As a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) in the UK, finding cost-effective ways to advertise your business locally can be a challenge.
With limited budgets and fierce competition, it’s important to make every penny count.
Fortunately, there are many affordable and creative ways to get your message out there without breaking the bank.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the most effective and budget-friendly ways to advertise your SME locally in the UK, including leveraging OOH (out-of-home) advertising, Google My Business, email marketing and more.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of how to get your business noticed without spending a fortune, and ultimately, drive more traffic to your storefront or website.
Define Your Target Market
Defining your target market is a crucial first step in any advertising campaign.
Without a clear understanding of who your customer base is, it’s difficult to create effective messaging, select appropriate channels, or measure success. Here are some key steps for defining your target market:
Firstly, consider your product or service. What problem does it solve, or what need does it fulfil?
Who would benefit most from it, and who is currently purchasing it?
Look for patterns in your existing customer base, such as age, gender, income, or geographic location. This can help you identify demographic and psychographic characteristics that define your ideal customer.
Next, think about your competition. Who else is offering a similar product or service, and who are they targeting? How does your offering differ, and how can you position yourself to stand out? Understanding your competitors’ target markets can help you identify gaps or opportunities in the market, and refine your own messaging accordingly.
Once you have a rough idea of your target market, it’s important to conduct market research to validate your assumptions. This can involve surveys, focus groups, or other methods of gathering feedback from potential customers.
This research can help you identify key key problems, desires, and motivations that drive your target market, and refine your messaging to speak directly to those needs.
Finally, create buyer personas or customer profiles that represent your ideal customers.
These personas should include key demographic and psychographic information, as well as their key problems, desires, and motivations. Use these personas to guide your advertising messaging and channel selection, and continue to refine them over time as you gather more data and feedback.
By taking the time to define your target market before launching an advertising campaign, you can ensure that your messaging resonates with the right people, and that you’re using the most effective channels to reach them. This can save you time and money in the long run, and help you achieve better results from your advertising efforts.
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising
One effective strategy for reaching local customers is to leverage both classic and digital billboards.
Here’s why:
Firstly, billboards remain a tried and true method for reaching customers on the go.
Unlike digital ads, like those found on social media, that can be easily ignored or skipped over, billboards provide a constant visual presence that can’t be ignored.
They are particularly effective for targeting drivers or pedestrians in high-traffic areas.
Moreover, roadside billboards can be more affordable than you might think. In many cases, they offer a lower cost per impression than other forms of advertising, making them an attractive option for SMEs with limited budgets – additionally, 75Media offers digital billboards from £16 a day and classic billboards from just £22 per day!
Classic billboards give advertisers dedicated share-of-voice and they’re also a fantastic tool for building brand trust and loyalty, while digital billboards offers an agile, versatile and highly impactful option.
Billboards can also be used to promote a multi-channel approach by incorporating features such as QR codes, social media hashtags, or even mobile app callouts, allowing customers to engage with your brand in new and innovative ways.
By leveraging both classic and digital billboards, SMEs can take advantage of the benefits of both approaches.
By utilising classic billboards for their constant visual presence and affordability, and digital billboards for their flexibility and agility, SMEs can reach a wider range of customers and drive more traffic to their storefronts or websites.
In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing advertising landscape, it’s important for SMEs to be open to new strategies and channels, and leveraging both classic and digital billboards can be a winning combination for local advertising.
Promoting Your Business on Google
Google is controlling over 92% of the total search engine market share worldwide.
When you also consider that SEOTribunal.com estimated that there are approximately 3.8 million Google searches executed every minute, you’ll understand the importance of boosting your brand’s visibility online and through the world’s most dominant search engine.
But what are the best ways of promoting your venture through Google?
Here are some ideas to keep in mind:
Create and Verify Your Google Business Profile
Google enables you to create your own Business Profile, which is equivalent to an official Google listing that enables your company’s details to show up in local search engine results and associated maps.
With this type of listing, when someone types in your business name and location, your details will also be displayed on the right-side ‘Knowledge Panel’ in the search engine results.
This is particularly valuable in the current climate, as Google’s increasingly efficient and tailored SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) ensure that interested customers can be connected to your business in real-time.
So, by creating as detailed and accurate a business profile as possible through Google, you’ll be able to generate targeted leads that translate into a higher conversion rate and a superior return on your digital marketing spend.
If you take a closer look at the ‘Google My Business’ feature, you’ll also see that 56% of actions taken through this feature are direct web visits.
This is an outstanding response rate, while it highlights the targeted nature of Google’s algorithms and how you can leverage these with a detailed business profile.
Even if creating a comprehensive Google Business profile only has an incremental impact on your ability to engage target customers, this costs nothing and won’t eat into your marketing budget.
All it takes is a little time and effort and a keen eye for detail to ensure that all of your information is entered accurately.
When creating your Google Business Profile, the key is to verify ownership of your listing through your free account.
Once you’ve completed this step, you can optimise your listing to ensure that it appears as high as possible in Google’s SERPs in relation to targeted keywords.
As we’ve already touched on, accuracy and detail is key here, so try to include as much relevant information as possible while double checking this for errors.
Similarly, be sure to use your actual (and listed) business name and a local phone number, while crafting a compelling but concise description of the products and services that your venture sells.
Utilise Customer Reviews
As a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), building customer reviews can be a powerful way to establish your brand and drive marketing performance.
By leveraging the feedback and experiences of your customers, you can showcase the quality of your products or services and build trust with potential customers.
Customer reviews are important for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, they provide social proof.
