Learning how to grow a small business is daunting. It often takes a copious amount of time to plan, reflect, plan, reflect. But don’t lose hope just yet! There are several opportunities that you, as a small business owner can take advantage of without breaking the bank in the process. The way to achieve this? Implementing a coordinated digital marketing strategy with the help of a secret weapon.

Challenges Faced by Small Businesses on Instagram

Instagram has become the go-to platform for many small businesses across the world. The biggest issue however is becoming lost in the abundance of ads that people just scroll over – without even noticing them. This challenge definitely deserves its place towards the top of the list for ‘problems to avoid’. But these four challenges pip it to the finish.

Time

As a small business owner, you are likely to have yourself pulled in all directions whether its dealing with suppliers or understanding all the taxes associated with starting a small business. You simply don’t have the time needed to tend to boost your presence on a platform such as Instagram. As with any business – time is money.

Low Visibility

We already mentioned the abundance of ads on Instagram that can effectively push your brand to the side. But low visibility is becoming an all-too common occurrence for many businesses as they grapple to spark interest among their audience and to inspire action.

Lack of Trust

This is a big one. And we mean a really BIG ONE. Prospective clients are becoming incredibly savvy and can dismiss a product that you’re selling if they see one thing is off. An additional trust issue is that many people in your target audience cannot gauge the reputation of your business and whether you are an authoritative name within your niche.

Low Turnover/Dead Stock

The final nail in the coffin is always the dead stock that continues to pile up around you. The impact of poor lead generation has trickled down and as an Etsy shop owner, dead stock ultimately means that you are losing money. Turning that dead stock into products that fly off the proverbial shelves is difficult, yet it can only be achieved by implementing a tailored digital marketing strategy.

Resources for Help

Running a small business on a specific platform such as Etsy Canada requires you to have an in-depth understanding of your product and how its placed within your niche. This is only a starting point however, as there are a multitude of other factors to take into account when preparing your brand for long-term success. Thankfully, getting help is easier than ever and comes in several forms. Chief of which is free software that’s available such as Canva to create and craft captivating images for your online store to Google Keyword Planner to find the perfect keywords to increase your visibility.

A list of free resources to utilize include:

• Canva
• Google Keyword Planner
• Social Oomph
• Score
• Later
• YouTube
• Non-profit organizations

YouTube has become the leading source of informative tutorials on a variety of subjects – including videos of your niche. Apart from this, a simple Google search or Facebook search will provide countless results related to your query. The resulting articles and how-to’s allow to you learn, understand, and implement those methods within your own Esty shop to achieve set goals and targets.

Unfortunately, you can only go so far with free tools and software. At some point, you may need to inject some or your own money into your business to achieve the growth that you are desperate for. With spare money often in short supply for many entrepreneurs, several states and provinces offer grants to ambitious business owners – including you. Take the time to research stipulated requirements or set up a meeting with a representative to discuss your proposal further.

How an Ecommerce Platform can Prepare Your Business for Sustained Success

Having discussed the challenges that many small businesses on Instagram face (you may be dealing with them right now), there are ecommerce platforms out there that can help elevate your brand. Examples of these include Etsy, eBay, and a host of others but none of them really put their stamp of approval on your business or product.

Grammedit seeks to change all of this. As a dedicated platform to increase visibility and through cost effective means, Grammedit provides great convenience as it allows prospective customers to search directly for your business.

How often have you scrolled through Instagram, found a product that you would love to buy but think ‘I’ll come back to it later?’ Probably more times that you would want to admit! The issue now becomes trying to search for that account in Instagram – which is incredibly difficult yet so simple on Grammedit. How many prospective clients would have to go through the same process with your brand? The reality at this point is that you have likely lost out on a painstaking number or possible customers.

With Grammedit, you automatically your brand but also the overall visibility of your business. Now that your business has a far greater chance of getting noticed, your brand will also be rewarded with better credibility thanks to the star ratings and review section.

With an effective digital marketing strategy, you can interweave it with your social media platforms and Grammedit to bolster your reputation and give your audience that peace-of-mind that they are craving.

Real Stories of Businesses Using Grammedit

Success stories of small businesses transforming into large corporations are all around us. They all started out as simple ideas that blossomed through years of hard work, dedication, and at times – a bit of luck. The two business below have already expanded their following, reaching out to a whole new and loyal audience.

Sammies Couture

Sammies Couture is first up. This business prides itself in creating high-grade, handmade clothing for women and men. As a high-end fashion designer, it can be difficult to break into such a competitive industry. But their emphasis on quality (especially men’s clothing’ is what attracts prospective customers in such a competitive niche. With a following of 21 000 people on Instagram, this business has found the perfect partner to elevate their brand with Grammedit.

Lil Horse Lab

Lil Horse Lab is a burgeoning branding and marketing agency that helps design and craft ideas into creative campaigns. A relatable brand is essential in order to attract and retain more customers. Their certification with Grammedit has already yielded strong results with reviewers loving the fact the designers understood exactly what they were looking for and was backed up by clear communication.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Lil Horse Inc. (@lilhorselab)

As a customer looking for a certain product or service, you want to be treated as the special customer that you know you are. But you also want to trust that brand and understand that it is loved by others to embolden your final decision even more. This social proof of Sammies Couture and Lil Horse Lab are excellent examples of businesses who have a compelling brand, product, and service. Their certification with Grammedit will stimulate interest by a whole new audience and is something that your business can also achieve.

Final Thoughts

We know how difficult it is to build your business from the ground up. This lonely affair can often bring out the worst in us, but by laying the correct foundation and implementing several key techniques, your chances of success will skyrocket! Very few partner platforms have the ability to significantly enhance your brand and reputation like Grammedit. Take your time, develop your digital marketing strategy, review it, and partner with Grammedit before strapping yourself in!

What have been the biggest obstacles in your desire to build your own business? Share your thoughts in the comments below to help other small businesses just like you.