The success of a small business has a lot to do with its marketing plan. Marketing is used to attract the customers needed to keep a business viable and operational. Marketing strategies are used to help a business achieve sales goals and branding initiatives. Through a variety of tactics, marketers work to attract the right customers to the business.

When business owners sit down to write their marketing plan, they need to consider what makes sense for their small business? What is working in the marketplace? And where should they start?

Here are 8 marketing strategies to set your small business up for success.

1. ESTABLISH A BRAND

For a small business’s customers and potential customers to know what their company is, does and stands for, they need to have a clear brand identity. Once they have decided on their company’s identity they need to match it with a suitable name, logo, colors and imagery that conveys their brand to customers.

Small businesses owners might decide to establish a brand look with the help of a freelancer or by collaborating with an established agency. This process can be costly but in the end, it is worth it. Think about the recognition of established brands like McDonald’s or Starbucks and how that recognition is tied to their brands, logos and colors.

Once a company has their logo, they should put it on everything: advertising, business cards, website, envelopes and email signatures.

2. KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER

There is no such thing as a one size fits all marketing strategy. Each business caters to a different niche in the market and therefore each company requires a marketing plan is specific to their goals and needs.

Before deciding on tactics and a strategy, small business owners need to better understand who

their target customer is by asking these questions:

• What is their demographic?
• How old are they?
• Where do they live?
• What online services do they use?
• How do they look for products?

Knowing these things about their target customer will help a business develop a targeted and effective overall marketing strategy that will focus on the channels that will produce the best results.

3. CREATE A WEBSITE

Websites are the modern-day business card. It is the first thing potential customers see when the Google company name and the first chance a company to make an impression. A website is the foundation of a marketing plan. Companies can use their website to provide their customers with more information, grab free traffic via search engines, drive people to their social media and establish themselves as an authority in the marketing through helpful content.

If your company doesn’t have a website yet, it is easy enough to get one.

Buy a domain name: Choose the name you want, see if it is available and pay a monthly or annual fee associated with owning that domain.

Sign up for web hosting: this is where another company hosts a company’s web page on their servers and manages serving it up to their customers. This is often available through the same company where the domain name was bought from.

Get a content management software (CMS): This is used to both create and update the website over time. There are a number of free templates but if a company wants something more unique or customized, they can $50-100 for premium themes.

4. USE THE POWER OF SEO

The most prevalent way traffic is directed to a website is through Google searches. As Google algorithms change, a company needs to make sure to keep their page keywords optimized to make sure they are ranking high on searches.

Having a site show up on the first page of results hugely increases the chances of that website getting clicked on, so a company should do everything in their power to make sure that’s where they are in a Google search.

5. GET LISTED ON GOOGLE

A useful tool for local businesses with local customer bases is Google My Business. When people in the same area as a company search on Google for a product or service the company provides, the company will appear in the top searches.

When potential customers see a business’s profile and it is accompanied with a good review or finds the listing at the top of their list, the business gains credibility and people will be more willing to trust the business.

6. ADVERTISE ON FACEBOOK

One of the best ways to target a specific group is using Facebook Ads. A business can focus their adverting on demographics such as age, sex, location, interests, online habits and more.

Setting up advertising on Facebook is easy and relatively inexpensive. It is a great way for a business to reach a maximum number of potential customers in a short amount of time.

The best advertising that an integrated marketer can do for their business will be cost-effective, long-lasting, unique, and attention-grabbing. Many different marketing efforts have served as the top trending advertising solution that ticks all the right boxes in the past, but today small businesses might be surprised by the many benefits of a vinyl vehicle wrap for advertising a business. Here are the top five.

They Are Attention-Grabbing

The human eye is drawn to anything that stands out from the norm. A brightly colored, professionally-designed vinyl car wrap will ensure that your vehicle stands out from the rest on the road. When sitting in traffic or at a stoplight, other commuters and passersby will find themselves looking at your car—whether they are seeing your brand for the first time or if you are reinforcing your message with them. To maximize the attention that you get, make sure that the vinyl is clear and easy to read, check out the most professional decals for tailgates.

They Are an Effective Passive Advertisement

Sometimes the solution is not to be loud and aggressive but quietly confident. While many other forms of marketing can grab a consumer’s attention, a vehicle wrap is an unobtrusive way to continually put your brand in front of your audience. With a car wrap, you are leaving it up to the viewer to contact your company when the time is right. But the great news is that they’ve seen your vehicle so many times—on the road, in traffic, or parked in strategic locations—that you are top of mind when they need your service or product.