What is The Best Type of Marketing for a Small Business?

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One of the biggest struggles that small business owners face is keeping new leads coming through the door without spending a fortune. With limited funds, many owners are faced with this question: “What is the best type of marketing for a small business?”

Sure, it’s tempting to go with some generic, less expensive, prepackaged marketing strategy, but if you want real results, you need a plan designed specifically for your business. In order to develop a well-rounded plan, you need to take a look at all your options. Here are a few of the main types of marketing that you can consider using to get the word out about how great your company is:

  • Print– Print advertising mainly refers to ads in magazines or newspapers. One thing to keep in mind is that your message or ad usually needs to be prepared well in advance so that you can meet the publishing deadlines of the organization. This is great if you are trying to target a specific demographic or even a specific location. For example, if you wanted to reach Phoenix residents who read the newspaper, you could pay to have your ad included in one of the Phoenix newspapers.
  • TV and radio– Advertising on TV or on the radio is a great way to broadcast your message to a huge audience. It is important to note, however, that a good TV ad or radio spot can be quite expensive. So, for most small businesses, this may not be the best first option for marketing.
  • Direct mail– A lot of marketing professionals feel direct mail has lost its value over the years. Direct mail refers to sending flyers, postcards, brochures or letters to homes and businesses. They usually feature a direct call-to-action. I had the opportunity to attend an event where one of the speakers was the owner of LA Fitness. When asked what his most successful form of marketing had been for the company, he responded with, “door hangers.” He continued to say that even he was surprised that this was the best form of marketing, but that their data showed that this provided the most return on investment. This should be a reminder to all of us to always keep an open mind with marketing.
  • Organic search– Organic search marketing or Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is a great way to target people who are searching for your products or services online. This form of marketing helps you to get your website onto the first page of Google for specific keywords. For many small businesses, this is a really great solution for bringing in more, better-qualified leads. While you can generate tons of new business by ranking well for relevant searches, it does take time to make it onto the first page. I recommend looking at Search Engine Optimization as a long-term marketing strategy that can pay for itself several times over.
  • Pay Per Click– For those who like the idea of online marketing but need results right away, Pay Per Click (PPC) is the perfect solution. Think of PPC as bidding for search positions for certain keywords. You create a group of keywords that when searched for trigger a text or display ad in search results. The more you are willing to pay when someone clicks on your ad, along with the quality of your ad will determine its position in search results.
  • Email marketing– A good email marketing campaign is a great way to nurture leads and increase your conversion rate. It is also a great way to encourage multiple transactions from existing clients as you send them updates on sales, specials, or new products/services being offered.

Deciding which type of marketing is best for your small business takes a lot of planning and consideration. At Skyhook we work one-on-one with each of our clients to deliver outstanding results and incredible return on investment. Give us a call today, to discuss the specific needs of your business and how we can help! 480-331-8905