How to leverage the power of the 7 Cs of digital marketing strategy for your small business success in 2023? In this competitive digital age, if you are a small business owner or a solopreneur just starting your own business, it is important to get the right understanding of the basics of digital marketing and how it can benefit your business. This is summarised in the seven Cs of digital marketing. The seven Cs of digital marketing are Customer, content, context, community, convenience, coherence, and conversion, aka the rule of 7 in digital marketing. If you are wondering how to start a small business and which digital marketing strategy, this article is for you.
How to Leverage the 7 CS of Digital Marketing for Small Business Success
The marketing principle known as the “rule of seven” suggests that consumers must at least see your brand seven times before making a purchasing decision. Seeing a brand multiple times helps build familiarity and trust. It also increases the likelihood of brand recall and influences consumer behavior. How should a small business or digital marketing agency capitalize on this? In this comprehensive guide, we will explore step-by-step ways to leverage the power of the 7 Cs in your digital marketing strategy. Stay tuned!
If you are a solo entrepreneur or a small business owner starting out, it is crucial to define beforehand who will pay for your services or buy your products. This will involve researching their pain points and understanding their needs and preferences.
1)Customer through the Lens of Digital Marketing for Small Businesses
It is not enough to study how to start a small business, but also how to reach potential customers. Proper customer research guides you to ensure that your marketing efforts and messaging are tailored to meet the needs of your target customer for maximum coherence and conversion.
You can only create a more effective digital marketing strategy for small businesses if you address your customer pain points and take into account their needs and preferences.
Key takeaways: Understand your target audience and tailor your digital marketing efforts accordingly.
Example of the target customer in the travel industry: When you think of building digital marketing for a travel company, your target customer could be someone who loves adventure and exploring new destinations. They may value experiences over luxury and prioritize affordability and flexibility in their travel plans. Understanding this target customer’s preferences will help you create good digital marketing campaigns that highlight unique, off-the-beaten-path destinations and emphasize the value and flexibility of your travel packages.
2)Content runs your Marketing Strategy
Content in digital marketing for small businesses is the fuel of any strategy if you aim to engage and capture the attention of your target customer. It doesn’t stop there. Attracting the customer’s attention is not the final goal. Starting your own business is a journey that involves building relationships with your target audience. The purpose of content in digital marketing is to provide valuable information, entertainment, or solutions to your customer’s problems. In fact, content is what will show your business’s customer-centricity. Wondering how to build a travel social media strategy, content should be your focus.
It goes back again to exploring how the first “C—customer—is crucial for effective digital marketing strategies, and content is the key to building relationships. Content is the key to connecting with customers, building trust, and providing value.
Key takeaway: The content you build will define how your small business establishes credibility, builds relationships with its audience, and drives conversions. This content is applied to search engine optimization (SEO), Social Media Marketing, Influencer Marketing, and other digital marketing strategies to maximize its impact and reach. The goal is to effectively engage customers and generate measurable results for businesses.
Example of Content Marketing For A Travel Company: By creating informative and visually appealing content, such as blog posts, videos, and social media posts, you can showcase the exciting experiences and adventures that await your target travelers. Additionally, incorporating user-generated content, travel SEO, and testimonials from satisfied customers can further enhance your digital marketing efforts by building trust and credibility with potential travelers.
3)Context plays an important role in digital marketing
It would be like chasing the wind if your small business marketing plan ignored context, which is a key element of any relationship with people.
Context plays an important role in digital marketing as it helps tailor your content and messaging to specific audiences. You need to understand the cultural, social, and economic factors of your target market before you create content that resonates with them on a deeper level. Large or small business ideas should consider the cultural, social, and economic context your customers are in. By aligning your digital marketing efforts with the context of your audience, you can effectively communicate the value and relevance of your services and products, ultimately increasing engagement and conversions.
Key takeaway: Understanding the cultural, social, and economic factors of your target market is crucial for creating content that truly connects with them.
Example of Context in the travel business: When you are marketing travel services, it is important to consider the cultural preferences and interests of your target audience and the local reality. For example, if your target market consists of adventure-seeking millennials, you may want to highlight unique and off-the-beaten-path destinations that cater to their sense of exploration. Understanding the economic context can help you tailor your offerings to different budget levels, such as by promoting budget-friendly accommodations or luxury experiences depending on the financial capabilities of your customers.
4)Building A Community around Your Small Business Idea
In business or any relationship, you won’t be able to build friendships if your goal is all about your small business’s growth. An egocentric mind kills friendship and turns out to be a brake on building a community. Building a community requires focusing on the needs and interests of your target audience, not just your own. So, it is important to build a digital strategy that prioritizes the growth and development of your target audience. This will help foster engagement and create a sense of belonging within the community.
Key takeaway: Community in digital marketing refers to the online networks and relationships that are built with your target audience in a non-intrusive way. When you promote a sense of community, you will create a loyal customer base that will engage with your brand and advocate for your products or services. Building a community can be achieved through social media platforms, online forums, or even by hosting virtual events where like-minded individuals can connect and share their experiences.
