Before we dive in, let’s acknowledge something. Marketing isn’t as straightforward as we’d all like it to be. And when you’re someone who has to do their own marketing? Yeah, even less so.

But just because marketing doesn’t usually feel like a straightforward process, that doesn’t mean you can’t build one for yourself! And today, we’re going to hone in on 3 really great marketing strategies for small businesses. Because you can do your own marketing—and you can do a really great job of it.

Here’s an overview of what we’ll cover:

• 3 marketing strategies for small business that work really well (social media marketing, email marketing, and word of mouth marketing)
• What makes each a good fit for people who are doing their own marketing—and on a budget
• Pieces of marketing software that are user-friendly so you can get started

Small business marketing strategy #1: Social media marketing

Even though a Google search for “how many small businesses use social media” will give you results that range from 41% to 96%, it would be hard to deny the fact that social media marketing is very popular. And before you have time to complain about all the things you can (legitimately) complain about when it comes to the different social media platforms, there are a few compelling reasons you should be incorporating it to your overall marketing strategy. 

The first reason is social media can be (and often is) a free way to market your business. And even though that $0 cost is associated with an actual (and sometimes egregious) amount of time spent creating content, it is still one of the best ways to market a small business. Because it is easy to create an account. You can get your first content posted quickly. And you can grow an audience without needing to pay for impressions. 

Speaking of an audience, social media marketing is a marketing channel without geographic boundaries—and you can get yourself in front of a huge number of people! Whether you’re a local business and are trying to make sure everyone in your area knows you’re the go-to spot for whatever it is you do or you have a business that can serve anyone anywhere, it’s hard to argue that social media isn’t going to help you connect with those folks.   

And when it comes to getting started with social media marketing (or even doing it more effectively), Enji is has a great social media scheduler—that’s so much more than that! Because in addition to being able to connect your social media accounts, write captions with an AI copywriter, and get content scheduled to auto-post, it’s also a place you can create your marketing strategy and manage your marketing calendar! If you want to try it out free for 14 days, you can start your trial here.

Small business marketing strategy #2: Email marketing

Google will do the same thing to you here and give you a big range of percentages when it comes to “how many small businesses use email marketing” (64% – 81%), but you can be super confident in the fact that it’s well over half. And as (clears throat) social media has become more frustrating to a lot of people in the past few years, email marketing is a fantastic way to carve out your own corner of the internet—algorithm free!

But just like social media, email marketing can cost you a bit of time. Partly because to do it well, you have to be sending more than 1 newsletter every few months. Mostly because a lot of small business owners really struggle with writing (Though, in the age of AI copywriters being there to write first drafts, does anyone have any excuses?). 

The big advantage to having email marketing as a part of your overall marketing strategy can be summed up in 2 words: open rate. In a world where the average engagement rate on Instagram is between 1.22% and 4.7% (thanks for a better range, Google!), the average open rate on email newsletters is between 15% and 25%—with tons of people getting 50% and higher! That makes it pretty clear that email marketing can be a channel with tons of engagement for your small business.

And one of the reasons for this great engagement is email marketing is a space where you can really build a relationship with people. You can go deep on things like why you started (and keep pouring into) your small business. You can really share who you are as a person. You can show off your amazing products and services in a way that a 7 second reel can’t. And if you’re looking for a great example of email marketing done really really well, get yourself on Tonic Site Shop’s email list. You won’t regret it.

Have we convinced you that email marketing is worth it? Great! Here are some fantastic email marketing softwares you can scope and try out: BDOW! for email capture forms, Flodesk, Kit, or Mailchimp for email marketing platforms.

If you are looking to grow your email list, one of the best ways is to create and lead magnet and promote it on your homepage in exchange for an email. Like this one, made with BDOW!:

Small business marketing strategy #3: Word-of-mouth marketing

Which brings us to the third thing we think is great for answering the question of, “How can I grow my small business?” And this one isn’t a digital marketing strategy—it’s good ‘ol word-of-mouth marketing. Which we had to put this on the list because of the thousands of small business owners we’ve talked to, so many of them say referrals are their most qualified leads come from. 

And it’s not surprising to me that word of mouth marketing brings in the best leads (though it might not bring in the quantity). Because we all turn to family, friends, hell—even Instagram friends we’ve never met in person—to ask for recommendations. And when we do, that action immediately puts us in the “warm” category because the person referring us already knows, likes, and trusts you. 

But you’d be making a mistake if you think you can 100% rely on word-of-mouth marketing to keep your small business running or growing at the pace you need it to. Because you’d be resolving yourself of your marketing responsibilities and ability to dial things up when you need. That’s why you’ve got to diversify your marketing efforts with things like social media and email marketing—it’s all a part of building a marketing process that works for you!

In the end, there are lots of ways you can go about putting your small business and brand in front of folks, but we think these are 3 really great marketing strategies for small business that are more than worth trying. So your next step is to make your plan, get yourself on the software that’s going to help you, and get to work doing the plan. Because when you put in the effort, you will see results! 

Author – Tayler Cusick Hollman

A marketing consultant and small-business builder, Tayler is the Founder of Enji—marketing software for small businesses who have to do their own marketing. When she isn’t thinking about new ways to solve your marketing problems, you’ll find her riding her bike or skiing down a steep mountain somewhere.