Gaining visibility and recognition in the marketplace is one of the most difficult challenges for small businesses. (It’s difficult to make a sale if no one knows you exist.) But, to be honest, it’s not as difficult as some make it out to be. Everything will be easier to manage if you have the right strategy and tactics in place.
Why Is Visibility Important?
Just because you have a business does not mean that people will flock to it. There are millions of businesses worldwide – and thousands in your niche or local market. It makes no difference whether you have the best quality product or the cheapest product. Business is first and foremost a popularity contest, followed by an ability contest.
“People equate visibility with credibility. They won’t choose you if they don’t know who you are, which is why investing in your company’s visibility is an investment in its success,” Titan Digital explains. “Even the best product may be ineffective in attracting customers if no one knows about you.”
The good news is that there has never been a better time to gain visibility. You simply need to select the methods that best suit your strategy and budget.
Simple Methods for Increasing Visibility
There are hundreds (if not thousands) of ways to boost visibility. The most difficult aspect is determining what it looks like for you and your small business. Here are a few possibilities:
1. Encourage Online Reviews
Online reviews are extremely credible. You’re out of luck if you don’t have any – or enough. Before purchasing a product, more than 54% of customers read at least four reviews. The best part is that roughly half of customers say they post online reviews on a monthly basis. That means that one in every two of your customers is willing to leave a review. However, you may need to incentivize them to act.
Incentivizing a customer to leave a review may seem strange, but it’s actually a fairly common practice. The goal is to provide them with a small incentive, such as a discount code or free sample, in exchange for an honest review. You’ll find that 99 percent of people will give you a positive review if you do this. (After all, who among us is going to bite the hand that feeds us?)
2. Experiment with Grassroots Event Marketing
Everyone is talking about grassroots digital marketing, but what about traditional methods? Offline grassroots marketing is still effective. In fact, one of the most effective forms of marketing is event marketing.
Event marketing typically entails setting up a booth at a tradeshow or local market and interacting with attendees. This allows you to network, build one-on-one relationships, answer questions, and hand out printed pamphlets and other marketing materials that generate buzz about your brand.
3. Launch a Podcast
Over the last five years, podcast consumption has skyrocketed. Nonetheless, despite their growing popularity, there are still only a few active podcasts on the market. And if you zoom in on your niche or industry, you’ll notice a massive opportunity that you won’t find with blogging or YouTube channels.
Starting a podcast is much simpler than you might think. All you need are some basic tools, a podcast host, and a strategy. It will take some time to see organic growth, but it is not as difficult as ranking on Google. Furthermore, having a podcast gives you instant credibility. People will be more willing to talk to you and feature you in stories, articles, and other forms of media.
4. Use Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is still a viable strategy for reaching out to new audiences and driving traffic back to your website or landing page. The key is to look for guest blogging opportunities in niches with an audience that is a direct overlap with your own.
Do You Have a Plan?
Visibility does not occur without effort and forethought. People aren’t going to come across your website and start ordering products or signing large retainers for your services. You must take the initiative by making yourself visible. Choose one of the strategies from the list above and stick with it for the next 30 days. Analyze the results at the end of that time period and decide whether to double-down or pivot. That is how you quickly determine what works best for your company.
Learn more from business and read The Top 10 Types of Digital Marketing That Any Company Can Use.
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