37 Unique Marketing Ideas for Small Business to Stand Out in 2023
Having a solid marketing plan is crucial for the success of a small business. Marketing is not just about putting your business name out there: it is about building a connection between your company and your consumers. With countless ways to promote your small business, it is essential to identify the most effective tactics. To help you get started, we have compiled a list of 37 unique marketing ideas for small business.
In today’s world where consumers encounter advertisements at every turn, businesses must engage and be responsive to stay relevant. Developing a clear marketing strategy and implementing these small business marketing ideas helps you to reach your ideal customers and drive profits. So take the time to develop a marketing plan and start promoting your small business in creative and effective ways.
Unique Marketing Ideas for Small Business
Social Media Marketing Ideas
Social media has become more crowded than ever, with almost half of GenZ (about 46%) being online all the time. Even millennials are not far behind, spending a significant portion of their time on social media.
Therefore, merely posting regularly, mastering reel transition, or following the latest trends is no longer enough to thrive on social media. Brands have to strive to be original, likable, and useful if they want to succeed this year.
If you are struggling to achieve this quality, here are some unique small business marketing ideas for social media you can implement to stand out from the crowd and make a real impact on your audience.
1. Contest & Giveaways
Contests and giveaways not only help in attracting new followers but also engage with your audience. Giving away a gift card or product is a great way to excite people about your brand. Keep entry simple with a “like, follow, and comment” or ask for more effort with a higher value prize.
This is one of the most unique marketing ideas for small business that will help you grow your follower count, generate leads, provide valuable customer info, and give you content for future campaigns. You can get creative and try new things to capture your audience’s attention.
2. Host a Challenge
Hosting a challenge on social media is one of the highly effective and unique marketing ideas for small business. Challenges are trending right now, and with the right one and the right hashtags, you can create enough buzz to go viral.
Popular challenge campaigns often involve dance moves or eating something terrible. But, there are plenty of clever marketing ideas for small business to generate enough attention. The key is to find something that resonates with your audience and is easy to do.
Look for popular challenge hashtags on Instagram for inspiration, and don’t be afraid to have fun with it. Who knows – your crazy idea might lead to a collective movement and build a sense of comradery around your brand.
3. Connect and Engage with Your Audience
Social media is more than just sharing content. It is about building a community and engaging with your audience. According to a survey, 90% of social media marketers believe building an active online community is crucial to a successful social media strategy in 2023. This is why 20% of social media users have joined an online community in the past three months, and 22% have actively participated in one.
One of the biggest benefits of participating in an online community is product discovery. Facebook and Instagram are the top platforms for building online communities, but it is essential to start wherever your audience lives and use those insights to inform your strategy on other platforms.
4. Make DMs the Preferred Customer Service Channel
In 2023, social media is predicted to become the go-to channel for customer service, with one in five social media users having contacted a brand via DMs in the past three months. As a result, it is essential for brands to be prepared, with 76% of social media marketers saying their company offers customer service via social media
If your business is one of them, ensure there is a proper plan in place for managing customer service requests through DMs. It is vital to have a designated customer service representative or marketer to respond promptly to queries and complaints. It is one of those unique marketing ideas for small business that helps you emphasize the importance of customer service on social media to build a loyal customer base.
5. Create Short-Form Videos
The short-form video has a ripple effect on the social media landscape in 2021 and is here to stay even in 2023 as GenZ and Millennials prefer it to learn about new products. Social media marketers are also recognizing its effectiveness with 54% using it and 33% planning to invest more in it than any other format. In fact, 83% of those who use it find it the most effective format.
This is why social media marketers who have not leveraged one of these unique marketing ideas for small business yet plan to try it in 2023. It can be a most effective idea to engage with the target audience.
6. Post Authentic and Relatable Content
Social media content no longer needs to be highly polished to be effective, 68% of consumers say that authenticity and relatability are more essential than high-quality content. As a matter of fact, funny and relatable content ranks highest for being memorable, followed by trendy content.
Interestingly, while funny content does not offer the highest ROI, 66% of social media marketers consider it the most effective format. Therefore, investing in funny content will be the second-highest investment of any content type in 2023, making it one of the unique marketing ideas for small business looking to engage their audiences.
7. Leverage Instagram
Instagram is set to have the most growth among social media platforms in 2023. Social media marketers consistently rank Instagram as their favorite platform due to its high ROI, engagement, and quality leads.
