Business marketing tips

Americans are becoming more energy efficient, and it's showing in our technology. Now would be a great time for green businesses to become experts at marketing their products and services to increase their revenue and expand their reach beyond the audience they already have.

According to ABC affiliate KSTP, marketing is one of the most important components of a business, possibly influencing if the company is successful or not. Sarah Bodnar from Social Media Sisters explained that the face of marketing is changing from having separate marketing divisions to integrating strategies where it is present at every level of a small business marketing plan.

Bodnar expressed that consumers are getting more curious about product sourcing and they want to know what goes into products and where they came from when it comes to green products, which a good marketing campaign answers with a captivating story.

“A lot of small businesses don’t know how to tell their story in a real, authentic, from the core way; they’re used to the language of marketing, which is now archaic," said Bodnar. "It’s very salesy and not vertically integrated.”

She added that the best way to attract customers is to be authentic and provide them with honest storytelling. The target audience should be introduced to the products and the environment where they are made.

Establishing a footprint on the internet is also an important aspect of small business advertising. Setting up a blog or website is encouraged by most marketing experts who realize that we're in an age of social media and blogs that requires companies to build relationships with consumers through the content they provide them with consistently through their pages.

Bodnar warns entrepreneurs from oversaturation, which some businesses have done and cause potential customers to not be as interested as they initially were.

Providing options to consumers, such as allowing them to "check in" at your location through FourSquare, which is a location-based service, can also be helpful because it allows customers to market the business without the business having to spend any funds or do any work.

A recent survey conducted by Manta found that close to 90 percent of the 600 small businesses included in the study dedicated time to social media and 74 percent of those said they found it to be just as valuable as traditional methods.