When potential customers are considering your brand, they want to know that others have had positive experiences with your business.
By featuring customer reviews prominently on your website and social media channels, you can demonstrate that your brand is trustworthy and reliable.
In addition to providing social proof, customer reviews can also help you improve your products or services.
By paying attention to customer feedback, you can identify areas for improvement and make changes that will enhance the customer experience.
This, in turn, can lead to even more positive reviews and a stronger brand reputation.
Finally, customer reviews can also impact your search engine rankings. Google and other search engines take into account the quantity and quality of reviews when determining search results.
By building a strong base of customer reviews, you can improve your visibility and attract more traffic to your website.
There are many online reviews platforms you can utilise to generate powerful reviews from your customers, for example, Google my Business is a free and popular choice for local businesses.
Similarly, for e-commerce businesses, reviews.co.uk is a great choice as you can leverage features such as automated custom reviews after customers have made a purchase, integrate UGC content with your website and showcase product review listings and Seller ratings across Google to boost your online reputation.
Leveraging referral programs
Setting up a referral program can be a cost-effective way to build your brand through word-of-mouth.
It’s a great way to incentivise your current customers to refer their friends and family to your business.
Here are a few reasons why you might want to consider setting up a referral program:
Referrals are a powerful form of advertising: When someone recommends your business to a friend or family member, it’s more powerful than any advertising you could do yourself. People are more likely to trust recommendations from people they know, so referrals can be an effective way to attract new customers.
Referral programs are cost-effective: Compared to other forms of advertising, referral programs are relatively low-cost. You’re not paying for ads or other marketing materials, but rather incentivising your customers to spread the word about your business.
Referral programs can improve customer loyalty: When you offer incentives for referrals, you’re showing your customers that you appreciate their business and value their loyalty. This can lead to more repeat business and higher customer satisfaction.
If you’re interested in setting up a referral program for your business, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Keep it simple: Make sure the referral process is easy to understand and doesn’t require too much effort from your customers.
Offer a compelling incentive: To encourage referrals, offer a reward that your customers will be excited about. It could be a discount, free product or service, or something else entirely.
Promote your referral program: Make sure your customers know about your program by promoting it on your website, social media pages, and in-store.
In summary, setting up a customer referral program can be a smart move for local businesses looking to attract new customers and improve customer loyalty. By keeping the process simple, offering a compelling incentive, and promoting your program effectively, you can create a successful referral program that helps grow your business.
Create Video Content for social media
If you’re a local business looking to attract your target audience, video content can be an effective tool. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok have millions of users, making them an excellent way to reach a wider audience. Here are some ideas on how you can leverage video to grow your business:
Showcase your products or services: Video is a powerful way to showcase what you have to offer. Whether you’re a restaurant showing off your delicious menu items or a hair salon demonstrating your hair styling techniques, video can bring your offerings to life.
Tell your story: People love stories, so why not tell the story of your business through video? Share your history, your values, and your passion for what you do. This can help build trust with your audience and give them a reason to choose your business over competitors.
Offer tips and advice: Position yourself as an expert in your industry by offering valuable tips and advice through video content. This can be anything from makeup tutorials to DIY home improvement projects. By providing useful information, you can build a loyal following and establish your business as a go-to resource.
Collaborate with influencers: Partnering with influencers on YouTube or TikTok can help you reach a wider audience. Consider working with local influencers who have a following in your area to create sponsored content that promotes your business.
Highlight customer testimonials: Video testimonials from satisfied customers can be a powerful way to build trust with potential customers. Use video to capture customer feedback and share it on your website, social media channels, and other marketing materials.
In summary, creating video content can be a valuable tool for local businesses looking to attract their target audience. By showcasing your products or services, telling your story, offering tips and advice, collaborating with influencers, and highlighting customer testimonials, you can use video to build brand awareness and connect with your audience in a more engaging way.
Don’t neglect email
As an SME, building an email list can be an effective way to reach out to your customers and drive marketing performance.
By gathering the email addresses of potential and existing customers, you can establish direct communication and build a loyal following.
Here are some reasons why you should focus on building an email list:
Build brand awareness: Email marketing allows you to stay top-of-mind with your customers and prospects. By regularly sending out newsletters or promotions, you can keep your brand in front of your audience and increase brand recognition.
Drive sales: Email marketing is an effective way to drive sales by promoting your products or services directly to your customers. By segmenting your email list and sending targeted messages, you can increase the chances of conversion.
Cost-effective: Building an email list is a cost-effective way to reach out to your customers. Unlike other marketing channels, email marketing is relatively inexpensive and can provide a high return on investment.
Measure success: Email marketing allows you to track and measure the success of your campaigns. By using analytics tools, you can see how many people opened your emails, clicked through to your website, and made a purchase.
In summary, building an email list can be a powerful way for SMEs to reach out to customers, build brand awareness, and drive sales.
By creating targeted campaigns, measuring success, and building a loyal following, you can establish a strong online presence and grow your business.
Mailchimp, for example, is a user-friendly email marketing platform that offers a range of features to help local businesses build and manage email campaigns, including email templates, segmentation, automation, and analytics.
The Last Word
So there you have it; a detailed advertising guide for new businesses and ventures that are looking to make their way in a competitive marketplace.
As with everything else, preparation is key in this respect, as having a clear understanding of your target market and exactly how to utilise different marketing channels increases your chances of success incrementally
In addition, OOH is an especially cost-effective way for SMEs to greatly boost their marketing performance without having to break the bank when compared to other means of advertising!
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