CREATIVE MARKETING
IDEAS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES 

  

  

Sometimes, what a small business needs to be motivated and
continue running smoothly is creative
marketing ideas. Marketing ideas are
needed to help a small business scale up, even in a saturated market. It is not
enough to just operate a business; the business owner needs to have and
implement certain creative marketing ideas to keep the business running and in
the face of people. 

This article is for you if you are a small business owner
who is in need of creative ideas to market your products/service, and also
increase your business visibility. You might have implemented a lot of
marketing ideas but trust me, the ones in this article will work well for your
business if they are well implemented.  

  

Below are detailed creative
marketing ideas for your small business. 

  

 Identify your target audience 

Identifying your target audience might not really involve
marketing but it is one of the crucial aspect you need to pay attention to when
you decide to do marketing as a small business owner. If you don’t identify
your target audience, your marketing efforts might be in vain because you will
be showing your business to those who don’t need your products or service. 

There is no business that does not have a target audience,
so before you give your all to marketing which involves advertising your
business, ensure you have identified your target audience. 

Who are target
audience? 

Target audience are the specific group of people who needs
your service or products. They need the
service or products your business offers because it is capable of solving one
or more of their needs. Your target audience can be teenagers, youths or even
adults depending on the type of service or products you sell.  

Identifying and knowing your target audience will make it
easy for your efforts to pay off when marketing. You won’t even waste a lot of
resources because you will be showing your business to the specific group of
people that needs it. 

Each business has its own target audience, it is your own
responsibility to identify and find them. As a small business owner, the first
thing you should do is to identify your target audience before you go fully
into marketing to improve your business sales and visibility. 

How to identify your
target audience 

· Conduct research and determine their
demographic; age, occupation, gender and income. 

· Make use of surveys to find out who is likely to
purchase your products. 

· Conduct market research to know the type of
audience your competitors do target. 

· Know your audience interests and their purchase
intention. 

  

 Promote your business on social media 

Social media is playing a vital role in bringing people from
diverse continents, countries and races together. Millions of people make use
of social media either for communicating with friends, getting to know about
trending things and a lot more.  

Small business owners can make use of social media to their
own advantage. It is totally free to make use of social media unlike when you
have to pay money to get a physical space allocation for your business. All you
need is your device, mobile data, a social media account and the right
knowledge on how to navigate social media. 

Promoting your business on social media is a creative
marketing idea to create awareness and visibility for your business. It opens
you to the opportunity of millions of people getting to see and know about your
business, which might not be totally possible offline. 

These are the steps to be followed, in promoting your
business on social media. 

· Create an account 

Creation of a social media account depends on the platform
you want to prioritize. Facebook and Instagram are the common social media apps
business owners use to promote their business. These apps also give you the
option to run paid ads to get your business seen by a large number of people. 

After creating an account which is your own personal
profile, you can choose to create a page for your business where you can fully
promote your business without mixing up content about other things. 

  

· Social media optimization 

After creating an account, optimization comes next. This
involves you making your business page profile look organized and appealing to
visitors who want to check and scroll through your business page. 

The display picture on your business profile can either be
your business or logo, or a picture of you holding your product or rendering
service to a client. Whichever one you choose to use, ensure it is clear,
filter less and of high quality. Avoid
using blur picture that would make people doubt your business credibility. 

Bio comes next after the display picture. This is a short
introduction of what your business is about. Most importantly, just use it as
an avenue to sell the benefit your business has to offer. 

Here is an example of a short and unique bio. 

“We will help you bear the burden of planning your event,
while you worry about other things” 

Imagine you are a visitor to this business page what will
come to your mind if you see this while preparing for your wedding? I know you will definitely be happy that
there is someone who can help you with your event planning while you worry
about other minor things. Yes! 

You can use your bio as your Unique Selling Point (USP). 

· Post valuable content 

There is a need to post valuable content about your business
on the business page. This content should be educative, informative and
entertaining. Educate and inform your audience about your business through creating
and posting valuable content. Valuable content helps to promote your business.
This content can be in written, visual or audio form. 

