Four Quick Marketing Tools Every Business Should Be Using

You may hear the phrase “marketing tools” and internally (or outwardly!) groan. You might picture it as this complex, time-consuming ordeal that requires a marketing strategist and a web designer, both of which scream costly.

But! Marketing tools are simply ways to promote the products or services you offer. And there are several quick, easy, and often free ways to go about increasing your business’s presence that can have some major profit and foot-traffic benefits. 

Let’s start with the most basic - and necessary - marketing tool. 

Your Website

Remember when you were little and your parents took you to the mall to “window shop?” I loved window shopping. I loved walking through strip malls, fashion malls, and shopping centers and peeking in the windows to see what they offered. As I got older, that window shopping turned to real shopping - but having an idea of what was in the store was vital! I wasn’t going to waste my time going into a store thinking they had shoes only to find they exclusively sold bedding. 

Your website is the window to your business, especially these days. If you’re an auto body shop and someone wants to research specific services offered and you don’t have a website? There’s a chance they’ll keep searching. People lose patience (and interest) quickly. 

Your website doesn’t have to be fancy. You need a presence. Start simple, with basic contact info and services provided. Make sure your information is clear and easy to read. Google “free” or “inexpensive” website domain hosting and you’ll find a ton of options. 

Social Media Presence 

Another easy one. Facebook and Instagram are free! Sure, you may not be a “social media person” but creating a quick presence is huge, especially today. When I’m researching a business, I always check its social media first - sometimes before the website. It tells me they’re current, they care about presentation, and it also gives me fun information - like pictures of the company, products, and so on. 

Also - and maybe most importantly - it gives you a chance to interact with customers and potential customers. You get to respond to questions and concerns about your products. You have the opportunity to make “boring” products interactive and personable. Take SlimJim for example. A snack brand that’s almost 100 years old has one of the best social media presences of any company out there. They’re hilarious, incredibly responsive to customers, and frequently interact with competitors, all in good fun. It has done wonders to revitalize a company that could have very easily aged itself out of the game. 

Google Business Profile 

One of the best, free ways to keep your business in front of customers is by creating a Google business profile. Through this profile, you can control what information about your business is displayed across multiple Google platforms including Google Review and Google Maps. Consider what your go-to method for finding a business usually entails. For me, I hit up the search engine. I type “tire shops OKC” and see what comes up. From there, I look for reviews. I’m specifically looking for 4-stars and above, and preferably, the business with the most reviews as well. 

Obviously, these things take time! You won’t garner 100 reviews in a day (most likely), but encourage customers to leave a review. You can even incentivize them by offering coupons or discounts on future services. 

Your role? Respond to every review, good or bad. If it’s a good review, thank your customers! If it’s a negative review, see if there’s a way to make the issue right. If not, I’d still thank them for their feedback and assure them that you’re doing what it takes to make sure the problem doesn’t reoccur. 

Email Marketing & Campaigns

Not only is it much cheaper than snail mail, but email marketing can also be - and usually is - a highly effective marketing strategy. If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend a short monthly newsletter. The idea may make you cringe, but the truth is that newsletters can be awesome. Keep it short and simple, highlighting a few popular products, an employee of the month, new locations or services, and discounts and deals. But again - keep it short! Think of something that takes less than 2 minutes to read. 

You may be wondering how to build your email campaign list. 

Your website is a great place to start. Under a “contact us” tab, have an option to opt-in to the newsletter. You can also use social media. Instagram and Facebook are great places to encourage people to sign up for your newsletter. Incinvitze them by offering 20% off an item or free shipping on their first order if they sign up. 

You can also gather emails/phone numbers during the transaction period at your place of business. Depending on what payment process service you’re using, you can give folks the option to enter their email address. Most people will, without asking questions. Once they do, you have that information stored for future use. 

In addition to these marketing tools, keep in mind there are literally thousands of methods and even upgrades to the ones listed here. You can use pay-per-click Google Ads, pay to boost posts on Facebook and Instagram, and hire a marketing team to create great looking visuals and promotions. But start with the free options and go from there - often, the free stuff is just as good, or even better. It’s consistency with your methods that makes the biggest difference.