I never realised what a gorgeous part of the world the Adelaide Hills were until I cycled through here on my ride across Australia last year. Since then, I have made Mount Barker my home and spend most of my time driving through the region. That also means I spend a great deal of time interacting with local businesses in the region. I’ve paid particular attention to the marketing systems and strategies being used (being in the industry) and I must say, there’s much room for improvement.
Look, I get it, marketing is a time consuming and often confusing process. Especially in 2018, where there are so many options. So many places to spread your attention. It can be daunting. Yet it’s the lifeblood of any business. It’s essential to bringing in clients, building your brand and ultimately, getting the sales and revenue you need to survive. It’s something we all have to do, whether we like it or not.
So, how do you get your business to stand out? What are the specific strategies you can use to get your business noticed and draw in clients and sales? Ultimately this will depend on the type of business your run and your target market. To reach your potential customers, you have to ‘advertise’ to them where they are. I’ll get into the specifics of this in another article but for now, these are some of the essentials every business in South Australia should be utilising (at least several of them).
Firstly, You Need a Website
If you’re running a small business in 2018 and you don’t have a website, you’re in trouble. Furthermore, if you had a website built back in 2011 that hasn’t been updated, you need to get it replaced. Hell, even if you have a website from 2014 that you haven’t updated, get onto it! I’m guilty of this myself with a couple I don’t really use anymore.. Still, your website is the centrepoint of your business, your storefront, in the digital world. And let’s be honest, it’s practically all a digital world these days.
Your website exists for predominantly 2 reasons. Number 1, it’s allows you to be found online. Through Google searches, links from other sites, from social media, potential customers will find your website if they’re in the market for what you’re offering and you have it setup so they can find it. Secondly, it showcases your business. It allows potential (and current) clients to see what you’re all about, what you can offer them and how well it looks like you can do it.
What’s the Go with SEO…
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is essentially how likely you are to be found when someone searches for your services online. When someone types in “mechanics in the adelaide hills” for example, this is what will come up.
The first 3 options are the businesses that are viewed by Google as the most relevant to your searh query. They essentially have better SEO than any others. The rest are actually from business directories, another good idea for getting your business found by search. Stay tuned for a more detailed article on SEO, I’ll dive in to how rankings work and how you can improve your own.
Get a Google Business Page
Next to your website, this is another avenue that allows you to be discovered through a Google search.
You know that little map that pops up when you search something? The one with all the locations on it? Those businesses have a Google business page. So for instance, using the same example as above, if I were to type in “mechanics adelaide hills,” this is what would come up…
This map actually comes up in front of the business websites. That’s how important it is to have a page. If you want to appear in local search results, get yourself a Google My Business Page pronto.
Join Business Networking Groups
There aren’t a huge array of networking groups in the region, but there are a couple that are worthwhile.
The Adelaide Hills Business Centre is a great one and actually where I’m writing from at this exact moment…
The owner, Gordon, is a wealth of business information and provide free business consulting each week, as well as an array of additional help and services. If you want a workspace like I do, membership is only $72 a month (as at May 2018). That’s an absolute bargain considering you often have the place to yourself.
You also have the Mount Barker Business Group which hosts regular networking events and has a strong regular membership base that’s sure to grow.
Alternatively, depending on your business, you can make the journey down to Adelaide and get involved in the more lively business scene the city has to offer.
Get on Social Media
Now I’m sure I don’t need to tell you the importance of social media in 2018. You already know that everyone and their grandmother has a Facebook account. Most also have one or a combination of Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube or Snapchat as well. Although you almost certainly have a personal account, you may be hesitant about marketing your business on one of these platforms.
The fact is, marketing is about getting your business and your brand in front of people, essentially giving them the option of using your services or buying your product. So you have to go where the people are. Where are the people? They’re glued to their phones for the vast majority of the day. So you need to get in their phones and one of the best ways to do that, is through social media.
How do you actually use social media to grow your business?
This is where it gets a little more complex and I’ll put together a series of posts on each platform to help you make the right choice. Essentially, you have to understand where your target market is hanging out. If you’re a business that targets millenials for example, you’re probably going to want to be spending time and resources on Instagram. That is, so long as you can come up with some quality visual content. If you’re targetting an older crowd, Facebook will still be your go-to.
It also depends on what you’re most comfortable with. Do you like getting in front of the camera for photos and videos? Do you prefer writing to get your messsage across? Or would you rather just put some advertising dollars to work for you?
Alright, I’ve probably done a good job of confusing you even further with this rambling but the fact is, I can’t really give you any specific advice unless I know what your business is and who you’re targetting.
Feel free to shoot me a message and I’ll be able to give you a little more tailored advice Get in touch
My point is, social media is pretty crucial and you need to ensure you’re business is on it in some form.
Utilise Online Classifieds
Get your business listed on Gumtree. This is an incredibly undervalued resource for marketing your business services. I don’t think a lot of people realise it’s actually possible to list your business in the first place. Look at how many businesses come up when I search services in the Adelaide Hills on Gumtree…
Get your business listed and repost it once a week or so. It will take 5 minutes of your time and will be well worth it. Once you’ve got that part of your routine, try adding your business to other categories and locations.
I hope that’s given you a bit of an idea as to how you can effectively market your small business in this part of the world (although it applies practically everywhere…)
If you run an Adelaide Hills Business you’d like any more ideas or any more specific strategies related to your particular situation, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can reach me on the details below…
Cheers,
Cody
Phone: 0466 593 890
Email: cody@hudsonmedia.com.au
