The nature of digital marketing changes as you grow (see our scaleup marketing blog to learn more about this). Digital marketing services for small businesses are designed to meet you where you are, and help you grow your business. 

Maybe your resources are limited right now. Maybe you’re just getting started with marketing, and don’t have a big marketing team. Or maybe you want to do more marketing this year, but aren’t sure where to look next.  

This blog will help you understand which services are most effective for small businesses (and therefore where you’ll see the most return on investment)!

Small business marketing goals

Small business marketing is about creating a positive and widely known reputation. In other ways, it’s more about growing your digital presence than launching international product adverts. This is an essential checkpoint to hit before any other marketing activity can work.  

A good reputation inspires trust, which encourages people to buy from you. While a widespread one increases your target sales list.  

For example, an advert on LinkedIn from a business you’ve never heard of is unlikely to catch your eye. But one from a business you’ve heard of may make you stop and listen. So, first, we recommend small businesses use marketing services to build and spread the word about this reputation.  

Here are the first two stages of our sustainable marketing model designed to help businesses achieve this:   

1. Brand development

Brand development involves creating a brand identity, market positioning and proposition narrative. These will direct all of your marketing.  

For a small business, you want a brand that sets you apart and can be versatile enough that you don’t outgrow it too quickly. For example, don’t centre your proposition around one product or market if your five-year plan involves expanding this definition.  

2. Brand building

Brand building is about presenting your brand to your target audience. The goal now is to build brand awareness, attract new potential targets and engage and convert prospects. To do this, your marketing activity should be designed to share your unique brand narrative and grow your reputation.  

Our top digital marketing services for small businesses  

Marketing is a broad field, but these are the services we think will be the best investments for small businesses. They will help you to 1) develop a clear, differentiated and compelling brand, and 2) establish a unique brand narrative online.  

Brand development

1. Marketing strategy  

If you don’t have one already, every marketing plan should start with a strategy. This will make your brand building activity much clearer, more targeted, and more effective.  

As a small business owner, this doesn’t need to be a complicated international, multi-channel plan that’s 50 pages long. You just need to define the non-negotiable elements of your brand. Start by doing audience, market, internal, and competitor research. Then, use this information to inform:  

• Target audience  
• Value proposition  
• USPs  
• Strapline  
• Mission & vision  
• Tone of voice  
• Language style  
• Channel strategy  

Download the Marketing Strategy Template to get started! 

2. Branding pack  

It only takes 0.05 seconds for someone to form a first impression of your brand. That’s why creating a defined visual identity is key, especially as a small business where every eyeball counts.  

Nevertheless, you likely don’t have time to reinvent the wheel with every social post. To support your marketing strategy, you’ll want a package of fundamental assets that will help you present your brand consistently, everywhere you go.  

This should include brand guidelines – outlining standard messaging, design rules, and so on. But you could also benefit from a set of versatile templates or examples which can easily be repurposed. For example:  

• Multiple versions of logos  
• PowerPoint templates  
• Social channel headers & graphics  
• Email templates  
• Campaign slogans  
• And more  

YOU MAY LIKE: 4 signs it’s time to prioritise branding and design  

3. Website   

Your website is your most important touchpoint. This platform is your main hub for marketing and closing sales. This is especially true if your social media channels don’t have a lot of followers yet. It also gives you analytics so you can make data-driven marketing decisions. 

Getting a small, but functional and authentic, website up and running is therefore a priority. These are your most important pages:  

• Homepage  
• Services  
• About us  
• Contact  
• Blog/resources  

  

Brand building   

4. Content marketing   

Content marketing is a great way for small businesses to start building awareness. Blogging lets you share the insights that set your business or your team apart, and build trust with your target audience.

Some ideas for blog posts include providing solutions to industry challenges, sharing news updates, or writing about your mission. 

Learn more about content marketing services

5. PR   

PR isn’t relevant for everyone, but it’s a direct way to get your name in front of new audiences and create credibility. You can reach out to journalists with an interesting concept, or you can pay for coverage. Here are some good topics for PR:  

• Funding announcements 
• Product launches 
• News feature about your impact  
• Awards submissions  

6. Social media marketing 

Build trust and grow a community of followers by showing you understand their interests, challenges, and needs. Social media platforms like LinkedIn give you the opportunity to communicate more directly with your target audience. It feels more personal, but it also takes more regular upkeep than some other marketing services.  

Here are some ways to use social media:  

• Share quick and actionable advice  
• Share company updates  
• Comment on news articles  
• Contribute to community forums  

Set your LinkedIn up for success with this guide  

7. Email marketing  

Whether email marketing campaigns are right for you as a small business really depends on your current contact list. If you don’t have a big database, this likely isn’t worth it. If you have a healthy enough database of viable contacts (people who haven’t already been deemed unsuitable or uninterested), then it’s a relatively quick-win activity.  

Here are some tips:  

1. Start simple with a short, generic sales email  
2. Try a quarterly newsletter to share blogs or company news  
3. If you get a lot of opens, try following up with a more personal email to initiate sales conversations  
4. A/B test different techniques to see which works best  

Choose the best marketing services for your size  

There are many other marketing services, like SEO services or PPC, but these activities take up more time and money, and require a lot of specific knowledge to do well.  

Essentially, they are the sprinkles on top of the sundae we’ve just built. For example, pay-per-click Google Ads may increase the number of people visiting your site. However, it’s a compelling brand on the other side of that click that will effectively increase lead generation or gain return visitors. That’s why these wouldn’t be considered a first choice of digital marketing services for small businesses.

I recommend holding off on investing in these until you’ve seen success with your brand development and brand building activities. Or, find a digital marketing agency that specialises as a marketing agency for small businesses. 

Learn what digital marketing services your small business needs  

To gauge where you are with your marketing, and what services you would benefit from the most, why not book a free audit with one of our marketing experts?