Small Business: Everyone’s Hometown

Small businesses are a lot like small towns. Despite their size, they have a heart that is aiming for impact and a business model that thrives off the love of their customers. Small businesses have a culture all their own, often full of care and consideration. Customer care is where small businesses often thrive. But how does one market their small business to reach a wider audience while keeping that close to home feeling in mind?

Some small business owners are hesitant to scale their businesses. There are some personal touches people feel they lose when a business grows too far, too fast.

Here’s the thing: no one can take the character out of your business.

The uniqueness of your business is exactly why you should be marketing your small business. You have so much to offer.

Start Marketing Your Small Business

Highlight The Uniqueness of Your Small Business

How would you describe your business? What are some things you feel are unique to how your business operates? Think about what you offer. Your product. Your service. Your values. What little things make you stand out? Small businesses are often the ones making the most positive impact.

What is your “why?” How do you translate that “why” to your customers daily?

Making Your Small Business Appeal to a Larger Audience

Here comes what many believe to be the hard part. The scary part. That part you’ve always dreamed of but weren’t quite sure you wanted.

Making your small business appeal to a larger audience.

This DOES NOT mean:

• Changing who you are
• Becoming cookie-cutter
• Bending to everyone else’s idea of who you should be
• Selling out

This DOES mean:

• Making more money and furthering your business
• Creating new bonds with new people
• Using a digital space to push your business further
• Reaching potential customers who will learn to love you as much as you love them
• Your message reaching more hearts and making an impact further than you could have ever imagined

When you join the digital world (or start your business in the digital world), you’re opening yourself up to becoming everyone’s friendly, local, neighborhood business.

That proximity barrier isn’t as strong once you go digital. You will reach people you will never in a million years meet in-person. You will reach people who have lived around the corner from you for ten years but didn’t know who you were or what you did. Marketing your business online opens doors you never knew existed.

Small Business + Digital Marketing = The Dream Team

Small businesses are able to engage online in a truly unique way. Even big companies are trying to replicate the small biz experience online. People are becoming more mindful of how and where they shop. They want connections and meaningful spending. Those are things a small business owner can offer 100 times over, but only if they can be found online.

5 Advantages Small Businesses Have in Digital Marketing

Having a small business gives you several perks when it comes to marketing.

1. Connectivity. Small businesses often have a dedicated customer base. These few, really strong connections can benefit your business. It isn’t about the quantity of your following at first but rather the quality of the people who follow you. Getting your customers to engage is a huge part of successful marketing. If you already have a community backing you on-ground, you have a huge advantage when translating that to a digital space.
2. Niche. With a small business, it’s likely you’re not offering everything under the sun. GOOD. It’s much easier to market a niche business over a business that wants to do it all. Being able to hone in on the specifics is a blessing.
3. Quality of service. Because you’re so used to dealing with customers on a smaller scale, you likely pay attention to every little detail. Your culture is already centered around giving your customers the best experience. Small business owners’ hearts beat for their business.
4. Branding specificity. The beautiful part about branding a small business is the raw ability to get to the core and brand your business accordingly. Small business owners know exactly what their business is about, making branding fun and full of meaning. That outward representation of your business should come from within, and when you’re connected to your business deeply, marketing comes with ease. Authenticity always wins.
5. Community. Getting people excited about your business is a small business superpower. Passion is contagious. Small business owners can take advantage of this opportunity by encouraging togetherness and inclusivity, creating a thriving community surrounding their business.

How to Start Branding Your Business Online

Make sure your content has a story. At the heart of any good content is a good story. You want everything you post to be full of life. A purpose is the driver of any good story. Make sure your message is clear regardless of what you’re sharing. We love details, but don’t lose your message in the process.

Create an aesthetically pleasing feed. Post pretty pictures. Yeah, it’s that simple of a request. Create a space online that is just as curated as the inside of a store would be. Everything has its place and purpose. Everything that needs to be accessible is.

Make shareable content. The best way to grow a following is by making posts worth sharing. The more content you create that is worthy of a share, the more eyes will be on your content. One of the keys to shareable content is simple content. The less muddled the message, the easier it is for people to resonate with you and your business.

Share your mission. Today, people are choosing to buy with a purpose. Every business has a story, a “why” factor. Tell your story. Share the impact you wish to make with your business. The more connected people feel to your mission, the less barrier between you and your customer.

No-Barrier Marketing

Think outside of your locale. Consider ways you can engage with others from all walks of life. What can you do to get to know someone without coming face to face with them?

Live videos. Live videos allow you to interact in real-time with your potential customers. This can be a lot of fun if you enjoy creating authentic bonds with your clients. These live videos give you an opportunity to be a little less formal and a little more fun to make sure your online presence has personality.

Emails. Depending on the type of business you have, email campaigns can be wonderful for finding potential leads. Emails let you invite yourself into someone’s space and tell them why they need you. It’s a direct link to potential customers, and it allows you to create more consistent communication, letting your customers keep up with the details of your business.

Special offers. Digital-only offers encourage people to visit your digital spaces often. If you have a physical storefront, you can encourage offers that are only advertised online, creating a common link between your physical store and your online store.

Personal thank you. “Pleases” and “Thank Yous” are important for creating connection. If people feel genuinely appreciated, they’re likely to return. Kindness is memorable. Never underestimate the power of kindness.

The Small Business Budget

First things first: remember the value of your business. Remember that time can be even more valuable than money. You don’t have to pour tons of money into a digital marketing strategy.

Free is a good place to start. Did you know that the majority of online marketing tools are absolutely free for you to use?

• Social media
• Google My Business
• Responding to customers on Google & other social platforms
• Writing blogs
• Creating photo and video content

These things only cost your time. Having consistency across the board is the most important thing.

Without a plan, these tools may not bring you a plethora of business, but they will create a presence for your business, which is a great start.

How Gravity Junction Can Help Your Small Business

If you don’t want to do it all yourself, Gravity Junction is a boutique marketing firm that has spent our time perfecting the craft of marketing small businesses.

We appreciate the uniqueness small businesses bring to the table and love to watch businesses thrive in digital spaces. We believe the power of connection transcends all barriers. From helping you create a brand to marketing your already existing business, Gravity Junction can help your business gain the traction it deserves, despite how big or small.

Contact us or check out our blog for more information on how you can grow your business.