How to create a marketing plan for your small business - build a brand, target customers and set prices that will maximise sales.
The internet has transformed business marketing. No matter what you do, the internet is likely to be at the heart of your marketing strategy.
Good advertising puts the right marketing message in front of the right people at the right time, raising awareness of your business.
Customer care is at the heart of all successful companies. It can help you develop customer loyalty and improve relationships with your customers.
Sales bring in the money that enables your business to survive and grow. Your sales strategy will be driven by your sales objectives.
Market research exists to guide your business decisions by giving you insight into your market, competitors, products, marketing and your customers.
Exhibitions and events are valuable for businesses because they allow face-to-face communication and offer opportunities for networking.
Instagram is a social network that has taken the world by storm with huge growth over the past few years. Originally established as a photography app in October 2010, the site now has over 600 million monthly active users.
Instagram is a hugely visual platform, allowing users to upload inspirational images and videos. Many brands and businesses use Instagram to share product and inside company photos and to build relationships with potential customers and influencers.
Facebook bought the app in 2012, and new features are released regularly to keep in line with competitor social networks such as Snapchat. Business accounts on Instagram offer the opportunity for companies to pay for their content to appear in the newsfeed of their ideal audience.
Business accounts offer basic analytical data on how content is performing. Business profiles also have a contact button and a linkable location tag. You'll need to make sure your Facebook page is connected to your Instagram account to get a business profile.
What makes Instagram unique is the vast range of filters and editing tools available to users to make images look good and stand out. This is the social network's USP and what has made it so popular. The social network rewards creativity and experimentation; attractive, unusual and quirky images may attract more interest than straightforward and predictable ones.
Instagram users scroll through photo and video content from other users in the main newsfeed, so it's important to stand out. Remember that Instagram is a creative, visual medium. Try to do something out of the ordinary with your photos, while still bringing some benefit to your company. For instance, you could show teaser photos of a new product, taken from an unusual angle.
It's tempting to post images of anything and everything, but Instagram will work better if there are some themes running through your posts. For instance, you could focus on photos relating to your products being used in the real world.
Some brands use similar filters, colours or perspectives for their Instagram content, so that the images look consistent. This is visually appealing to users and can help to attract more followers.
It is recommended that you use a specific strategy for your Instagram account and avoid posting exactly the same content as your other social media networks.
Instagram Stories was launched in 2016; this feature lets you share multiple moments in your day and turn them into stories. You can share photos and videos and amend them with text and drawing tools - they will then appear together in a slideshow format. To avoid over-posting, these stories disappear after 24 hours and do not appear in your feed or profile grid.
You'll see stories from people you follow in a bar at the top of your feed - when there's something new, their profile photo will have a colourful ring around it. You can view someone's story by tapping on their profile photo. You can also tap and send a private message to that person on Instagram Direct; however, there are no likes or public comments.
To have a real impact on Instagram, you need to do more than just post images and videos. Following people in your niche or industry is a good idea, particularly if they are regularly posting about similar interests.
For instance, if you run a café, you might start following people who use Instagram to document their love of coffee. You should engage with other Instagram users, commenting on their contributions and replying to people who comment on yours.
Hashtags are a must for anyone wanting to grow their followers. Unlike other platforms where hashtag overuse can look unattractive, Instagram allows users to tag their content with up to 30 hashtags. The majority of users now place these hashtags in the comments underneath their images, to avoid distracting customers from reading their captions.
Performing regular hashtag research is recommended to understand what people within your niche are using. You can always find out how many times a hashtag has been used by simply searching for it in Instagram.
