How We Grew Our Small Business Organically
Everyone thinks that you need to spend "X" amount of dollars on paid marketing & ads to grow your business, but we're here to bust that myth! The truth is, we haven't spent very much on ads and when we've experimented with them on Etsy, social media, Google, etc. we were not very consistent with it. The majority of our customers have come from non-paid, organic marketing. In episode 12 of the Big Plan Podcast, we will share our tips for how to grow your business organically (i.e. non-paid marketing).
Note that what we did in our first year to grow organically was different than the third year which is different from now (almost 7 years later). Social media has also changed a lot in the last few years, so what has worked for us before may not work now, especially with platforms like Instagram and Facebook. The most important thing is to recognize where your business is at and what platforms your customers are most on. We will be talking about multiple platforms, but you definitely don't need to be on every single one to grow your business. The most important thing to keep in mind, regardless of which platforms you focus on, is to post consistently.
How To Grow Your Small Business Organically
Here’s the truth:
- You DON’T need paid ads or marketing in order to grow your small business.
- The majority of our customers have come from non-paid marketing.
1. Maximize your Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
When you are first starting out and need to build awareness around your business, maximizing your SEO, especially on Etsy and Google, is essential and a great way for people to find you. Make sure your listings & items are easy to find with strong keywords and descriptions. Some resources for learning how to do this:
- Searchenginejournal.com
- Help.etsy.com
We won’t dive into this too much because it’s always changing!
2. Using YouTube
YouTube is a great way to grow your business (especially if you’re consistent about uploading). Because your content is more likely to be viewed later, as opposed to Instagram posts where they’re usually viewed the first couple of days and then never viewed again.
3. Using Instagram
Instagram is where the majority of our customers come from these days. It’s important to stay on top of trends and be early adopters of new Instagram features. For example, jumping on the Reels trend early helped us to gain 10,000 followers in just a few months. We recommend that you utilize and try all of the different features that Instagram offers and see which one works for you.
4. Using Facebook
In the beginning of Sticker Guru, FB Groups were a lot more active and we would post giveaways to our group to grow our followers. We’ve noticed that planner shop FB Groups have become less active, so we recommend that you know your target audience and where they hang out. For example, if you’re targeting younger generations then you probably do not need to be on Facebook. It’s important to know your ideal customers and know which platform they’re most active on. These days, we would recommend YouTube and Instagram over Facebook.
5. Pinterest & TikTok
TikTok is a great platform to use if your target audience is younger, such as Gen Z. 76.7% of Pinterest’s user base are women, so if that is your target demographic, then Pinterest is definitely a platform you should be using!
6. Using Newsletters
If you are a small business owner, you definitely need a newsletter because it’s one of the only ways to collect your customer’s emails and send information, like sales announcements, directly to them instead of waiting for them to come to you. We currently use Flodesk for our newsletters and recommend it to anyone and everyone! Mailchimp is another great option to start with for Free.
Check out the full podcast episode for all the helpful details!
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Thank you SO much for being here. See you in the next episode!
xo, Lisa & Lucy
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