Quality trumps quantity

Written on the 1 June 2013 by Kellie Williams

While the economy continues to struggle, social-media marketing has become a cost-effective and strategic imperative that allows small businesses to tap into exciting opportunities and expand in new directions.

Of course, trust, value and brand transparency are just as important today, but in my industry the current shift to online geographical marketing (geo-targeting) and mobile phone/SMS marketing require that small businesses need to modify their marketing plans to surpass competitors.

Here are five marketing trends you can implement in your business today to help you zoom online from the start.

Raving fans

Develop reliable brand advocates an create quality connections online with those who are loyal to your business and brand. These fans can help to spread your message better, rather than large groups of informal connections.

Pick one

Focusing on one area vs being all things to all people makes sense. Make this year a year to avoid unsound strategies that spread your marketing energy too thin. Focus on your niche and position your business as a market leader.

Track brand reputations

Social media now allows a large platform to voice their opinions.  Always monitor your business’ reputation on the Web to develop, nurture and track your online stature. It can be hard to keep track of everything everyone is saying about you, but one bad seed  can spread quickly.

Meet your online customer needs

Simply having a Twitter account or Facebook page isn't enough these days. Surround your customers with well-branded online destinations such as a blog, YouTube and so on. Remember that quality trumps quantity.

Ask a friend

You can boost returns, lower marketing costs and benefit from economies of scale by developing co-marketing programs with complementary businesses. This will not only lead to increased exposure to new audiences, but most importantly, reduced marketing costs.

Make your marketing count this financial year by experimenting with the diverse range of online, localised and mobile/SMS marketing strategies, because if you aren’t, you can be sure that your competitors are. ?