When people read or watch the content you post about your
business, it will further boost their interest to patronize you.  

· Always add a visual element to your content. It
could be pictures of your products or pictures of yourself. You can also have a
catalogue or album where you can store pictures of your products. 

· Pin your most important business post on your
profile. Anyone who checks your account, will see your pinned post. It saves
people the stress of scrolling through your timeline to see the most important
post. 

· Follow influencers in your niche and line of
business. 

· Engage on other people's content. 

  

  

 Creation of handbills and fliers 

Aside from marketing and promoting online, you can also make
your business more visible offline too. You can get a graphic designer to
design and print handbills and fliers that contains your business details. You
can easily share the handbills and fliers to people, even in events that you
attend. 

Everyone you share your flier or leaflet to, might not
contact you immediately, but there is a possibility that some who needs your
service will contact you. You can also make it easy for them by getting their
contact and build a friendly business relationship with them.  

 Copywriting 

Copywriting is very important in marketing because it
involves writing sales copies with call to action, that will tell your target
audience to buy your product, follow your business page, subscribe to your
email list. It can even include a direct link to your E-commerce store where
your products are displayed. 

You don’t have to know how to write sales copies as a small
business owner, you can hire a professional copywriter to help achieve this aim
and it is also fine if you choose to learn and write it yourself. Your sales copy
can also be used to tell people about what makes you different, which can help
you position yourself against more established competitors. 

Importance of
copywriting to a small business: 

· Copywriting makes your branding consistent 

By making your campaigns coherent, copywriting ensures that
all of the marketing collateral you produce is consistent with your business. 

 A good copywriter,
must reflect your business positioning, in every piece of content created, so
your audience is easily able to identify you in the saturated market. 

· Copywriting allows customers to find you 

 Copywriting, when
done correctly can produce SEO (Search Engine Optimization) benefits. 

If your copy is aligned with online searches, you'll gain
more potential of connecting with your target audience, when they are actively
searching on the internet. 

· Copywriting helps your customer to trust you 

 Small businesses can
appeal emotionally to their audience through copywriting. A professional
copywriter must engage your audience and make them feel something, which
motivates them to act. It could be the fear of being left behind, the need to
belong, or the hope for a solution. 

Listed below are websites where you can hire copywriters
from: 

· Writing Studio 

· LinkedIn 

· Fiverr 

· Upwork 

· Express Writers 

· Writer Access 

· Copify 

  

 Create offers and give incentives 

You might have heard successful marketers say “it is best to
sell offers than the main product”. This is because people like the idea of
getting more than they paid for. You
should create compelling offers that will attract potential buyers. 

Take a look at these two offers: 

Offer A 

Get a free delivery and a big comb when you buy this hair
dryer at just $65. 

Offer B 

Buy this hair dryer at a discount price of $50 with a
delivery fee of $15 

Imagine you are a potential buyer who needs a hair dryer,
and you come across these two offers, which one will you likely go for? 

I know your answer is definitely Offer A because the thought
of getting a free delivery and also a big comb when you buy the hair dryer is
exciting. Offer B is likely not going to excite you because you have to pay for
delivery and there is no added incentive. 

As a small business owner, sell offers and not just the
product. It is just a known psychology that people love free things, so you
should use this to your business advantage.  

 Use hashtags 

A free marketing tactic that can broaden your business reach
is to incorporate hashtags into your social media posts. Trending hashtags can
help you reinforce your business identity. 

Apply a mix of hashtag types in the content you post about
your business, so they can reach the audience for whom they are meant for.
Using small business and related tags will help you position yourself in
discussions that are relevant to the market. 

  

  Write
a Book 

Books have great value and writing one can improve the
visibility of your small business. You can teach people about your business,
through your book. All the questions,
survey and feedbacks you get from your customers, you can put them in a book
for new prospects to see. 

You can use your book to teach people about an aspect of
your business especially if you are the type who does not like facing the
camera. Your book can also be a lead
magnet that will be used to make people
visit your E-commerce store.  

