August 19, 2021 5 minutes to read
The opinions of entrepreneurs’ contributors are their own.
Technology has a significant impact on modern businesses. Many activities that used to be reserved for larger corporations with large budgets are now available to small businesses.
A startup can access things like affordable manufacturing methods on a smaller scale. You can also tap into top talent around the world through freelancers.
One area that is certainly more accessible, but can also be a bit overwhelming, is marketing. Online marketing has opened a brave new world for small businesses. While it gives them access to a plethora of promotional activities, the sheer amount of options can be crippling – not to mention the high cost.
If you are struggling with brand awareness as an entrepreneur, you are not alone. Here are a few often overlooked strategies to build buzz about your business.
1. Harness the power of audio
Audio content marketing has been around for decades. Radio advertising, in particular, has long given businesses that can afford it access to a very large audience.
Similar: Why audio content works to engage audiences
Acoustically promoting a product has proven to be an effective way to connect with an audience. It is accessible to many who may not be able to use a visual medium. Those with limited data can also download audio files a lot easier than streaming full-blown videos. And consumers can listen anywhere, anytime.
Even if many smaller businesses cannot afford radio spots on a regular basis, they can still benefit from the power of audio content through podcasts. Compared to costly traditional audio commercials on the radio, branded podcasts offer the benefits of full creative control and a higher return on investment. According to Quills studies, listeners stick with almost 70% of every branded podcast (about half an hour). That’s a big investment of time considering how quickly consumers are clicking away from articles and videos these days.
Audio content such as podcasts can also be of value on its own as it remains on the Internet long after it was first broadcast. As a result, each episode can affect potential buyers far into the future.
2. Create a groundswell with influencers
The internet and the rise of social media have opened up another broad category of marketing. Businesses can spend millions of dollars in PPC ads on any number of social media platforms to promote their services.
However, smaller businesses with tighter budgets can tap into another powerful, lower-cost form of brand awareness through influencers.
Influencers provide an ideal opportunity for business alliances because they:
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Acting as a trustworthy intermediary between a company and its target group.
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Be tailored to every budget (i.e. use celebrities, micro-influencers, nano-influencers, etc.)
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Reach high-spec crowds with common interests;
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Create an automatic sense of trust between consumers and your brand.
Influencers aren’t just social media channels that you can use to reach consumers. Each influencer comes with a carefully groomed following. This consists of people who have had a previous relationship with the influencer and often trust their opinion more than most others.
Related: Why Consumers Care About Influencers, and Why You Should too
By creating a strategy that works with different influencers, you can build a positive connection between your brand and your target customers. This can do more than build brand awareness. As spokesman and entrepreneur Jay Baer puts it: “Real influence drives action, not just awareness.”
3. Dominate local SEO whenever possible
SEO has been a buzzword for ages, and suggesting it as a generic solution for building brand awareness is nothing new. The ability to rank by keywords and drive organic traffic to an ecommerce site is currently an old-hand marketing tactic.
The only area of SEO that is often overlooked is local SEO. By following local SEO best practices, local brick and mortar businesses can improve organic traffic to their website from nearby customers.
Related: Why Every Business Owner Should Focus On Local SEO
The last piece is important. Some small businesses compete for a global audience. In many cases, however, younger companies tend to be more active in local or at most regional markets.
If so, they can take advantage of SEO to easily get more organic search traffic. Even if they have a brick and mortar store that requires pedestrian traffic, visiting a company website is still just as important. Almost everyone these days searches a local business online before visiting. By dominating your local search engine listing, you can get more exposure from the consumer segment that matters most.
Additionally, competing for search engine clicks with a local audience will reduce your competition. This makes it much easier to work with a “big fish in a small pond” mentality than the other way around.
Brand awareness is an important part of building a business. However, in a crowded marketplace, it can be difficult to stand out your brand. With budget constrained, it is important to take advantage of affordable online marketing opportunities.
Things like podcasting, influencer marketing, and local SEO are all easily accessible. They can also scale as you grow and help increase your brand awareness every step of the way.
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