One of the best things about running a small business online is the ability to market and promote your product wherever you want. You can set up a Facebook page or blog for free, and within minutes you’ll have a digital presence that you can use to promote your business. You can also create email campaigns that will keep your customers engaged, or use social media to gain some traction.
While this ability to engage with your audience is wonderful, it doesn’t come without issues. When you’re working online, you need to adjust your marketing efforts to reach your target audience. In this article, we’ll discuss five of the best marketing games you can use to grow your business.
1. Product hunt
Product hunt is a platform similar to Quora or Yummly, but for products. When you search for a product on Product hunt, you’ll see a variety of other products with images and information about them. If you’re looking for a specific type of product and don’t see them all in one place, then Product hunt is a great place to look for what you want. Since it’s a product-focused platform, you’ll see a lot of products that you might not have heard of before but will certainly go hand-in-hand with your business. For example, if you own a spa, you might want to look into the Skincare Products category on Product hunt.
Product hunt is a free app made for iOS and Android devices that allows you to discover products that you might want to buy. Whether you’re searching for a new pair of shoes, a travel package or a birthday present for a loved one, Product hunt can help you discover a variety of products that you might not have seen before and will be a fit for your needs. It also allows you to discover other products that are relevant to what you’re looking for, which might make your search more productive. Instead of just searching for the first thing that comes up when you enter a search term, you can use the broadest search term possible (e.g. “skincare product”) and then scroll through the results to find what you’re looking for.
Product hunt is a great place to gain exposure and make connections to people who may want to buy your product or service. The more you use it, the more you’ll discover to make your search more productive.
2. Shopkick
Shopkick is similar to Product hunt in that it’s a product-focused platform that allows you to discover products that are relevant to what you’re looking for. The main difference is that when you visit a product on Shopkick, there will be more information about that product than there is on a Product hunt product. For example, if you’ve never heard of Shopkick, and you search for it, you’ll see a variety of other products, some of which are labeled “New!” or “Limited Time Offer!” These are products that Shopkick has marked down in price or quantity, which you can take advantage of by purchasing them before they’re sold out. The best part is that these products will be the same as those available at retail price, just with a discounted price tag.
Since Shopkick is geared towards a specific audience, it can be difficult to find the right products that fit your needs. However, that’s what makes it so valuable – you’re likely to discover products that are relevant to your business that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. For example, if you’re a vegan and you don’t want to purchase products tested on animals, you can enter your needs and desires into the “Shopkick what are you looking for” box at the top of the page and check off the items you don’t want to buy. When you visit your “wishlist”, you’ll see products that you might want that are also relevant to what you’re looking for.
Shopkick is primarily available on iOS devices, but it also has an Android version that’s equally as useful.
3. Feedly
Feedly is the largest social news app in the world, and it’s one of the best ways to stay up-to-date on the most relevant news to your business. It was originally designed for people who like to keep up with the news on their own without having to spend a lot of time searching for articles. You can use Feedly to follow all the important news stories from around the world, and you can also follow individual journalists or news outlets to keep up with the stories that they report. The best part is that it has a minimal design that doesn’t get in the way of you getting the news you need when you need it.
While it might seem redundant to have a news app and a blog that you update regularly, having both isn’t a bad idea. Different types of content work together to form a cohesive narrative that draws in the reader and keeps them interested. If you have a new blog article that you want to promote, you can use Feedly to do so. For example, if you’re an online store owner, you can use Feedly to find articles that discuss the most in-demand products on your site. Not only does this make it easier to promote your business in the right circles, but it also makes it easier for your readers to find the information they’re looking for.
Feedly is a free app that’s available on iOS and Android devices that can be used to manage news stories and read articles that are most relevant to your business. Since it was designed to be used on the move, it makes it easy to keep up with the news wherever you go. Plus, you can use push notifications to alert you to breaking news as it happens.
If you’re looking to create an engaging content strategy, then look no further – you can find the content that your audience wants to see.
4. Pocket
If you want to read articles on the go, with no need to keep your device powered on, then you can’t miss out on the popularity of Pocket. It was created as a simple and easy way to save articles that are of interest to you, which is probably why it became so popular. Since it was designed with the mobile in mind, it makes it easy for you to access the content you want when you want it. You no longer need to worry about missing out on an important story because you weren’t near a compatible device when it was published – you can carry all the content you need in the palm of your hand.
Similar to Feedly, Pocket is another app that can be used to manage news stories. But instead of focusing on a singular topic – such as product news or financial analysis – it gives you the freedom to choose from a large number of different categories, making it easier for you to stay up-to-date on the news that’s most relevant to your business. You can also mark articles as “favourites” which you can refer to whenever you want. Since Pocket is essentially a mini-blogger built into an app, you can use it to write short, snappy articles that you can post to social media channels to keep your customers engaged.
While these four apps are all useful for different purposes, in order to grow your business you’ll need to use them all. By setting up automated email campaigns and using the right keywords, you can gain quick access to highly targeted audiences who might want what you have to offer. The key is to find the right pieces of content that will engage your audience, and using these apps to help you disseminate that content to the masses – whether that’s through social media or email marketing – can put you ahead of the competition. Just remember – original content is valued the most. Create content that is useful, entertaining or both and you’ll be able to build a substantial audience quickly.