Side hustles are becoming increasingly popular in recent
years. With inflation and recessions, it is no surprise that more people than
ever are wanting to make more money to pay the bills and to carry on with their
savings. With uncertain times, it is only going to make starting a side hustle
even more competitive. Side hustles can come in many forms, whether it's a
home-based business that is online, coaching, or in-person services, they all
need the right amount of marketing to build a customer base
If you have started a side hustle, you have probably got so
far and are now looking at methods to increase your audience, and customers or
even to build your brand awareness. Many side hustle businesses will often get
their customers from word of mouth, but this isn’t going to get you rich, or
even get you enough customers to make it worth leaving your current job. If you
hope to turn your side hustle into something more substantial, then this is the
article for you. In this article, we will go through some of the best marketing
strategies to market your side hustle.
Create a website
If you haven't done this already, the first thing you need
to do is create a website. If you are an online home business, you need to see this as your
storefront where you can advertise your business. This is critical to success
and the first step to promoting your business properly. You need to be easily
findable and the best way to do this is by creating a well-designed,
user-friendly website that will entice your audience to make a purchase or
contact you for your service.
Due to the number of content management systems now, it is
easier and cheaper than ever to create a website that works well. If you don’t
have any experience with web design and development, you could hire someone. Think of this as your main
investment for a successful business. With the likes of WordPress, Shopify and
Wix being super easy to use, chances are you will pick it up pretty
quickly.
Enhance the Power of Search Engine Optimization
It's one thing to have a website, but if it isn't optimised
for search engines you will be losing a lot of traffic to the website. SEO is
not just one thing, it is a combination of tasks that together help your
website to get ranked on search engines by aligning your website to Google
algorithm. We say Google as this is the search engine most people use. Due to
the algorithms continually improving, it is best to optimise your website for
users. Especially for those who might be looking for your product or
service.
Define your audience
If you think your business is catered to everyone and try to
sell it to the vast majority of people, you will be casting your net too wide
and not get the return you are hoping for. Instead, it is best to keep a more
closed net and target your perfect audience. You may already have some data to
work off with analytics, but if you're just starting out, it is best to define
your audience before you start spending too much money on your
marketing.
So for example, if you are selling computer software to help
with grammar, not everyone is going to need it. Instead, you will have a much
more defined audience that will find your software more useful. Narrow your
audience down to spend money where you actually might get some sales.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when thinking about
your target audience.
- What are they interested in?
- What are their jobs?
- Where are they located?
- What is the gender?
- What age are they?
- What fashion brands do they like?
- What are their hobbies and income levels?
Once you have created your ideal audience, you can then
write content that is targeted to them, you will be able to market your product
or service better with a clearer direction.
Leverage Social Media
One of the first things you should be doing is to advertise
your side hustle through your personal profile and post links to your website
as well as show off your products and recently completed work. By doing this,
it shows that there is a real person behind the business you are providing as
well as building up interest before dedicating a complete business account. But
even when you do create a business account, link your personal account for even
more exposure.
When using social media for your side hustle, you should
focus on the platforms that are best for your service. For example, if you were
a streetwear brand that sell heavyweight oversized t shirts, then this is best on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. If you were a
recruitment agency, LinkedIn and Facebook may be the best direction to go
down.
Reach Shoppers with Targeted Ads
If you are after some short term wins, then you may want to
consider using digital advertising on a range of platforms. One platform you
may think of using is Google ads manager, this is where you will be able to bid
on specific keywords related to your industry, product or service. Going back
to the examples from earlier, if you were a streetwear brand, you could be
targeting keywords such as premium streetwear, but if you were a digital
marketing agency, you could bid on terms such as link building services. This
will in turn help you to show at the top of Google search results.
Social media advertising is also a viable option for many
side hustles. Its cheaper and you will be able to target audiences that you may
not be able to reach. For example, Facebook and Instagram are great for
promoting products.
When creating any sort of ad strategy, it is important to
understand that you need to try things out and see what works and what doesn’t.
If you are not seeing good results, move on and try something else. There is no
point in wasting money.
