Your business is different. You are problem solvers. And it’s time you start telling the world about WHY you are a different breed of problem solver through some marketing strategies for small business.
Dig deep into the soul of your business and connect with why you wanted to start it in the first place. Because in there, lies something really important: your value propositions.
It sounds like a fancy term, but really, a value proposition says, “We propose that our product/service will solve your problem because…” It’s a simple way of telling people you know what they need and you’ve got it.
Why are these so important? They are the backbone of your content and they are often the first words and images that your audience will see when they land on your webpage. Value propositions make an impact. In fact, Quicksprout found that they could boost conversion rates by over 10 percent!
Now that you know the what and why behind value propositions, it’s time to start building your own with a few useful tips to get the wheels turning!
Marketing Strategies for Small Business: Pain Points
Ok, we know that pain isn’t something any of us enjoy. But pain is a catalyst for change. If we have a back ache, we may start stretching, or see a doctor, or change our daily habits. Similarly, if your potential clients and customers are feeling pain (aka, they have a problem), they’re going to start looking for a solution.
This is a great place to start creating some value proposition examples to use in your content. Pain points can also be a catalyst for your business’ marketing. Knowing what causes your target audience pain informs how you plan to solve their problem. Once you know the problem and solution, you’re well on your way to creating great content.
Pain points vary depending on your industry and business structure, but generally fall into one of these categories:
- Financial: people are spending too much money and need a cost-effective solution
- Productivity/Efficiency: people want to save time
- Process: people need to streamline what’s happening internally
- Support/Lead nurturing: prospects need more time and attention as they get to know you
Take a moment and consider which pain point your target audience suffers from. Getting clear on that will lead you straight into the next part of creating value propositions.
Emotional Appeals
You’ve identified what’s causing your audience pain. You know they’re searching for a solution to get rid of that pain. But there’s one more layer to that: what emotions are associated with their pain?
Emotions deserve some extra time because understanding your potential clients’ feelings can help you craft superb value propositions.
Marketing strategies for small business can take a cue from bigger companies when it comes to evoking emotions. An example that most of us are familiar with are Subaru commercials.
Do you remember the Subaru commercial where the dad is waiting with his daughter at the bus stop on her first day of school? They’re both standing there, nervously waiting as the bus drives up. Then, he starts driving along side the bus to follow his daughter in his Subaru sedan, and says: “I’m over protective. That’s why I got a Subaru.”
First, his statement is a great value proposition example. But part of the proposition isn’t even in the words he says—it’s the emotions that all parents can relate to. They appeal to emotions, then to the problem (car safety), and then to what makes Subaru different: high safety ratings.
So, emotions. You may not have to turn on the water works like Subaru does, but using emotional appeal can be a great way to show that you understand your audience on a deeper level. It helps establish your credibility as a brand that’s not just selling, but caring.
Why Your Business is the Best
The last part of the value proposition equation is what makes you and your business shine. You’re probably not alone in your industry, so you’ve got to clearly define why you’re unique—why should a customer choose you over a competitor?
To do that, it helps to know your own story. Go back to the basics, and ask yourself a few questions:
- Why did you start your business?
- What problem did you experience that you wanted to solve?
- How did you feel when you started your business?
- Who, specifically, do you want to help?
- What are your internal processes and why are they successful?
- What are your core values as a company?
- What do people say they love about your product/service?
Simple questions, but within them lies the answers to why you’re different. Knowing these answers will help you to target specific aspects of your business in your content, rather than guessing.
We can go back to the Subaru commercial one more time for an example. The very last line of the commercial says their well-known tagline: “Love. It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.” The love they put into manufacturing their cars sets them apart. It informs their commitment to safety, which they also highlight as unique.
Conclusion
There are so many marketing strategies for small business, but creating some value propositions are a great place to start. Once you know them, it’s like having a roadmap for how to strategize the rest of your content. Just think of it kind of like an equation: Problem + emotions + what makes you different = value proposition. Tying it all together is what really makes your brand pop!
We believe that every business has value. But knowing how and where to share your value can be overwhelming. That’s why we start with the basics: getting to know you and your business so that we can build digital marketing strategies and value propositions that really work. Ready to start? Contact Wayward Kind today and we’ll get to strategizing!