Sites that offer free hosting of books are: 

· Amazon 

· Selar 

· Okada books 

· Sellfy 

· Fiverr 

· Smashwords 

· Barnes &Noble 

Amazon can also help to put your book in a paperback format,
after meeting the necessary requirements. 

  

  Pay
people to test your products 

Paying people to test your products is a creative idea to
expand your small business horizon. It helps you gain valuable feedback about
your product before launching and making it available for use. The feedbacks
you get can help you improve on the product quality and also know what your
target audience will like. 

After launching, you can make a video of people using your
products, show their reviews and comments. You can also use the feedbacks you
get to run ads for the product. You can also be sure of getting referrals from
people who test and give feedbacks about your product. 

This might incur large cost, but the end result will be
amazing. 

  

I know you definitely want your small business to thrive, so
implement the creative marketing ideas in this article and expect amazing
result.  

   

HOW TO DO ONLINE
MARKETING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES 

  

Online marketing is a term, comprising of two words which
are, 'Online' and 'Marketing'. Online simply means activeness on social media
platforms. Marketing is the creation of awareness and publicity of a product,
service or brand, to potential customers. 

Online marketing is creating awareness of a product or
service, using web-based channels, also known as social media platforms. These
web-based channels range from social media, e-commerce stores and a lot more. 

So far, big businesses have been thriving online, and this
give small business the hope of thriving online too only when the right
strategies and tools are used. Bringing your business online as a small
business owner will help you leverage the web space and also give your business
visibility without you working rigorously or exhausting a lot of energy in
getting your target audience. 

  

Below are some of the online marketing strategies small
business owners can implement to get visibility for their business, and also
identify and retain their target audience. 

  

Online Marketing
Strategies for Small Businesses 

  

· Running Ads (Advertisement) 

  

· Creation of an E-commerce store 

  

· Content
Marketing 

  

· Website creation 

  

· Target Customers/Audience 

  

· Google
tools 

  

· Email
marketing 

  

· Blog
posts 

  

· Influencer collaboration 

  

· Joining online communities 

  

· Customers
reviews 

  

  

 Ads 

  

Ads is also known as advertisement. It is a great way to create visibility online for
a small business. Advertising can be done on various social media platforms. A large
range of internet users view ads so the more people see it, the more they are
likely to purchase the product because there is a possibility that, people who
need your products will be among those that view your ads. 

Advertisement helps to increase sales; it gives a brand
visibility and it creates a lasting impression of the business in people's
mind. Advertisement shows your customers
and competitors that you're open and credible. 

Ads help you to reach your target customers. It can attract customers to try out your
products or service, regardless of the economy. 

  

Aside from increasing your business sales, you can also use
advertisement for your small business, to alert customers about: 

  

· changes in the service you provide 

· a new product you launched 

· competition 

· upcoming events 

· fundraisers 

· a trade fair your business is participating in 

  

 Creation of an E-commerce Store 

  

Creation of an E-commerce store is another unique strategy small business owners can use to increase
the visibility of their business and sell their products online. An E-commerce
store allows people to review products and buy, after it has been set at a
fixed price by the business owner. 

  

  

An E-commerce store takes the business to people, where it
is not possible for the business owner to be physically. By creating and having
an E-commerce store, you can sell your products to people in different
locations from a single location. 

It also helps to keep your business operational cost on a
lower side. 

  

  

The following websites offers creation of an E-commerce
store for free. 

  

· Wix 

· Shopify 

· Branchbob 

· Big
commerce 

· Ecwid. 

  

  

 Content Marketing 

Content Marketing requires the usage of well written and
structured content to create awareness for a business, brand or product. A
small business owner, that makes use of irresistible content to market a
product, will sell than a business owner that begs for patronage online. 

Your target audience will prefer to see more of the content
if they are helpful, informative and educative. So, if your business content
ideas are good enough, it will get a greater return on investment (ROI). ROI
will help enhance your business exposure, increase commitment and eventually
sales. 

