Small businesses typically face one major obstacle when creating their own niche in the market: competing with larger competitors. However, any small business can compete with big brands by using a few effective marketing strategies.
1. Interact with consumers directly
Direct interaction with consumers makes the sales and purchase relationship more personal. It allows each customer to feel valued and not just a means to profit. Small businesses have an easier time communicating with consumers than large industry competitors.
Small businesses don’t have the hassle of bureaucracy and organizational hierarchy that can hinder customer interactions. Small companies have more room to maneuver to provide customers with the best experience.
Small businesses can focus more on questions and concerns. They engage with customers on a more personal level. Customers don’t get generic answers that aren’t always helpful, as is the case with most big brands.
Better customer service helps you make more sales because of the good reviews that happy customers can post on social media.
Positive reviews about your business attract more people to do business with you. This is called word of mouth marketing, where information about you helps attract customers.
Aim for good reviews to increase your trust rating in your market segment. Always consider the mindset of your customers. They can get good products anywhere. But good service is rare.
Provide an amazing customer experience and your product will be far more desirable than a big brand. Give more than the customer expects and more people will choose to do business with you.
2. Use CRM to make more sales
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is software that helps you build stronger relationships with your key customers. Key features of CRM systems include:
- Content and file sharing
- Sales forecasting
- Dashboard-style analytics
- Email Integration with Gmail and Outlook
- Instant messaging between employees
Some CRM systems have additional features such as…
A. Marketing automation
This feature allows you to automate repetitive tasks. These can include sending marketing materials to prospects and leads when they log in.
For example, a CRM might detect that a certain user is a potential customer for your business. The CRM system will automatically send them your marketing materials.
Marketing automation saves you the time and effort you would otherwise spend sending out product marketing materials, so you can spend that free time on other tasks.
B. Contact Center Automation
This capability reduces the number of tasks that need to be completed by each contact center agent by automating some of the most common customer service tools. This automation helps reduce phone time and streamline the customer service process.
Contact center automation can include audio recording to help resolve issues and disseminate information. When a customer calls the hotline, a pre-recorded audio message helps them resolve their issue.
You can resolve common but simple issues with pre-recorded audio and connect those who need special assistance with customer service agents.
Contact center automation is a win-win solution. Customers with routine problems get answers faster. And those who need personal assistance get it faster.
As a result, your business looks better due to fast customer service.
C. Sales automation platform
This type of tool tracks customer interactions and then automates certain business functions as needed. This helps to attract specific categories of customers.
D. Location-based services or geolocation technology
This technology allows marketing campaigns to be carried out limited to a specific geographic location. Sometimes this feature is integrated with some popular applications that use GPS technology.
E. Artificial Intelligence in CRM
Some more advanced CRM systems come with artificial intelligence technologies. They not only help automate repetitive tasks but also help identify patterns of customer buying behavior.
This greatly helps to predict future customer behavior. For example, which products a customer is most likely to purchase on their next visit.
Even a basic CRM system is a huge help. The information provided by a CRM will allow you to better understand your customers. Use this information to gain a clearer picture of your customers and form a strategy for upselling and cross-selling.
For example, let’s say the CRM system thinks that “client A” buys mainly cosmetic products. Then it makes sense to make him special offers and introduce new products in the cosmetics line. If “client A” bought a moisturizer, then offer him a toner, cotton pads and gadgets for facial care.
3. Create engaging content that solves problems
Use valuable content to help your products occupy a competitive niche. Content helps drive traffic to your site and convince visitors to buy your product or service.
Problem-solving information is one of the most compelling types of content. It helps people understand a potential or existing problem and provides them with a solution.
When creating such content, prioritize the needs of your customers. Do not turn this content into a sales text.
Sales texts scare away most visitors because they do not provide a complete solution to the problem.
Start with the problem that is most relevant to your customers. Offer a solution. Discuss it briefly. Then explain how your product can be part of that solution.
This is better than simply telling readers that your product is the answer to all their problems.
In addition to being a source of relevant and valuable information, your content should be visually appealing. It should not be boring to read. To do this, follow these formatting rules:
- Shorter paragraphs
- Separately written especially important sentences
- Line breaks
- Short Quotes
- Empty space
- Images
Images are a very effective way to grab the attention of readers. Infographics are also very effective.
Add video if possible. After all, video is the future of online marketing.
Another important note: your content should be SEO friendly. Then your articles and your site will rank higher in search results. Better SEO will attract more visitors to your site, increasing the possibility of making sales.
4. Compare your product with your competitors’ products
Comparison helps buyers make more informed choices. By publishing comparison reports, you express confidence in your product/service/business.
You position yourself as a brand that knows it can stand up to bigger, more established brands. When you make a comparison, customers expect to receive the following information:
- The main functions of the service or product, preferably presented as a bulleted list.
- Demonstration of similarities and differences.
When creating comparative reports, keep in mind what factors are likely to be decisive for customers. Which features will be most important to most target customers?
List your prices. Then think about how your customers will use the service or product. Focus on these factors when making comparisons. To identify areas to focus on, get to know your target customers.
For example, your product is a phone. What features are most important to the bulk of your potential customers: the operating system, supported apps, battery life, or something else?
Find out what they are looking for in a product or service and focus on those features when making your comparison.
How to prepare a comparative report?
There are several strategies for how to best present a comparative report. The most common method is to present your product side by side with a competitor’s product or products of well-known brands in the same table.
This is what most visitors like because it allows them to easily evaluate the parameters. The necessary information is available at a glance. This type of presentation allows customers to easily compare and make a decision.
Place your most expensive items first. This tactic is most effective in attracting new customers to your product rather than to those of larger competitors.
Providing additional information about the product can improve the effectiveness of the comparison. So another way is to place each brand’s product/service in separate blocks.
Each block should have a clear title. The main characteristics of the products should be presented as a bulleted list. The functions should be listed, as far as possible, in the same order in all blocks.
5. Create buyer’s guides to educate potential customers
Buyer’s guides provide valuable information to potential customers. They give them more knowledge about the product and how to use it. Customers are given the tools they need to make an informed purchase.
You don’t have to sing the praises of your product in your buyer’s guide. If you do, just make a short, humble sentence. Again, add good quality images or videos to make your buyer’s guide visually appealing.
Any small business can compete with big brands
Small businesses don’t have the same marketing machinery as larger organizations. But you can get competitive insights from direct customer interactions and CRM systems.
You can make quick sales with valuable content and informative product comparison reports. Take your stand when creating marketing strategies and watch your business grow.
Posting daily on social media about your products will further boost your sales. Implement these strategies now to put your small brand on par with the big boys.
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