They also credit Instagram with having the most accurate algorithm, which is essential for brand awareness and reach. As a result, more than half of those not yet using it are planning to leverage Instagram for the first time. These findings suggest that using Instagram can be one of the unique marketing ideas for small business to grow their social media presence and reach a wider audience.
8. Don't be Afraid of Cross-Posting
For small businesses, managing multiple social media platforms can be time-consuming. That is why cross-posting has become one of the popular and unique marketing ideas for small business. It involves sharing the same content across multiple social media platforms, allowing businesses to save time and focus on strategy and analytics.
It also has the added benefit of reaching a wider audience, as sharing content on multiple platforms increases the chances of engagement. However, it is essential to keep in mind that each platform has a unique audience and posting style. So, you should ensure tailoring content according to those platforms for optimal results. Balancing cross-posting and platform-specific content enables you to effectively reach and engage with your audience on social media.
9. Go Live!
For small businesses, managing multiple social media platforms can be time-consuming. That is why cross-posting has become one of the popular and unique marketing ideas for small business. It involves sharing the same content across multiple social media platforms, allowing businesses to save time and focus on strategy and analytics.
It also has the added benefit of reaching a wider audience, as sharing content on multiple platforms increases the chances of engagement. However, it is essential to keep in mind that each platform has a unique audience and posting style. So, you should ensure tailoring content according to those platforms for optimal results. Balancing cross-posting and platform-specific content enables you to effectively reach and engage with your audience on social media.
10. Create Hype
Creating hype among your customers is another one of the most unique marketing ideas for small business. This hype can be generated by launching a social media campaign before launching a new product, service, or event or via previewing your product or service. You can even hold a contest to build excitement and anticipation around your brand.
Moreover, you can use various post formats like teaser videos, countdown posts, and pre-orders to engage your audience and get them talking about your brand. Incorporate a dedicated hashtag to increase brand visibility and encourage user-generated content. Creating a buzz around your launch will help you drive future sales and increase brand awareness.
11. Feature Your Customers
For small businesses looking to sell their products or services on social media, the key is to show, not tell. Sharing a testimonial or transformation story from a customer can be highly effective in building trust with potential customers. One easy way to do this is by creating a testimonial quote graphic or even better filming a short video interview with your customer.
Edit the video into different versions and share them across various platforms like TikTok, Reels, and Instagram Stories. Keeping videos under 60 seconds is best for maximum impact. Customer stories, especially video ones, are more impactful and versatile than written testimonials and can be great selling tools for small businesses.
Content Marketing Ideas
Regardless of the size of your business, you need content marketing to spread the word about your brand to the customer. Here are some low-cost marketing ideas for small businesses that can help you reach a wider audience without spending a lot of money:
12. Incorporate Engaging Visuals
Visuals are essential in unique marketing ideas for small business as they can effectively capture your audience’s attention and deliver your message more memorably than text alone. Incorporating images, videos, and infographics into your content can make it more shareable and help it reach more people, which can increase its impact.
Furthermore, with the availability of AI image upscaling and enhancement tools, you can enhance your visuals to make them even more impressive. Using visually appealing content not only sets you apart from your competitors but also helps establish a strong brand identity that resonates with your target audience, leading to higher engagement, greater brand loyalty, and long-term success.
13. Strategize SEO
To succeed in SEO in 2023, you must prioritize creating high-quality content that meets the needs of your audience, instead of solely optimizing for search engines. It is all about becoming the authority on a particular topic, rather than trying to rank for a query.
You should focus on engagement metrics and click-through rates as these are the metrics search engines care about. Creating content that provides value to your audience and positioning yourself as an expert in your industry will also help you improve your SEO and drive traffic to your website organically.
14. Leverage the Dominance of Podcasts
Podcasting has been a powerful marketing tool for a while now and its growth is still on the rise. According to the reports, US consumers listened to 15 billion hours of podcasts in 2021, and 60% of listeners ended up searching for a product after hearing about it on a podcast.
To make the most of podcasts, you should focus on delivering valuable information or entertainment to keep listeners engaged, instead of focusing too much on the sales pitch. However, live chat rooms such as Twitter Spaces, Clubhouse, and Discord are giving rise to live audio content marketing. These unique marketing ideas for small business are highly beneficial for boosting your brand.