The content you decide to use in marketing your business can
either be written; social media posts, blog posts, e-book, visual; flyers,
infographics, videos, reels, audio; podcast, jingle, radio interview.  

Focus on any of these three content you know you can create
so well, and use it to market your products and promote your business online.  

 A content should have
a C.T.A (Call to Action), that will prompt people to buy. Examples of good
C.T.A’s you can make use of in your content are; 

· Click on this link to get access to my
E-commerce store 

· Follow our business page to get update on our
new products  

· Turn on post notification to get updates when we
post a new content 

These and many more are C.T.A’s you can use in content marketing as a small business owner. 

  

  

  

  

 Website Creation 

Having a website will make Google give your small business relevance. People will be able to see
the website after typing certain keyword. The website will also make it easier
for the small business owner to reach potential customers. 

A website will also help you reduce cost, because you won’t
have to pay commission when people patronize your business, unlike in an
E-commerce store you set up on someone else website. 

A small business owner can get a professional to help in
setting up the website and stocking it with the right tools and categories. 

  

  

 Target Customers/Audience 

  

 Target customers are
people who are in need of one's product. They are people that would patronise a
business owner because they need the service or product the business owner
sells to meet one or more of their needs. 

A small business owner needs to identify the business target
customers, this is because it is not everyone that will buy from you or request
for your service. Each product and service has its own particular customers. 

Identifying and having target customers is very essential
for small business owners. Their target audience will become their customers
because they need that product. A small business owner can identify target
customers, by carrying out a survey, following the targeted customers on social
media, or through referral. 

  

 Google tools 

  

Every small business owner needs Google in order to make
their business gain the necessary relevance it needs online. The first step to achieve this is to create a
google account and make use of the tools google provides. 

Google provides the following tools that are useful and
vital in marketing and can be used for small businesses online. 

  

  

· Google my business gives an online presence and
a free website. 

· Google keep is for keeping note of bookings. 

· Google drive is a cloud space for storing
pictures of the business owner products. 

· Google mail is for bank account, payment and
everything the business needs a mail for. 

· Google contact is for saving customer contact.
This makes it easier to reach customers, when advertising a new product in
vogue. 

· Google map will put the business on the map, so
that customers can find the business easily. 

· Google calendar can be used to plan bookings. 

· Google account also gives a YouTube account. A
YouTube account can be used to post videos of the product. 

· Google ads can help you reach more relevant
customers. 

· Google analytics helps you to understand and
improve how Google sees your site. 

· Google trends is a valuable tool for SEO keyword
and content creation, as you can analyze keyword performance. 

The listed google tools will make it easier for you to give
the visibility you desire as a small business owner. It will also help you to
reduce operational cost.  

 7 PLATFORMS TO GET JOBS AS A CREATIVE 

After learning a skill and volunteering or interning to gain
experience, the next thing you probably want to do as a creative is to monetize
the skill. This involves you getting a job and earning. 

Well, in this content are 7 platforms where you can get jobs
as a creative. Each platform is briefly explained so you can gain insight on
how the platform works and how to navigate it. The platforms are as follows: 

1. Guru:
It is one of the world’s largest platform to find jobs online as a creative.
You can find a lot of jobs that align with your skill, all you need to do is to
create a freelancer account on the website and browse the job listings then
apply. 

 

2. Toptal:
This platform is highly recommended for you if you are a creative in the tech
space. To be able to get a job on Toptal you will need to undergo some processes
which includes, language and personality, in-depth skill review, live screening
and test projects. You will also need to maintain a high-quality work, so you
can go for it if you have what it takes. 

 

3. Jooble:
It is a website that scans, collect and list available job openings from
verified employers and companies. Jooble collect job listings from various
source, so even if the job you are looking is an international one, you can be
rest assured of finding different jobs that aligns with your interest. 

 

4. Behance:
This platform allows you to showcase your portfolio as a creative to attract
potential clients. If you are a creative in the design industry, Behance should
be your stop for access to job opportunities and career exposure. 

