5 Things Small Business Owners in Halton Region and Hamilton Should Focus on in Their Limited Marketing Time

Did you know that over half of small businesses polled said they only have an hour or less each day to focus on their marketing? Not only that, Canadian small businesses reported having the least amount of time for marketing out of every country surveyed!* While the rest of the world might assume we just don’t want to cut into our time playing hockey, performing igloo maintenance, or sitting around apologizing to each other, the answer is likely more straightforward:

1. Business owners put everything they have into running the day-to-day operations and are too drained to focus on marketing.

2. Business owners aren’t quite sure how to approach marketing, so past efforts that saw little to no engagement make them hesitant to continue.

Do you fall into either category, or both? Marketing can take a lot of time, especially when you don’t have a plan. As a starting point, here are five things small business owners can do to help grow their business:

1. Create a Marketing Plan – Don’t just post willy-nilly. Know your audience, set SMART goals and KPIs, and track your progress. This will give you an idea of what’s working and what isn’t. Analyze your business’s strengths and weaknesses, and study your competitors. These insights will help you focus your marketing efforts. Also, make sure you are using the right channels—you might not find your audience on TikTok while promoting your line of toilet safety rails and bathtub chairs.

2. Embrace Social Media – Create quality content that aims to not only get people thinking but also talking. Engage with your audience by responding to their comments and inquiries in a way that shows them your true character. But remember, this is your business—no one wants to see a picture of you drinking tequila on vacation right next to a post detailing why you are the best choice for handling their taxes. You think your kids are cute? Great. But unless you can somehow spin little Sally’s lost tooth into a plug for your home renovation services, leave it on your personal account. Click here for how to set up a FB/Insta business account.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Looking to be the first result when someone searches “best professional cuddler near me”? (They exist.) Your SEO practices help determine your ranking. Review your website and shared content for keywords, internal links, and image optimization. This will also involve competitor analysis—services like SEMrush are great for seeing what similar businesses are using and for writing top SEO content. Utilize an SEO plugin like Yoast on your site to maximize your rating.

4. Use Video – In this day and age, video reigns supreme. Not looking to become an influencer in your forties? Not a problem. Short-form videos explaining aspects of your service or product can lead to significant engagement across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok—further growing your brand. Again, the focus needs to be on quality: what does your target audience seem to react to? Advice? Highly stylized productions? Check out what your competitors are having success with and put your own spin on it. Just remember that it needs to be sincere and consistent.

5. Attend or Host Events for Exposure – Not all of your marketing needs to be digital. Are there events promoting small businesses in your area? If not, host one! Is there another local business that would complement your service or product? Ask them to partner with you on events and giveaways. Hey, Audible once held a free three-course hot dog dinner (yes, really) for select listeners, leading to considerable coverage for a new series they were releasing. I know we don’t all have Audible’s budget, but we don’t have to. They thought outside the box and tailored the event to their product in an effective and cost-efficient way.

This list is by no means meant to solve all of your marketing needs; it’s just the start. If you read a million lists, you’ll find a million different opinions regarding what you should focus on when promoting your small business. Read them all! Gather as much information as you can, decide what works for you, and then get after it! And if you find you’re having trouble, please fill out the form on our main page.

You’ve got this!

*Constant Contact, 2024