15. Use Data, AI, Automation and Metaverse
In 2023, technology is rapidly evolving and providing new opportunities for content marketing. With the help of data, you can personalize your content and achieve better results. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can generate more material in less time, making it a valuable tool for content creation.
Automation can also streamline content production by automating certain tasks. There are also emerging technologies like AR, VR, and the metaverse that may become more accessible in the future. While these technologies may seem daunting, they can provide unique marketing ideas for small business looking to stand out from the crowd.
16. Prioritize User Experience
User experience has become very important this year. Your content may be amazing, but if the user experience is lacking, it will not perform well. To prioritize the user experience, you should focus on page speed, mobile performance, cohesive style, voice, image placement, and image quality.
Personalization is also crucial here. Providing customers with content that solves their biggest problems creates a positive experience. A/B testing is a great way to determine which UX changes matter the most. Testing only one variable at a time helps you to learn which features your audience prefers. These unique marketing ideas for small business help you improve your online presence.
17. Use High-Quality Researched Content to Drive Revenue
In 2023, the content will be more than just branding. It will play a crucial role in driving revenue for businesses. Therefore, brands need to begin treating content creation as a separate entity from their own revenue-generating opportunities. After all, businesses are not just a brand anymore but media companies and influencers.
To turn your content into a profitable venture, you need to:
- Develop a strategy that drives users to pay for content and not just products.
- Create shoppable content that allows customers to make a purchase directly from a piece of content.
- Treat your content marketing efforts as seriously as you would your ad spend by setting and tracking performance KPIs.
This, one of the best and most unique marketing ideas for small business, will surely help you generate revenue from your high-quality content and turn it into a profitable source of income.
18. Create a Product Comparison Guide
A product comparison guide can help users navigate the overwhelming world of consumer products. For small businesses with multiple product offerings, consider creating a marketing comparison guide that objectively compares your products with competitors. Alternatively, provide a comparison guide for a related product to your audience’s business.
For instance, an AC reseller could offer a comparison guide for different AC models. This useful content builds familiarity with your brand and boosts your advertising efforts. Strong brands create strong ads, and making comparison guides is one of the unique marketing ideas for small business looking to stand out in a crowded market.
19. Leverage the 4-1-1 Concept
Andrew Davis, the author of Brandscaping, brought the 4-1-1 concept into the world of content marketing. It is a social media strategy that suggests sharing six pieces of content on social media, with the following breakdown.
- 4 original and educational content created by your own brand.
- 1 piece of content with soft promotion of your business.
- 1 piece of content with a sales aspect, which leads to form fill-up requests.
Sharing industry thought leadership helps you to build relationships and demonstrate selflessness, which earns reputation points in the long run. This strategy is one of the most unique marketing ideas for small business to establish themselves as industry thought leaders and build a loyal following on social media.
Email Marketing Ideas
Amidst the excitement of new marketing channels, email remains a reliable and effective tool with the best ROI. Email marketing products $32 for every $1 spent, and 73% of marketers rate it as an excellent medium for business. Small businesses should not neglect the power of email and should follow the best small business marketing ideas to maximize their potential.
20. Create a Skimmable Email Copy
Short and concise email content is crucial to improving your clickthrough rate and readability. To achieve this, you need to:
- Keep your paragraph brief, with a maximum of three sentences.
- Ensure that each sentence has no more than 25 words to make sure that it is easy to read and understand.
- Do not be afraid to use one-paragraph sentences as well.
These practices will make your email content more engaging, ultimately increasing the effectiveness of your email marketing campaign. They are some of the great unique marketing ideas for small business to improve their email marketing strategy.
21. Send Newsletter Weekly
E-newsletters are a great way to keep your subscribers updated on the latest happenings in your company or products. However, it is essential not to bombard them with constant product promotions.
According to HubSpot, you should aim for a 90/10 ratio – 90% of your newsletter content should be educational while the remaining 10% can be promotional. This approach helps to build trust with your subscribers and positions your brand as a reliable source of valuable information. Incorporating one of these unique marketing ideas for small business in your strategy will help you increase engagement and drive more conversions.