An example of a community built by a travel brand could be a Facebook group where avid travelers can share their tips, recommendations, and stories. This type of travel community not only allows the brand to engage with its target audience but also provides a platform for travelers to connect with each other and build relationships based on their shared passion for exploration. Another example of community is where the travel brand could organize virtual workshops or webinars where members can learn new travel skills or hear from experts in the industry, further fostering a sense of community and providing value to its audience.
5)Convenience is a key factor in attracting and retaining customers
Convenience in digital marketing can be defined as the ability of a brand to avail its products or services to its target audience through various online platforms, making it easier for customers to access and engage with the brand. The more convenient interaction with your company boosts the likelihood of brand awareness and customer loyalty. Convenience encompasses the journey your customers take from the initial point of contact to the final purchase, ultimately enhancing their overall experience. Small businesses that prioritize convenience in their marketing strategies ensure that customers have a seamless and enjoyable buying process. Convenience is key to building leads, building customer loyalty, and driving repeat business.
Key Takeaway: Let us take the example of customer booking. A cohesive and well-organized approach to travel planning makes the entire experience more efficient and enjoyable. Convenience should not only be considered a competitive advantage but also a necessity in today’s market. When starting a small business, you need to implement tools that will put your customers at ease when doing business with you while meeting their expectations.
Examples of convenience in the Travel Business include designing a website or system offering online booking options, providing real-time updates on flight or hotel availability, and offering mobile check-in services. These conveniences save customers time and effort, making their travel planning and experience more efficient and enjoyable. Additionally, travel businesses can also offer personalized recommendations and itineraries based on customer preferences, further enhancing convenience and ensuring a smooth and hassle-free trip.
6)Coherence in Digital Marketing
In digital marketing, it is crucial to remain coherent by establishing a consistent and unified brand image across various platforms and channels. Whether you are a large or small business, the brand image should be clearly recognizable through every channel of communication the business uses. Coherence involves safeguarding the consistent use of brand elements such as logos, colors, fonts, and tone of voice. Coherence ensures that the brand message is effectively conveyed to the target audience in a unified way.
Key takeaway: Consistency or Coherence in brand elements is crucial for building brand recognition and loyalty. Cohesion helps establish a strong brand identity and differentiates the brand from competitors, creating a brand people will love associating with.
Examples of travel brands that use coherence in their digital marketing approach include companies like Airbnb and Expedia. These brands consistently use their logos, colors, and fonts across all their marketing materials, from their website to their social media platforms. They also maintain a consistent tone of voice in their messaging, whether it’s through their website content or customer service interactions. Coherence helps small businesses establish a strong brand identity and builds trust with their target audience, making them more likely to choose these brands for their travel needs.
7)Conversion Indicates Your Small Business Marketing Campaign Success
Every effective digital marketing strategy for large or small businesses should be built around a SMART goal. SMART goals are set to guide marketing campaigns and allow brands to track their conversion rates and measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Having a clear and measurable objective is crucial for small businesses to stay focused and achieve success.
Key Takeaway: Tracking and measuring conversion rates helps businesses determine the success of their marketing campaigns and make data-driven decisions to optimize future strategies. Additionally, measuring the conversion rate allows businesses to compare different marketing channels and identify which ones are generating the highest return on investment.
An example of conversion for a travel marketing campaign could be when a potential customer clicks on a promotional ad and completes a booking on the travel website. The conversion indicates that the campaign successfully drove the desired action of booking a trip. The conversion rate can be calculated by dividing the number of completed bookings by the total number of clicks on the promotional ad.
Small Business FAQs
How to start a small business at home leveraging digital marketing?
Starting a small business at home can be an exciting and rewarding venture. First, it’s important to identify your passion or expertise and determine if there is a market for it. Conduct thorough market research to understand your target audience, competition, and potential demand for your products or services. Additionally, create a detailed business plan outlining your goals, strategies, and financial projections to help guide you through the process. Remember to also check local regulations and obtain any necessary licenses or permits before launching your home-based business.
What’s considered a small business?
How to start a large or small business should not be a problem, but the question lies in how to build an effective digital marketing strategy. A small business is typically defined as an independently owned and operated company that has a relatively low number of employees and generates a modest amount of revenue. Small businesses can vary in size and sector, ranging from sole proprietorships and family-owned businesses to startups and local enterprises. The specific criteria for classifying a business as “small” may differ across countries or industries, but generally, they are characterized by their smaller-scale operations compared to larger corporations.
How to get a small business grant?
To get a small business grant, start by researching and identifying the available grants that align with your business goals and industry. Once you have found potential grants, carefully review the eligibility criteria and requirements to ensure your business qualifies. Additionally, According to the small business administration website, it is important to prepare a comprehensive grant proposal that clearly outlines your business plan, financial projections, and how the grant funds will be utilized to benefit your business and the community.
Conclusion
The power of the 7 Cs in Digital Marketing is undeniable. The basics of digital marketing every business owner should aim to know include understanding the target audience, creating engaging content, utilizing various digital platforms, analyzing data to make informed decisions, and continuously adapting strategies to stay ahead in the competitive market. With a well-executed digital marketing campaign, businesses can effectively reach their target customers, increase brand awareness, and drive conversions for long-term success.
