Skip to content

Start Me Up! What to Do When You’re a New Small Business

  1. Home
  2. Blog
  3. Building & Growing Websites
  4. Start Me Up! What to Do When You’re a New Small Business

Start Me Up! What to Do When You’re a New Small Business

Key Takeaways

Conducting Market research will empower you to make the best decisions for your business.

Learn who your customers are, their buying habits, and what drives them to your business.

Capturing data will help you determine how much business you could possibly do and how you’ll adapt to the marketplace.

Having a well-organized website with appealing visuals and quality content is your best marketing tool.

 

One thing is for certain: the ongoing global pandemic has brought on a tidal wave of entrepreneurialism in the United States. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, entrepreneurship grew at a record pace in 2021, with more than 4.6 million applications for new businesses filed through October 2021. That’s a 24 percent increase from 2020, and applications are showing to increase more in 2022. Whether your new business has been a planned lifelong dream, or the pandemic nudged you in that direction, congrats on taking that huge first step!

As you probably already know, starting your own business is no easy task, and it requires a lot of time and effort. Let’s look at some ideas to help you grow your small business in size and reputation.

How to do Market Research: Finding the WHY

You may be asking yourself – Why do I need to do market research? Small businesses already have a lot of day-to-day operations to handle, which doesn’t leave a lot of time to do research, especially if you need to learn how to conduct market research in the first place. But if you don’t periodically check in with your audience, you could be missing out on valuable business and revenue.

According to Salesforce, market research empowers you and helps you make the best decisions for your business. But before you dig into full research mode, you’ve got to do your homework first.

To understand the reasons why consumers will buy your product, you may want to use these questions to guide your research:

  • Who are your customers? Create a buyer persona: describe them in terms of age, occupation, income, lifestyle, educational attainment, etc.
  • What do they buy now? Describe their buying habits relating to your product or service.

Also, don’t forget about your competitors! Before you kick off your startup marketing campaign, look at comparable businesses in your area. If your business has two partners, look for businesses run by partners rather than a large advisory board. With all this data, you will be able to determine how much business you could possibly do and how you’ll adapt to the marketplace – and beat the competition.

“When you conduct market research, you understand your customers, competition, and industry better, and can make data-based decisions that will help you succeed.”

– Salesforce

Small Business, Big Data

Now that you understand the “why” behind market research, capturing data is pretty straightforward. Here are a few:

  • Personal Data – age, gender, geographic location, etc.
  • Engagement Data – how customers interact with your business’ website, mobile ads, social media pages, etc.
  • Behavioral Data – purchase histories and product usage information.
  • Attitudinal Data – metrics on consumer satisfaction, purchase criteria, product desirability. 

Featured Posts:

 

Understanding Data: The Pros and Cons of Observational Data

 

Lather, Rinse, Repeat: The Data Review Process

If You Build It – They Will Come

Once you know who your audience is, the next priority is to build a well-organized website where customers can learn about and buy your product or services. Your website is your best startup marketing tool, and a website with appealing visuals and quality content can set you apart from your competitors. While 35% of small businesses without a website believe they are too small to have one, we think that all businesses should have a functional, easy-to-use website, no matter big or small your business may be. Here are some suggestions:

  • Build an SEO friendly website
  • Do extensive keyword research before creating your website content.
  • Incorporate your primary keywords into all your website landing pages, titles, meta descriptions, etc.
  • Take care of technical aspects like page-load speed and website design.

We know startup marketing can be a tough game, but the good news is that you don’t have to do it alone. We can help perfect your message with one-on-one sessions and web support packages to help you navigate every aspect of digital marketing.

And if DIY digital marketing is your thing, check out these training sessions to help you nail the basics to start off strong!

Share This:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Related Articles

robot hand and human hand shaking

Now Is the Time to Make Friends with AI

business women overwhelmed by work

Overcoming the Challenges of Shiny Object Syndrome

LinkedIn Business Terms to Know as a Small Business Leader

Web Development

Web Development Time: Factors That Impact It and Ways to Reduce It

6 Reasons Google’s Automated GA4 Migration Tool May Leave Your Data Lacking

How to Have a Successful Partnership with a Marketing Consultant

View All Articles

Book FREE Trial

We know that getting back into fitness is tough! Let us help you achieve your weight boxing workouts.

Creative Director/Senior Designer

Tom DiGrazia

With over a decade and a half of professional design experience, Tom brings his knowledge of design principles and focus on user experience to every aspect of his contribution to TTG. Paying special attention to each client’s brand, personalized needs and individual interests, he strives to create compelling concepts utilizing intuitive and highly-refined design solutions. In addition to traditional and digital design work and oversight at TTG, Tom also boasts a wide portfolio of web development projects with the company, allowing him to stretch his CSS and HTML skills across multiple platforms and disciplines. He feels that being a designer in the digital landscape of websites, eCommerce solutions, email marketing platforms and social media, it is important to understand the code that goes into these areas as it assists his ability to tailor designs specifically targeted to achieve the best end result and further builds understanding and communication with backend development teams.

In his off hours, Tom is an avid pop culture enthusiast, staying up to date on the latest shows, films, comics and games. He can also typically be found taking part in a whole host of artistic activities that help him further stretch his creative legs. Regardless of the activity, Tom is always accompanied by his dog, Eli, and his cat, Tib.

Specialties:
Design, Photography, Illustration, Digital Imagery Manipulation, Wesbite Development

Platforms/Tools:
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, HTML/CSS, Wordpress

Analyst/Strategist

Courtney Dumont

As Senior Marketing Strategist & Analyst at Technology Therapy Group, Courtney is energized by the ability to flex both her left and right brain daily. Courtney discovered her passion for Marketing at Bryant University, where she spearheaded research on students’ perceptions of Social Media Marketing for her Honors Capstone Project. After graduating Bryant in 2012, she joined the Technology Therapy team, where she’s honed her skills in social media, search and social advertising, email marketing, SEO, and more.

Since joining the team, Courtney has created digital marketing strategies and managed campaigns for clients across the country, ranging from plastic surgery centers, to jewelry stores, to construction companies. With a cohesive, cross-channel approach and a focus on data-driven decision making, she has increased their leads by up to 217%. But Courtney doesn’t leave her zeal for social media at the office; she also runs a local foodie Instagram account with her husband to document their meals across Rhode Island and beyond. Check them out: @hoppilyfed.

Specialties:
Marketing Strategy, Data Analysis, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Social Media

Platforms/Tools:
Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Facebook Creator Studio, Instagram, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Emma Mail, Google Data Studio, WordPress, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Microsoft Office