It’s always a wonder how I’ve kept my curiosity alive after all these years. A quarter life in, and I still find myself more and more curious about the littlest things.
One thing I’ve always been curious about is movie effects and CGI! How does Iron Man fly through the sky? How does JJ Abrams film spaceship races in the Star Wars Galaxy? These big moments add a lot of value to the big screen in an impactful way. Minor sequences can make for memorable moments – making these movies come alive.
With every major movie that’s released, audiences everywhere quickly share and discuss their favorite parts and cool effects. It’s what makes our favorite stories so memorable.
Similar to the lasting impression a movie can have on us, your business should also make an impact on your target audience's lives. This idea might seem grandiose or unlikely for your small business, but in reality, who doesn’t love talking about and recommending their favorite local shops, restaurants, etc?
Your business could provide a breathtaking, exciting, and even moving experience – like leaping into the movie and clinching your seat in an action scene, gasping during a thriller, or bobbing and weaving to a 3D effect. All are legitimate reactions to the impact of the effects content can have.
Wouldn’t it be cool if your small business had that type of effect on your customers? An impactful effect that makes them love your brand time and time again. This is possible through the use of effective marketing strategies.
Marketing strategies are your business’ tools that help create that impact. It’s these cool and effective driving forces that get customers through your door and keep them talking about you. Today, we’ll take a look at a mix of effective marketing strategies you can use in your business to drive customer loyalty.
3 Ways To Drive More Business And Build Loyal Customers
Depending on what resources you have available and where your target audience is, having a mix of marketing strategies gives you more opportunities to gain loyal customers. Here are a couple effective ways to do so:
Content Marketing
In the past 10 years, modern marketing has shifted towards content marketing – the use of entertaining and informational media to sell products/services to your audience. This has largely affected how businesses engage with customers and has innovated how we look at business in general.
Everyone is consuming content today. Major companies and small businesses alike spend a lot of time executing great content and sharing it all across many different platforms. This is done to cast a net across many different audiences to make their presence known. It’s more effective to create an impact if you are seen everywhere.
Depending on the platform, companies can share a variety of content. Instagram is a platform that values high-quality photos and BTS vlog-like vertical videos. Facebook is great for community building and events. Twitter is perfect for sharing articles and starting dialogues. Each business can create an impact on the platform that its audience uses the most.
It’s easier to affect change if you go where your audience already exists. This way, your business can be shared across these users on a platform and hopefully lead to new customer relationships. For example, if you own a bike shop, using Facebook to showcase bike models, bike safety, and bike trails, will work within the local biking community that exists on Facebook.
The name of the game is to create quality content that focuses on providing value and get people to share/engage with your business. And as long as you keep doing that, you’ll naturally attract more followers who’ll become customers.
Brand Reputation
Your business has lasting effects offline and online. Whether you’re really active in your community or you have a lot of followers online, your business has direct influence on consumers. Maintaining this relationship is really important in establishing a lasting brand.
To affect your business you have to ensure that customers and visitors are all taken care of. One way to do this is by keeping up with reviews. Platforms like Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and even Facebook, all allow you to share business info, capture customer reviews, and respond to them. Customers often use these platforms to seek recommendations and information about businesses, which means you should work to keep your info updated, as well as consistently respond to reviews – good or bad.
UPDATING INFO
Take time to ensure these platforms have the correct business descriptions, business hours, photos, and contact information. This can make it easier for a customer to understand your business, reach out to you, or head in for their first visit.
RESPONDING TO REVIEWS
Responding to your customers’ reviews of your business should be an essential part of your marketing strategies. Whether they’re positive or negative, you should always provide a response. Not only does this show that your business is present and aware, it can also relay that you care about your customers’ experience. If they’re positive reviews, thank your customer. Relate to the things that they loved about your business. And if it’s a negative review, provide a genuine apology. Show them that you’re willing to take their criticism in order to improve. Lastly, invite them back to give your business a second chance. Doing this can have a lasting impression on the customers who reviewed your business, as well as on onlookers who are visiting these review platforms.
Overall, make sure to turn on your notifications on these platforms, and stay up-to-date with your brand’s reputation online.
Website Optimization
Your website is your business’ hub online. It’s where many of your potential customers will go in order to validate your business before visiting it. If you run a restaurant, they’ll probably want to look at your menu. If you own a salon, they might want to see the different stylists and their services. And if you’re a personal trainer, people will want to see the results you can provide.
All in all, your website should be an important tool in your marketing efforts. And if your website isn’t optimized for today’s customers, you might be missing out on vital business.
Here are a few foundational things your website should have in order to make a positive impact and support your business goals.
SECURE YOUR DOMAIN
Having an SSL certificate means your website has been recognized as vetted and verifiable. Why is this important? Search engines, like Google, disqualify websites that aren’t secure.
Not sure if your website is secure? The easiest way to find out is to look for a closed lock symbol next to your website’s URL. Still unsure? Contact us, and we’ll help you figure out and find the right solution for securing your website.
MAKE IT MOBILE FRIENDLY
Another major way to improve your website is to make sure it’s mobile-friendly! This is one of the biggest factors that could be turning away customers from your website.
According to Statista, in the first quarter of 2019, mobile devices generated 48% of global website traffic.That means if your website isn’t updated for mobile, you’re missing out on close to half of your audience. That’s a lot of potential business!
HAVE A CLEAR CTA
Call-to-actions are so important to driving customers through your doors. In a sense, they tell your customers what to do when they land on your website. Phrases like “Click Here” and “Sign Up” are both examples of CTAs you see every day.
Make sure to guide your customers through your website using effective CTAs. This will help you support your customers and lead to more interactions with your brand.
WEBSITE UPKEEP
Other factors that contribute to relevant search is keeping your website info up-to-date and relevant.
Haven’t updated your site in a while? Well, that could be affecting your business too. This step is easily forgotten.
Have a hot new menu item? Add it to your online menu. Offering a limited-time promotion? Showcase it on your homepage. Minor updates like these can drive continued business in new ways.
Your website is also a great place for customers to follow you on other platforms. Taking the time to make sure all links and contact information is updated can help customers learn more about you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve clicked on a business’ Facebook link, only to have it lead nowhere. It’s like a bad first impression, so make sure to take the time to regularly upkeep your website.
ALL IN ALL
All of the above tips for your website are small tweaks that can add a large impact to your business and how your customers interact with it. The modern world is filled with phones and tech-friendly users. Matching your website to fit their needs can greatly affect your business for the positive.
Outro
Remember, your marketing strategies should be the ways you drive business to you! These different strategies can help you get your brand out there, get clients to do business with you, and build a healthy, long-lasting relationship with your customers. Ultimately, you should focus on how to maintain these relationships in order to positively impact your bottom dollar.
Your Turn
Which of the strategies I’ve discussed do you see implementing in your business? How much of an impact are you looking to drive? Let us know in the comments below!
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