22. Focus on Subject Lines
To craft effective subject lines for email marketing, A/B testing is a proven best practice that all serious marketers should undertake. Testing different subject lines can provide valuable insights and help determine what resonates best with your audience. Start by testing subject lines with and without a discount, different types of discounts, emojis, personalization with the subscriber’s name, and indicating a limited offer. Experimenting with different approaches will help small businesses to improve their email marketing campaigns and drive better results. Keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, so it is essential to continue testing and refining your approach over time.
23. Use Interactive Sign-Up Forms
According to Omnisend, interactive sign-up forms have a 12.74% success rate, compared to just 4.22% for common popups. Not only are they eye-catching and fun, but they are also still relatively uncommon, so they attract extra attention. Moreover, they offer the chance for customers to win discounts on products they desire, which can be a great incentive for them to sign up for your email list.
24. Utilize Seasons to Get Ideas for Email Content
If you are struggling to come up with email marketing ideas, let the seasons be your guide. Seasonal events and holidays are great opportunities to connect with your email subscribers and offer promotions or special deals.
For instance, during the holiday season, you can offer discounts, free shipping, or gift guides. During the summer months, you can promote outdoor activities and seasonal products. During the fall, you can send emails related to back-to-school or fall-themed products. Aligning your emails with seasons can help you create relevant and engaging content that resonates with your audience and boosts your business. In a nutshell, it is one of the most unique marketing ideas for small business to implement in their email marketing strategy.
25. Send Product Sneak Peaks and Create Excitement
A great way to build anticipation and generate buzz around upcoming products is by sending sneak peek emails to your audience. This strategy allows them to get a glimpse of what is yet to come, while also building excitement and intrigue.
One company that does this particularly well is Glossier, which sends out “exclusive” marketing emails to its subscribers, teasing new and exciting products. Hence, it is one of the most unique marketing ideas for small business that help them to generate interest and anticipation for upcoming releases. Giving your audience a sneak peek creates a sense of exclusivity and makes them feel like they are getting a special look into what is coming next.
26. Make Emails Mobile-Friendly
If you are still wondering about unique marketing ideas for small business, you should make your emails mobile-friendly as 61.9% of email opens occurs on mobile devices. You can consider the following tips to ensure that your emails are easily readable on mobile devices:
- Shorten your subject line to make it concise and easy to read.
- Use a readable type size, and avoid using large images that might take time to load.
- Ensure that your call-to-actions (CTAs) are prominent and clickable so that subscribers can easily interact with your emails.
- Use pre-header text to give a summary of the email content.
27. Send Invitations for Any Occasion
One of the other unique marketing ideas for small business is to send an invitation email to your customers for any upcoming event or webinar. Not only will it make your customers feel appreciated, but will also drive traffic to your event. Ensure that your invitation is well-crafted and includes all the relevant details like the event date, time, and location. Consider offering incentives to encourage attendees, such as exclusive discounts or early access to your products or services. Sending out invitations can build anticipation and create buzz around your event or webinar, leading to a successful turnout.
Search Engine Optimization Ideas
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a constantly evolving field, as search engines like Google frequently update their ranking algorithms to enhance user experience. As a result, small business owners have the chance to assess the latest SEO trends each year and adapt their marketing strategies accordingly, even with limited budgets. Staying up-to-date with these low cost marketing ideas for small businesses can help them attract more traffic to their websites without having to invest heavily in advertising.
28. Focus on Topics
Google’s E.A.T. acronym has been updated to include Experience, meaning that content creators’ real-world experience with the topic is evaluated by Google to determine the quality of the content. This means that website owners need to pay closer attention to not only who is creating their content, but also the topics being covered.
With that in mind, it is essential for small businesses to focus on creating high-quality content that speaks to their expertise and authority, while also being relevant to their target audience. Two clever marketing ideas for small business are to create unique and engaging content and to collaborate with other businesses or influencers in their niche to expand their reach.
29. Create Audience-Targeted Content
To create rank-worthy content in 2023, businesses should focus on topics that are relevant to their industry and target audience. Google’s emphasis on the experience of the author or creator means that websites should take a closer look at who is creating their content and what topics they are focusing on.
Rather than simply going after search traffic with little consideration of user needs businesses should stick to their general topic and industry areas. To find relevant industry topics that your target audience is searching for, consider using a content planning tool. These tools can help you discover semantically related keywords that can inform your content strategy. With one of these best unique marketing ideas for small business, you can improve their SEO in 2023.