 

5. Glassdoor:
This is a job search platform that provides insight into company culture,
salaries and interview processes. As a
creative in search of a job, you can easily check the jobs listed on the
platform, compare the salaries and apply for anyone that suit you. 

 

6. SimplyHired:
On SimplyHired platform, you can find job opportunities across various
industries and locations. The platform provides salary estimate, job
descriptions and company reviews. 

 

7. Mandy:
This is a platform that connects creatives in the entertainment industry to job
opportunities. If you are a creative in the entertainment industry and you are
worried about where to get jobs, try Mandy out. 

 

Now that you know the 7 best platforms to get jobs as a
creative, start exploring the platforms and apply for jobs that will enable you
harness your creativity to the fullest.   

 HOW TO CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE 

As someone building a brand online or marketing their business online, it is important that you know how to connect with your audience. In order for you to achieve this, you
need to identify your target audience. Every brand and business have a target audience, and for you to relate
and connect with yours, you need to identify them. 

Read this content to the end to learn how to identify and
connect with your target audience. 

Who are target
audience? 

Target audience
are the specific group of people who needs your service or products. They need the service or products your
business or brand offers because it is capable of solving one or more of their
needs and problems. 

They are the people you need to reach with your marketing
and consistently preach your brand value to. Your target audience can be male, female, young or old depending on the
kind of services your brand offers and the products you sell.  

How to identify your
target audience 

 The first step to
identifying your target audience is
to determine their demographics.
This include knowing their age, gender, occupation, education level, and their
income. This will help you understand your audience better and also make it
easy to connect with them.  

Another effective way to identify your target audience is by
creating question polls or surveys to determine people whose
interest align with your brand or business vision. Creating polls and surveys
will help you know what your target audience like and how your brand can serve
them better. 

There is a method called “test and refine”. This involves bringing
your products for people to test, and know those who have interest in your
products, what they like about it and their feedback. The people who indicate
their interest in the testing of your products are your target audience. You can also use their feedback to refine which is
improving the quality of your products and brand.  

 

Now, we move the main and important part of this article,
which is how to connect with your audience. 

How to connect with
your audience 

After identifying your target
audience, the next thing you need to do is to connect with them. This is important to you as a brand owner
because your audience won’t trust
you if you don’t have a defined connection
and relationship with them. It is
easy for people to trust who they can relate with. 

Here are few tips on how to connect with your audience. 

· Build the KLT (Know, Like and Trust) factor.
This involves making your audience know you either by telling personal stories
or creating captivating content about your brand. After they have known you,
then proceed to making them like and trust you, and it is easy to achieve this
if you do keep to your words and deliver on time. 

· Be real. Let your audience see you as someone
with human feelings who is capable of relating with their experience and
condition. Being real does not involve you lying and claiming to be what you
are not. 

· Interact with your audience. Find time to listen
to them and get their feedbacks.  

If you have read up to this point, it means you are ready to
make use of the above tips to connect with your audience.  

 

 

 

  THREE COMMON CHALLENGES FACED BY IMPORTERS 

Importation is a lucrative business with high profit margin,
however there are certain challenges faced by importers. These challenges are
inevitable but slightly avoidable and you need to read this content to the end
if you are a newbie in importation business. 

Below are three common challenges faced by importers. 

1. High
import duties and taxes: Paying import duties and taxes is necessary for
importers but it will become a challenge when the import duties become so high.
High import duties and taxes can lead to abrupt increase in products which
consumers may not be able to afford, and this may cause a decrease in the
importer’s profit margin. You can consider importing from another county with
lower tariffs if the import duties and taxes of the country you do import from
is high. 

2. Language Barrier:
This is one of the common challenges importers face because ordering goods from
foreign countries involves dealing with people with different cultures and
languages. As an importer, learning the
languages of all your suppliers in the foreign market is near impossible, and
language barrier can lead to miscommunication and improper negotiations. You
can bridge the gap by hiring an interpreter who understands your language and
that of your supplier to ensure smooth communication. 

