Make a Name For Yourself: 3 Marketing Tips For Entrepreneurs
It’s reported that 31 million people in the United States are entrepreneurs. That’s 31 million people chasing their dreams on a daily basis.
But, with an overcrowded market and companies vying for the attention of their target audience, standing out can be difficult.
That’s why in this blog post we shared marketing tips, entrepreneurs, in all industries can use as soon as possible to start making a name for themselves.
3 Brand-Building Marketing Tips for Entrepreneurs
Social Media
Social media is the ultimate connector. It allows entrepreneurs to meet their target audience where they are to connect with and nurture relationships.
There are a lot of moving pieces to build a robust presence on social.
Here are some ideas to get started:
Find your audience
You can’t be everything to everyone. That’s why it’s important to do your research and deploy social listening to get a better understanding of where to focus your attention.
Ask yourself these questions to help you choose the right social media channels for your business:
- Does your audience respond better to quick updates? If yes, then Twitter would be a good platform to use.
- Does your audience engage more with high-quality pictures and videos? If yes, figure out how to use Instagram to form a connection.
- Does your audience like to stay informed about what’s going on in their industry and with their professional peers? Turn your attention to LinkedIn and find ways to create content for your audience on this platform.
Build a strategy
What do you want to achieve with social media? Do you want to build and nurture relationships? Develop your personal brand? Generate leads?
Once you’ve nailed down your goals, it’s time to create a strategy that helps you reach them.
Based on your research and the interests/tendencies of your target audience, it’s time to cater your content to meet and exceed their needs.
A large portion of this approach is focusing on the tactical items that include:
Posting cadence – The number of times a day/week you’ll publish content to social.
Content types – This can be video, audio clips and imagery.
Content themes – These are overarching categories of topics that align with your brand and audience’s needs to help you consistently create relevant content.
Remember, your strategy isn’t set in stone.
As you post and engage, you’ll likely get a better feel for what’s working and what’s not. Make adjustments accordingly and always keep your target audience top-of-mind when doing so.
Engage
For entrepreneurs especially, building relationships with your target audience is an excellent way to stay relevant.
And, while content creation is important, so too is engagement.
Carve out time every day to respond to comments and direct messages, and to leave thoughtful comments on other users’ content.
This practice shows people you don’t treat social as a monologue. Instead, you treat it as a dialogue by being an active user of the platform.
Note: When engaging with others on social, avoid trying to sell your product and instead focus on being personable and conversational to build a rapport with your target audience.
Press Release Distribution
Press releases are an effective marketing tool entrepreneurs can use to share updates about their businesses. These updates can be anything from the release of a new product and awards to company milestones, new hires, and everything (relevant and newsworthy) in between.
Think of a press release as a megaphone that helps entrepreneurs amplify their messaging.
Some of the brand-building benefits of press release distribution include:
- Trust – Staying in front of the consumer and the media with newsworthy press releases is a great way to build brand recognition and create a level of trust that promotes new business and earned media opportunities.
- Thought leadership – To build on the former, the more value a brand provides, the better the chances are of securing opportunities to position a company as a thought leader in its industry. Thought leadership pieces are excellent ways to build brand awareness.
- Targeting – A major benefit of press release distribution is the ability to cast a wider net to reach relevant media publications. Targeted distribution lists, such as the ones we offer, help companies distribute the right message to the right audience at the right time.
It’s important to note sporadic publishing of press releases won’t yield the same results as consistent distribution.
There’s more to press release distribution success than meets the eye.
Success requires the development of newsworthy content, leveraging powerful distribution channels, and then amplifying the message with targeted media outreach.
We do all of this and more for our Media Advantage Platform (MAP) clients. If you’re interested, you can learn how marketing executives are leveraging the MAP to drive online visibility, here.
Reviews
According to Powerreviews, about 95% of customers read reviews before making a purchase.
Reviews and testimonials are social proof that describes a person’s experience with a brand and its product/service.
In fact, according to Podium, 82% of consumers reported a review’s content convinced them to make a purchase.
As an entrepreneur, collecting reviews for your business is an absolute must. Here are a few strategies to encourage your clients/customers to share their experiences online:
- Ask – Yes, getting an online review can be as simple as asking your customers. No matter the industry, professionals understand how valuable reviews are for a business. Before asking for a review, make sure the customer is truly happy with their experience. You wouldn’t want to ask a customer who’s been experiencing some recent issues with your product or service. Doing so would tarnish the relationship and leave them feeling annoyed.
- Make it easy – Sending a customer on a scavenger hunt of sorts to leave a review will likely stop them in their tracks. Reduce any friction and frustration by sharing direct links to your most used review sites. For example, you could share links to your profiles on Amazon, Google My Business, and G2. Giving your customers more options can make it more convenient for them to leave a review.
- Offer to help – While sharing a review might feel like a small ask, for some people, it can be a big source of stress when looking at their to-do list. In these instances, offer to help your customer write a review based on the feedback they’ve shared with you in the past. Offering to draft their review removes the pressure and expedites the publishing process. ALWAYS make sure the client approves the content you created before posting.
When you receive the reviews, don’t be shy. Sharing testimonials on your social channels and in your press releases isn’t bragging. It shows prospects you’ve created value for others and can do the same for them.
Each of these three marketing tips brings with it its own unique brand-building value.
However, one social media post, review, or press release won’t move the needle.
Making marketing work for you requires developing and implementing a well-rounded strategy, consistently publishing content your audience wants to consume, and making calculated adjustments to ensure you’re on the right track to meet and exceed your goals.
So, if you’re an entrepreneur and are looking to make a name for yourself, these tips are a great starting point.