30. Prioritize Fast-Loading Websites
Google’s page experience update of 2021 has emphasized the importance of high-performing and fast-loading websites for ranking higher in its search algorithm. While the update was fully rolled out in March 2022, Google will continue to refine the signals it uses to evaluate the performance of a page.
In 2023, small businesses should prioritize improving the page speed of their website using appropriate tools like Page Speed Insights and Core Web Vitals. By doing so, they can expect increased ranking for all their website pages in addition to creating high-quality content. Improving page speed is one of the best low cost marketing ideas for small businesses that can yield significant results.
31. Emphasize Author Authority
The rise of auto-generated content ranking in the SERPs has increased Google’s emphasis on experience and authority, as the search engine wants to ensure that the content produced is by real people with real audiences in mind.
To enhance the experience and authority of your creators in 2023, it is essential to ensure that they are experts in their field. Moreover, you can consider elevating their experience by including author bios, creating author pages, and linking their social media accounts. These actions will help Google understand that they are real people with real expertise.
To exemplify this, here is a great author bio that can elevate the experience and authority of the creator.
32. Create a Google My Business Account
Setting up your business details in local directories to appear in local search results is one of the most clever marketing ideas for small business. It is a free way to promote your business and increase visibility for queries related to your area of operation. Even broad queries with high search volumes are now displaying local results, providing a great opportunity for small business owners to capitalize on local searches. Ensure to optimize your listings with accurate and up-to-date information to improve your chances of appearing in local search results.
33. Conduct Extensive Keyword Research
To improve the SEO performance of your small business, it is crucial to set up a Google Search Console account. This free tool provides valuable data like the number of page impressions and organic clicks your website generates as well as the specific keywords people are using to find your business. With this information, you can better optimize your website’s content and improve your search engine ranking. Hence, you should not miss out on this essential SEO tool, create your Google Search Console account today to gain valuable insights and take your small business marketing ideas to the next level.
34. Leverage Google Search Console
To improve the SEO performance of your small business, it is crucial to set up a Google Search Console account. This free tool provides valuable data like the number of page impressions and organic clicks your website generates as well as the specific keywords people are using to find your business. With this information, you can better optimize your website’s content and improve your search engine ranking. Hence, you should not miss out on this essential SEO tool, create your Google Search Console account today to gain valuable insights and take your small business marketing ideas to the next level.
35. Use Internal Linking
Internal linking is an effective way to connect related topics and themes within a website, making it easier for both readers and search engines to navigate. This technique is especially essential for small businesses looking to improve their SEO.
If you have multiple articles about a particular topic, like cake decorating services, it is best to choose the page you want to rank highest for that keyword and link the other articles to it. The Daily Mail website provides a great example of how effective internal linking can be when done properly.
36. Encourage Online Reviews
Getting reviews is one of the best low-cost marketing ideas for small businesses as it helps them to drive conversions and boost their local SEO visibility. The more reviews you have, the more likely it is that your business will appear in local search results, which can be crucial for small businesses operating on a budget.
One cost-effective way to encourage reviews is by reaching out to your satisfied customers and asking them to leave a review on platforms such as Google My Business, Yelp, or Facebook. You can also incentivize reviews by offering a small discount or a freebie to customers who leave a review.
37. Automate SEO
In 2023, SEO tasks is increasingly automated through the use of enterprise SEO software platforms and tools, like content AI. This trend is set to continue as digital marketers seek more efficient and effective ways of improving their online presence. For example, keyword research tools can now automate tasks that once required manual spreadsheet work, and website graders can help businesses identify areas for optimization and prioritize accordingly. Additionally, site auditing and monitoring platforms such as SearchAtlas and Content King can automatically detect changes and technical issues on websites. These clever marketing ideas for small business are not only low-cost but also highly effective for achieving SEO success.
Conclusion
Promoting a small business does not always require investing in expensive Facebook ads. With some creativity and testing, you can come up with the ideal and unique marketing ideas for small business that will not break the bank. Attending local events, starting a podcast, partnering with neighboring businesses, and running low-cost video marketing campaigns on social media are all effective options.
However, you should not overlook the most accessible source of marketing ideas: your existing customers. They can provide valuable feedback and ideas that can help you improve your marketing efforts. Listening to your customers and incorporating their suggestions can help you develop even more innovative and low cost marketing ideas for small businesses that resonate with your target audience.