By Joyce M. Rosenberg
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Ryan Knoll thought social media sites like Facebook would be the best places to advertise his brand-new home cleaning service. Then he had an epiphany.
"Put yourself in the customer's shoes. How would that customer go about trying to find the business?" says Knoll, whose company, Tidy Casa, is based in Phoenix.
Ryan tried marketing on several social media sites, but eventually realized people needing cleaning services would head first for review websites like Yelp, Thumbtack and Angie's List.
While small business owners who started their companies the past few years have achieved great success by marketing on social media, some find that Facebook, Instagram and Twitter aren't an automatic go-tos. Instead, owners turn to more specialized websites like review services, and even low-tech methods like networking and cold-calling. Many, like Knoll, go through a period of trial and error before finding an advertising method that works.
Knoll also assumed at first that he should try to get Tidy Casa's website to rank high in Google directory results; owners can accomplish that using specific keywords that customers are likely to search for. But he realized it would take months and thousands of dollars to get the response he wanted. Then Knoll noticed review websites showing up when he searched for "cleaning service Phoenix."
Knoll is taking a different approach with his men's hair product, Simple Hair. He's working toward selling on Amazon.com because that's where many consumers search for personal care products.
An owner's choice of advertising channels depends on their target customers, says Ramon Ray, a small business consultant who often speaks publicly about marketing.
"It's ultra-important to clearly understand who you are selling to," Ray says. Armed with that information, an owner can decide if social media is best or if they should try methods like email marketing, sending brochures through the mail or making networking calls, Ray says.
Simon Trask has had four companies including an advertising agency, two online stores and a consulting business. With his background in advertising, "I've seen hundreds of companies and they're all case by case unique, depending on what products they sell and what kind of companies they are," Trask says.
Trask has found that for his e-commerce sites, knife seller Uppercut Tactical and Rita Marie's Chicken Coops, buying ads on Google have worked well; his customers are likely to do an online search for his products rather than seek them out through social media. Trask, who lives in Denton, Texas, has also started using podcasts to help market his chicken coops, which come in a variety of styles and sizes. He sees podcasts as a way to build public awareness about the coops - podcasts are likely to work in the long term by entertaining and informing people rather than prompting immediate visits to his website.
But Trask is taking a different tack with his consulting business, which is still in its formative stages. He's not advertising it; he's talking about it through networking and letting other business owners know he's available.
When Robyn Lanci began marketing her public relations firm nearly three years ago, she found success from cold-calling, phoning business owners who are complete strangers and pitching her company to them. Cold-calling can be frustrating because owners get more rejections than interest, but Lanci was able to sign up clients for Owl PR in her first two months because she researched the businesses before calling to improve her chances of success. Similarly, when she emailed prospects, she crafted subject lines that were personal.
Since then, Lanci, who is based in Lindenhurst, New York, has found more success from networking groups and casual, friendly conversations with business owners she encounters. Talking rather than pitching has been her best approach.
"When I stopped 'selling' myself hard, the business came easier," Lanci says.
Speaking or taking part in panels at conferences and other events has helped Spencer Smith get clients for his social media marketing firm, AmpliPhi. Smith estimates that he's given 200 speeches in the past few years.
"When you're on stage, those in the audience assume you're an expert in your field. After all, you've already been vetted by someone - a conference organizer - who's involved with an association or group they trust," says Smith, who's based in Madison, Wisconsin.
Smith finds that LinkedIn, the social media channel where business people connect, helps because he's able to prospect for new customers there, and he's also able to post articles and other content that will appeal to his target client.
Still, social media channels like Facebook and Instagram are appealing to many small businesses, especially those that sell to consumers, because of their reach and low cost. Social media marketing can be free if companies use the basics, like Facebook pages and Instagram accounts without ads. And advertising, depending on how many people a company wants to reach, can be relatively inexpensive, in the hundreds of dollars per month.
Cost was one reason why Gabriella Jacobsen decided to market her environmentally friendly grocery bags on sites including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Jacobsen, who calls social media "cheap and accessible," says Instagram alone prompts 70 percent of the visits to her website, www.greenupward.com .
One of the most valuable aspects of social media for Jacobsen is the fact she can get feedback - marketing information - on her products from the comments people post.
"It helps me with making better business decisions going forward," she says.
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Tips to help small business owners choose a marketing method
By Joyce M. Rosenberg
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - The growth of the internet and social media has changed the way small businesses market themselves - the variety of online marketing channels allows businesses, whether they serve consumers or other companies, to focus on a broad or narrow population.
But many owners find that low-tech marketing methods can work for them. For example, a new retailer or restaurant might send discount coupons through the mail to homes in their area. Some owners who consult or provide services like accounting may find that networking and word-of-mouth are their best bets for finding clients. Often, it can take trial and error to find the right approach.
Before owners pick a marketing channel or channels, they need to answer some key questions for themselves, says Ramon Ray, a small business consultant who often speaks publicly about marketing. Who is your target market? Are you clear about how your service or product will help them?
Here are some tips from small business owners about selecting a marketing method:
- Owners should consider which marketing method is the best way to get information to prospective customers to help build a relationship, Ray says. For example, an accountant could offer in social media posts to send tax tips in return for a potential customer's email.
"I'm not trying to sell to the customer first," Ray says. "I want to get their attention."
- Social media can be ideal for start-ups. Carolyn Bothwell, whose marketing consulting business is just about a year old, social media has been low-cost and effective. "Over 80 percent of my inquiries come in directly from Instagram," she says. Many of her clients are also young companies and social media channels including LinkedIn and Facebook have worked for them.
- Different social media channels will yield different results. Germain Chastel, CEO of technology consultant NewtonX, says Twitter helps the company be more visible - it shows up at the top of Google searches. LinkedIn is the social media channel most of the company's clients use, so it's a natural to try to reach them there.
"You just need to be on the channels that can lend real value," Chastel says.
- Face-to-face contacts can be just as valuable as online marketing. Robyn Lanci, owner of Owl PR, a marketing firm, has "found the best methods for marketing my business are networking groups and pure, organic conversation."
Published: Mon, Feb 04, 2019
