5 Smart Tips You Need To Focus On To Market Your Small Business In 2018

With the ball getting ready to drop as we look toward a new year, you need to be certain that your small business is ready to take some 2018-sized leaps. 

To make these leaps, you'll need to assess who you are and have a true understanding of what it will take to market yourself for true success. This involves learning the intelligent marketing tips that will allow you to make your business a true force moving forward. 

Let's look at these five intelligent tips so that you can set the foundation for your small business to expand. 

1. A Personal Touch Goes A Long Way

When you are scoping out the market to reach your public, always approach it with some personality and a one-on-one feeling. Flyers and handwritten notes still mean something -- particularly now, when devices make people less personable. 

In fact, marketing experts are starting to forecast that you'll be left behind if you're making cheesy content with obvious stock photos and bland content. Make sure that you hit the market with the goal of truly reaching people, rather than just trying to get a sale from them. 

Understand that there are people behind these screens and that you'll need to level with them in a relatable manner. 

2. Put Some Work Into Market Research Plans

In the same way that you don't move forward with company goals without solid plans, never tackle a marketing project unless you've done extensive market research. 

Some examples of market research include looking through search engine algorithms, assessing how people use your website, offering surveys and hiring a marketing professional to do some thorough digging on your behalf. Hash out a gameplan that you know will take you from point A to point B, as you march toward benchmarks each quarter. 

3. Create A One-Two Punch With Online And Offline Marketing Efforts

Though there are more than 3 billion people currently using the internet, you'll need to not make the mistake that so many people do in going internet only with their marketing efforts. 

While the web lets you spread the widest net, you need to have a one-two punch between online and offline marketing. For instance, if you run a bakery, wrap the cupcakes in a foil that has your website URL and social media handle, where online users can go and get coupons or sign up for your mailing list. 

The more you cross-pollinate among your different audiences in person and on the web, the easier it'll be to rake in more customers in a meaningful way. 

4. Don't Think That Blogging Is Dead

Even in a world where you can open your smartphone with facial recognition, know that something as 2008 as blogs are still alive and well. In fact, blogs are thriving in this day and age more than you might think. 

Marketers are taking heed -- as 53% hold blogging as a top priority. 

However, you need to switch up your approach and focus on long-form, in-depth content, rather than meaningless, keyword stuffing SEO content. Be sure that you're tackling a subject in a new and different way so that you can draw in an audience and get more Google hits. 

5. Get Strategic With Your Social Media

The way you use your social media is also meaningful in 2018. We should see the dust settle in some social media wars, while new reach and options will change the way that people browse. 

Above all, be sure that you research the platform and know that you're addressing your audience accordingly and using the data you get to build future marketing techniques. 

Use these points so that your small business thrives in 2018 and for years to come.