Three quarters of small business owners say their biggest problem is finding new customers, according to a poll conducted by email marketing firm Constant Contact. This article can help you make the most of today’s marketing tools.

Finding new business represents a major marketing challenge, especially since a Staples survey found that the average business only has a $2,000 marketing budget available to solve the problem. Such limited resources mean that implementing smarter marketing is essential for companies trying to make more sales in today’s economy. Making the most of these key tools can help marketers accomplish this task.

Mobile Marketing

Goldman Sachs market research projects mobile commerce will represent nearly half of e-commerce within five years. Accordingly, half of retailers who sell online plan to make mobile marketing a priority this year. Companies reaching out to the mobile market are centering their focus on two overlapping areas: mobile website optimization and responsive web design.

Google Developers provides webmasters with a checklist of items to ensure optimization for mobile devices. For ideal optimization, Google recommends using a responsive web design that serves the same HTML code for one URL and uses CSS media queries to adjust how users see content displayed. Alternately, Google also supports dynamic serving of different HTML for different users or a separate site for users with mobile devices.

Visual Content

Visual content, especially photos, generate the most user engagement on social media. A sample by Social Bakers of 5,000 brands’ Facebook pages found that among posts that generated the most likes, comments and shares, 93 percent were photos while another 2 percent were videos. Knowing this makes it possible for web designers to increase their sites’ social media clout by using resources such as royalty-free Shutterstock footage and images to enhance their content’s visual appeal. Another useful strategy is using infographics to give textual content a graphic component.

Niche Marketing with Analytics

Smaller companies facing larger competition can use analytics data to seek out untapped niche markets. This is generally sound advice in any industry and can be implemented by using analytics software. Google Analytics and Facebook Insights are two of the most fundamental and readily-available analytics tools. Other social media sites such as Pinterest have their own specialized analytics tools. For in-depth training in the use of these tools and others, Jigsaw Academy provides online courses, including coverage of tools specific for niches such as retail and finance.

Extending Customized Sales Offers

Another efficient application of analytics is using collected customer data in order to extend customized sales offers. For instance, in-store analytics providers such as RetailNext help stores use smartphone tracking data to identify customers as they enter the store. It will track their aisle movements, analyze their purchasing history and deliver customized assistance based on the results. Other providers such as Coupons.com are offering customized coupons and purchasing recommendations for customers based on their analytics data. Such strategies refine niche marketing down to the level of the individual consumer, optimizing sales efficiency.

If you enjoyed this article, you may also want to check out these others:

4 Ways Business Blogging Helps Build Trust In Your Business
Will Your Website Be A Success Or A Failure In The Coming Years?
Grow Your Business With Email Marketing
Combining Blogging and Social Media into a Truly Effective Strategy
5 Ways You Can Benefit By Using LinkedIn
How To Amp Up Your Visibility With Facebook

This article is published by Will Sherwood | The Sherwood Group |Website Design | Graphic Design | Marketing Communications: The Sherwood Group has over 30 years of experience working with all sorts of companies, small and large. Our clients range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, in nearly every business sector, from across the street to around the world (and yes, even Europe, China, and South America). Our goal is to create advertising,  graphic design, website design, and marketing communication that still looks fresh and relevant 10-15 years later. Our mission is to stir your imagination and leave your competition shaken and wondering,  Now what do we do?”  We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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