. Don’t know what to say or do? These ideas will show you how to get began:

• Collect all the questions you receive from customers and employees and create posts that answer each query

• Share what you do, why you do it, who you do it for and how they may profit from it

• Show a day in the life of somebody in your position or in your client’s position

These social media posts don’t have to be super skilled and flashy. Some of your audience will even appreciate things that are a bit less refined. Depending on the platform, you may post just text, a short video, a photo or several photos, or the rest you see fit.

You also need to actively comment on other people’s content and start conversations. This helps you build connections with them and also informs the algorithms to empower you and your content the next time you post.

Do not forget: Great marketing doesn’t have to take a very long time to repay. Implement these small business marketing tactics and you may see faster profits than your competition.