3. Shipping Delay:
Shipping involves how your imported goods will get to you safely; however, it
might become a challenge when your goods are delayed during the shipping
process. Shipping delay can occur due to adverse weather conditions, custom
clearance delay and even port congestion. You can manage this situation by
tracking your goods and also request for suppliers help in monitoring the goods.

  TOPIC IDEAS FOR AN IMPORTATION
BUSINESS BRAND 

1. The basics of starting an importation business. 

2. How to identify and verify reliable suppliers in
the marketplace 

3. Challenges in importation business and how to
overcome them. 

4. Understanding shipping insurance and how to
protect your goods in transit. 

5. What every importer needs to know about import
duties and taxes. 

  

 THE BASICS
OF STARTING AN IMPORTATION BUSINESS 

As an individual who is enthusiastic about starting an
importation business there are certain things you need to be aware of.
Importation is a profitable venture, but you might end up confused and
frustrated if you don’t follow the right processes involved. 

Here are some of the basic processes involved in importation
business that every beginner must know: 

· Market
Research: There is a need for you to do a critical market research if you
are just starting out in importation business. It is the first step you need to
take if you want to build a sustainable importation business. Analyzing the market will help you know the
kind of products and goods your target market has high demand for.  

  

Market research will help you know products
that are competitive and also how to set your pricing. It will equip you with
the knowledge you need to make favorable decisions and also increase your
chances at succeeding in importation business.  

· Business
Plan: After doing market research and analysis, you need to draft a
business plan for your importation business. It will help you in highlighting
the goals you have for your business and how to achieve them.  

  

In the course of running your importation
business if you need to get external funding, your business plan is what will
give potential investors and grant givers the conviction that you have a solid
plan to scale your business.  

· Import
Regulations, Duties and Taxes: Every business has its own regulations which
will be in compliance with the Country’s legal requirements. Having adequate
knowledge of import regulations will help you ensure that your imported goods
are safe and standard, and also protect your business reputation.  

  

Import duties and taxes are the necessary
amount of money you need to pay to the custom authority of the country when
your imported goods arrive at the port of entry. This is to ensure the legal
entry of your imported goods into the country and not making you go through the
hurdles of your goods getting seized. You can get a custom broker to handle the
payment of duties and taxes on your behalf.  

  

· Legal
Requirements: There are certain legal requirements you need to have before
you can actively run an importation business. This is to ensure compliance with
local and international regulations. Some of these requirements includes;
business registration, import license, tax identification number, trade
permits. It is important for you to have these requirements in order for you to
operate your importation business without disturbance.  

  

You should also consider insurance for your
business in order to cover potential risks that might occur shipping and
delivery. When you insure your importation business, you can be assured you
won’t bear the loss alone if any thing happens to your imported goods during
shipping.  

  

You should make sure that the products you
are importing meets safety standards in order to protect consumers from harm. 

  

  

· Verification
of Supplier: Verification of supplier will play a leading role in helping
you confirm the authenticity of the supplier, and also save you from falling
victim to scammers who would either supply substandard goods to you or even
cart away with your money.  

  

When you take your time to verify the
supplier you want to be purchasing goods from, you will be able to know if the
supplier is someone who can be trusted and also complies with export
regulations. You will also be assured of getting quality products and
continuous supply of goods without interruption in your business operations.  

· Shipping
and Logistics: This is a very important process in importation business. It
has to deal with how your imported goods will get to you safely without any
hindrance and clearance issues. Good arrangement and planning of shipping and
logistics will enable you meet customer demands and conduct sales activities
effectively. 

  

You need to have a good transport system or
method in order to avoid damage of goods and delay which may lead to decrease
in profit. Having a proper transport method will also help you reduce shipping
cost and ensure timely delivery. 

  

All the points discussed in this content are the basics of
importation business you should have knowledge of in order to start your own
importation business on the right path. 

Now that you’ve learned the basics, do not tarry in doing
your market research and launch your way into importation business.