Reaching new audiences is vital for any business — new or old. Many creators and brands hope to attract new customers just by posting a simple 15-second video on TikTok two or three times a week.
But it’s not that easy. While these short clips may appear on the For You Page (FYP) of potential customers browsing on TikTok, it’s unlikely to keep them engaged for long, and engagement is just as important, if not more so, than the initial attraction.
The digital world is constantly changing and evolving. There is always something new to discover. As a small business owner, it’s important to focus on and invest in the marketing efforts that work best for you, while also leaving room to test and explore new trends.
Keep reading to learn more about the most relevant, tried, and true methods to attract and engage new audiences today!
Short-form Video Content
No matter what social media platform you’re on, you’ll likely notice that short-form video content is prioritized and rewarded by the algorithm.
TikTok is currently the leading platform for short-form video marketing but other social media platforms shouldn’t be overlooked. Short-form videos can be posted on Instagram, YouTube, Google, LinkedIn, and even Pinterest.
The popularity of short-form videos is expected to grow even more. HubSpot found that 51% of marketers in 2022 plan to increase their investment in social media marketing. So if you haven't started already, now is a good time to invest in this marketing tactic.
There are many trends geared towards short-form video content that can serve as a starting point or inspiration but it’s important to stay true to what makes sense for your business. For example, Etsy creator, Designs by Felicias, found success by taking advantage of the #SmallBusinessCheck trend on TikTok to grow her business and relate to her audience through behind-the-scenes content. Now, Designs by Felicias has over 108k followers on the platform with one video reaching over 7 million views.
Content Partnerships
Authenticity and credibility are everything when it comes to content partnerships. The sole purpose of this marketing tactic is to align yourself and your brand with a trusted figure who already has an engaged audience and reinforces your core values. The two main types of content partnerships include sponsored content and co-branded content. Sponsored content entails paying a creator or another organization to create and post custom content on their account promoting your services or products. Co-branded content entails two or more brands collaborating on content that promotes both of their products or services and is posted across both of their accounts. Although paid ads will always serve as an evergreen method for reaching and retargeting new audiences, content partnerships are proving to yield bigger returns – especially with the introduction of collaborative posts on Instagram.
For example, it’s very common for podcasters to collaborate with other podcasters on episode swaps to enrich their content and engage with each other’s audiences. Check out how Sounds Like A Cult Podcast and The Minimalists Podcast took advantage of a co-branded episode swap, centered around minimalism and consumerism.
Lead Magnets & Events
Lead magnets are a great way to generate a healthy top-of-funnel, articulate your worth, and increase revenue. In short, a lead magnet is anything that is low-cost/free and offered to an audience to gain more contacts in your mailing list. These can range from guides, PDFs, eBooks, templates, newsletters/articles, presets, videos, and more! Anything that gives your audience a taste of the value of your content, product, or service. Read more about creating and delivering lead magnets with Norby’s digital marketing tools here!
If lead magnets don’t suit your business, events are another way to collect audience information and build community. Even low-lift events like IG Lives or group chat discussions are valuable for building brand affinity and encouraging word-of-mouth marketing.
Pro tip: place your lead magnet or event registration front and center on your landing page to make it as easy as possible for your audience to engage and take action beyond social media. Learn more about our landing page best practices.
Referral & Loyalty Programs
Creating a referral program is one of the most effective and reliable tactics for small business owners to use to entice their current customers to invite more potential customers – usually in exchange for reward points or freebies.
Instead of simply relying on word-of-mouth to kick in, a referral program allows you to inspire your current customer base at the right time, with the right incentives, to do the marketing leg work for you. Not only are referral programs great for garnering new potential clients and customers, but they’re also great for deepening relationships with your current clientele and community and making them feel invested in or a part of your growth.
Loyalty programs are an alternative to referral programs that aim to keep your current customers engaged and coming back for more. These programs offer customers rewards, discounts, and other incentives to encourage repeat business and purchasing of your products or services. When a customer shows loyalty to a brand, it’s important that they feel appreciated and rewarded.
Other incentives to include in a loyalty program include:
- Early access to new services or products
- Free branded merchandise
- Access to exclusive content
- Pricing discounts and promotions
Conclusion
Bringing in and maintaining new customers can seem overwhelming, especially for small businesses and new entrepreneurs. But it doesn’t have to be challenging. With the assistance of a platform like Norby, you can access the most in-demand digital marketing tools all in one place and streamline your marketing efforts.
Join Norby today to upskill your digital marketing know-how and leverage powerful tools like landing pages, text message marketing, emailing software, and much more.
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