Four decades ago, a small-business marketing plan might include an ad in the Yellow Pages, a few local radio spots, and a mailer with some coupons. Entrepreneurs would hang a “Big Sale” sign in front of their building and cross their fingers, hoping that customers would come. 
 
So much has changed in the past 40 years!
 
Now, digital communication tools—including websites, email, and social media—make it easier to market your small businesses with confidence. These platforms are especially useful for the success of the following marketing activities:
 

• Communicating a Brand – You promote your business’s distinct identity.
• Increasing Business Discoverability – Potential customers easily find your business and access key information.
• Fostering Customer Engagement – Customers and potential customers interact with your business in meaningful ways.
• Performing a Marketing Metrics Evaluation – You exam data to assess the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

 
As you prepare your marketing plan, be sure to take full advantage of the following communication platforms:
 
Website

• Make your website the hub of your brand through the effective use of design, messaging, stories, the “About Us” page, and more.
• Use Local SEO (search engine optimization) to give your website discoverability. When potential customers look for “coffee shop Wilmington” or “wedding photographer New Hanover County,” you want your business to appear in the search engine results. Your website should also prominently display contact information and hours of service.
• Initiate customer engagement with a “contact us” form, and invite people to share their email addresses in order to receive your newsletter or special offers.
• Utilize website analytics, including page views, average session duration, and referrals from other websites, in your evaluation.

 
Email

• Utilize individual emails and your email newsletter to solidify your brand through their design, messages, and stories. Be sure that emails are optimized for mobile devices.
• Keep customers informed through bulk emails, which promote the discoverability of new information, such as holiday hours, special offers, and partnerships with other organizations. 
• Reach out to specific groups of people with tailored engagement emails containing links to your website. Examples include welcome messages for new customers, loyalty program updates, requests to participate in a survey, and invitations to visit your booth at the North Carolina Azalea Festival.
• Explore email analytics—such as open rate, click-through rate, and bounce rate—which can be invaluable for evaluation.

 
Social Media

• Find the right social media platforms to complement your brand, and post consistently. A variety of images, videos, livestreams, and paid ads can solidify a business’s identity. 
• Use relevant keywords in your profile bio and posts to enhance discoverability. Also, use hashtags—such as #wilmingtonspa or #wilmingtonbarber—to improve search engine optimization.
• Promote customer engagement and community building through shareable content, direct messages, tagging, mentions, customer reviews, polls, partnerships with influencers, and more. Be creative, but always be true to your brand! Respond to comments in a timely manner.
• Examine social media analytics dashboards to see top-performing posts, best times to post, ad performance, and other data for evaluation.

 
As you work on a marketing plan for your new business—or refresh your current plan—check out the excellent resources and mentorship offered by SCORE, a non-profit resource partner of the U. S. Small Business Administration: www.score.org.
 
Also, be sure to partner with professionals you can trust: the business banking team at Excite Credit Union. They offer a variety of products and services to make your business successful, including business accounts, merchant services, business lending, and more. At Excite, you’ll find everyday business solutions for everyday business needs – excitecu.org.