3 Ways to Personalize Your Small Business Marketing
By Vivi Hyacinthe |
Everyone loves personalized marketing—you probably do…even if you don’t know it yet. Whether it’s seeing your name at the top of an email or finding an easy way to add your favorite items to your cart, we’ve all been recipients of personalized marketing by our favorite brands. According to data from McKinsey, 76% of consumers get frustrated by businesses that do not offer personalized experiences.
Why should big brands have all the fun? Small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) have a lot to gain by personalizing their marketing efforts, too. And, with the technology that’s available today, it’s easier than ever for these local businesses to streamline their marketing and personalize the customer journey for every lead that picks up the phone or walks in the door.
Here are a few ways to personalize your small business marketing and turn more members of your community into loyal customers:
Create Tailored Offers for Your Client Base
The heart of an impactful marketing campaign—that is, one that will drive revenue and increase customer loyalty—is personalization. Speaking directly to each customer and providing unique value to them is a key factor in customer retention and new business growth over time.
How do you provide that unique value? This is where small businesses can really shine: big brands must work harder (and pay more) to reach the level of personalization that makes every lead feel understood. Your local business, however, can create unique and cost-effective customer campaigns that show your client base that you are not only a thoughtful and attentive businessperson, but you are also their neighbor. Because you are!
As you’re creating a personalized marketing campaign for your small business, it’s important to think outside the box and get creative about how your offer can provide value to the consumer. The most common type of offer, and one that we recommend to all our new clients, is a New Customer Campaign.
A New Customer Campaign is designed to help turn new leads, prospects, and contacts into customers. It’s important to include an explicit offer, such as 10% off your first service or Buy One, Get One 50% off, to entice new contacts to convert. The key to turning strangers into repeat customers may very well be the New Customer Campaign offer, so make it count!
Once you start investing in digital marketing for your small business, it’ll be tempting to sit back and watch the leads roll in! But better yet, you can reel them in with a discount for new customers. Try it for yourself and see firsthand the difference it makes in your bottom line.
Use Text Messaging as a Marketing Tool
Text messaging is a great way to stay top-of-mind with your customers and keep them warm until their next purchase. For example, sending appointment reminders via text will streamline the process of communicating with customers. You’re also likely to decrease the number of last-minute cancellations or no-shows by making it easier to reschedule within minutes.
You might think texting as a small business is invasive or too pushy. And it is when it’s done without opt-in (permission) from your customer. However, 85% of consumers prefer to receive an SMS over a voice call or an email. That’s a significant majority of folks who are willing to opt-in to text messaging—and it’s no wonder why! Text messaging, as opposed to phone calls, is faster, more convenient, and less disruptive. People can respond on their own time and don’t have to worry about ducking out of a work meeting or other obligations just to confirm an appointment.
Solicit Reviews (and Respond to Them)
According to data from BrightLocal, 49% of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family members. That’s why it’s important to ask for reviews for your small business and manage your online reputation by responding with speed and grace.
Many small business owners might think that their online reputation isn’t something they can control. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The number of reviews you get is almost entirely driven by how and when you ask for them. And ultimately, the quality of the reviews you receive depends on your customer service.
It's important to remember to respond to every review you receive – good and bad. Even a bad review can be turned around with an irresistible offer and local business charm. As a small business, you can show that you value your customers by responding well to their feedback.
Develop Personalized Marketing with Hibu Assistant
Marketing a small business is a lot to handle on your own, especially when it’s in addition to all the work of providing goods and services to your customers. Hibu is here as your local small business expert to help your team market more efficiently.
With Hibu’s marketing automation product, Hibu Assistant, small business owners, like you, can create and send customized offers, deploy text messages as marketing, manage reviews, and pretty much do it all with the click of a button.
Ready to reach new heights with personalized digital marketing for your small business? Call us at 877-237-6120 or complete our Get Started form for a free consultation!
