When you think of a comic convention, you probably picture thousands of comic, costume, anime, and toy enthusiasts frenetically weaving through crowds in the massive convention center hall. A closer look will reveal hundreds of local business owners working endlessly to make their name known among their competitors.
The attendees of this month’s 2015 San Diego Comic Con – the largest convention annually – are comprised of a highly niche audience. Nevertheless, the marketing efforts required by business owners marketing to them are uniform regardless of the industry. The execution of your marketing plan will rely on your business and your specific audience. The goals of brand recognition, engagement, conversion, and ROI, however, are the same.
Big movie studios had thousands in their marketing budgets for promotion at the Comic Con while most local businesses may have only a few hundred to work with to make their mark. This is a similar case among small business owners of all industries across the nation. Are you a local business owner, freelancer, or specialist looking to effectively market your products or services? Do you need a boost in your search engine ranking? Take a look at the five lessons we learned from the San Diego Comic-Con:
1. Get a Website That Works. If you don’t already, make sure you have a designated site for your business that includes thorough descriptions of your products and/or services in addition to your complete contact information. Also, be sure to check that your site works properly before advertising the URL on business cards, signs, or other marketing deliverables.
2. Make Your Site Mobile Friendly. With more than 65% of the American population expected to own a smartphone by 2017, it’s critical that potential and current customers are able to easily access and navigate your website through a mobile device.
3. Make sure your email address includes your site’s domain name. Not only will it make your business look more professional, an email address that uses your site’s domain name will promote your site every time someone receives or sends an email to you.
4. Use a local number. Bottom line, people naturally trust phone numbers with local area codes over toll-free numbers or those starting with “800.” Make sure to choose a local number with an area code in the location of your office or store-front.
5. Be Social. This tip works in more ways than one. Not only should you make sure your social networking sites are consistently listed by name, easy to find, and well promoted; make sure to be social and openly engage with your customers – both on and offline. It’s the best way to humanize your brand and the key to understanding what your target audience really wants from your company.