Small business marketing
Lead Summary
By
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By Brooke Beam, Ph.D.
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Community Development Educator
OSU Extension, Highland County
Do you manage the marketing for your small business? Businesses of all sizes, services and industries work constantly to brand and market their businesses for consumers.
Below are a few key tips for individuals who are the marketers for their own businesses.
Communication is an integral part of operating a business, but it is particularly important to communicate effectively to your customers.
In today’s society, social media applications are an easy way to communicate with many potential customers. In 2015, 94 percent of Smartphone users used their mobile devices to conduct business, and 87 percent of Smartphone users used a search engine at least once a day (Jarski, 2015). Most Americans spend multiple hours a day consuming information from a mobile device, so why shouldn’t they be consuming information about your business on their mobile device as well?
Two popular social media sites for businesses include Facebook and Instagram. It is important for marketers to include their business location details, operating hours, and contact information. Farmers markets can benefit from using the geolocating feature on both Facebook and Instagram to show where their products are located. Pictures, videos and live interactions with followers are also great marketing strategies for social media platforms.
Businesses should create a business page on social media platforms, rather than a closed group or make the page accessible only through a friend request. This allows for the page to gain the largest number of followers and appear in public searches.
Updating your status regularly will keep your content in front of the consumer. Another idea is to participate in contests where your followers use hashtags and post images of your products. Hashtags can help link your posts with others who are using the same key phrases. Instagram users can follow hashtag threads, which can connect them to your account if they are searching for the phrase you are using. By encouraging your consumers to speak about your brand via social media, you are increasing brand awareness and gaining a larger audience.
Customer service is also another key aspect of marketing your business effectively. Knowing your clientele and their perception of your brand's image is a good place to start. Customer service begins with creating a positive image for your company. Is the individual who greets the customer always smiling, friendly, and helpful? Prepare your employees to make good first impressions. Respond to questions and concerns in a timely manner and mitigate issues as they occur.
Unfortunately, there are instances where despite businesses’ best efforts, the customer cannot be pleased. Plan for these instances so you can be prepared. Practice how you would handle the situation in a calm and logical manner. Learn from your past experiences and update your customer service plan.
Small businesses have the ability to market and develop their brand through social media applications and customer service efforts. Social media platforms allow business owners to update their social media accounts for free and from almost any location. Marketers should take advantage of social media platforms they feel comfortable using and platforms that are appropriate for their target market to utilize.
References: Fox, J., Leeds, R., Barrett, E., and Smith, J. (2017, February 9). Mobile Media Marketing. OSU Extension Factsheet. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-53; Jarski, Veronica. (2015, May 9). Three Places to Connect With Consumers on Mobile; MarketingProfs, retrieved from: https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2015/27641/three-places-to-connect… and Leeds, R., & Barrett, E. (2018, March 10). Awesome Customer Service. Ohio Direct Marketing, retrieved from http://u.osu.edu/fox.264.
Upcoming events
• Highland County Extension Monthly Programming will be held on June 25 at noon at the Ponderosa Steakhouse. Guest speaker will be Eric Romich, who will present Solar Energy in Agriculture: Considerations for Investing in Photovoltaic Solar Systems. RSVP to 937-393-1918. Plan to purchase lunch on your own at Ponderosa Steakhouse.
• The 2018 Small Grains Field Day will be held on Tuesday, June 12 at the OARDC Schaffter Farm. The cost is $25 per person and includes lunch for individuals who register before June 4. To register, go to go.osu.edu/2018SmallGrains. OARDC Schaffter Farm is located at 3240 Oil City Road, Wooster.
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Community Development Educator
OSU Extension, Highland County
Do you manage the marketing for your small business? Businesses of all sizes, services and industries work constantly to brand and market their businesses for consumers.
Below are a few key tips for individuals who are the marketers for their own businesses.
Communication is an integral part of operating a business, but it is particularly important to communicate effectively to your customers.
In today’s society, social media applications are an easy way to communicate with many potential customers. In 2015, 94 percent of Smartphone users used their mobile devices to conduct business, and 87 percent of Smartphone users used a search engine at least once a day (Jarski, 2015). Most Americans spend multiple hours a day consuming information from a mobile device, so why shouldn’t they be consuming information about your business on their mobile device as well?
Two popular social media sites for businesses include Facebook and Instagram. It is important for marketers to include their business location details, operating hours, and contact information. Farmers markets can benefit from using the geolocating feature on both Facebook and Instagram to show where their products are located. Pictures, videos and live interactions with followers are also great marketing strategies for social media platforms.
Businesses should create a business page on social media platforms, rather than a closed group or make the page accessible only through a friend request. This allows for the page to gain the largest number of followers and appear in public searches.
Updating your status regularly will keep your content in front of the consumer. Another idea is to participate in contests where your followers use hashtags and post images of your products. Hashtags can help link your posts with others who are using the same key phrases. Instagram users can follow hashtag threads, which can connect them to your account if they are searching for the phrase you are using. By encouraging your consumers to speak about your brand via social media, you are increasing brand awareness and gaining a larger audience.
Customer service is also another key aspect of marketing your business effectively. Knowing your clientele and their perception of your brand's image is a good place to start. Customer service begins with creating a positive image for your company. Is the individual who greets the customer always smiling, friendly, and helpful? Prepare your employees to make good first impressions. Respond to questions and concerns in a timely manner and mitigate issues as they occur.
Unfortunately, there are instances where despite businesses’ best efforts, the customer cannot be pleased. Plan for these instances so you can be prepared. Practice how you would handle the situation in a calm and logical manner. Learn from your past experiences and update your customer service plan.
Small businesses have the ability to market and develop their brand through social media applications and customer service efforts. Social media platforms allow business owners to update their social media accounts for free and from almost any location. Marketers should take advantage of social media platforms they feel comfortable using and platforms that are appropriate for their target market to utilize.
References: Fox, J., Leeds, R., Barrett, E., and Smith, J. (2017, February 9). Mobile Media Marketing. OSU Extension Factsheet. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-53; Jarski, Veronica. (2015, May 9). Three Places to Connect With Consumers on Mobile; MarketingProfs, retrieved from: https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2015/27641/three-places-to-connect… and Leeds, R., & Barrett, E. (2018, March 10). Awesome Customer Service. Ohio Direct Marketing, retrieved from http://u.osu.edu/fox.264.
Upcoming events
• Highland County Extension Monthly Programming will be held on June 25 at noon at the Ponderosa Steakhouse. Guest speaker will be Eric Romich, who will present Solar Energy in Agriculture: Considerations for Investing in Photovoltaic Solar Systems. RSVP to 937-393-1918. Plan to purchase lunch on your own at Ponderosa Steakhouse.
• The 2018 Small Grains Field Day will be held on Tuesday, June 12 at the OARDC Schaffter Farm. The cost is $25 per person and includes lunch for individuals who register before June 4. To register, go to go.osu.edu/2018SmallGrains. OARDC Schaffter Farm is located at 3240 Oil City Road, Wooster.