When it comes to running your own business either from home, or working as a trade, you will probably be most focused on working with existing clients, especially as a small business owner you probably don't have time to put your all into Marketing. Whilst this is normal, increasing the amount of time you spend on your marketing could really help your business and give it that push forward it needs to hit the next level.

With that in mind, here are 9 ways to take your marketing to the next level:

1. Create An Ideal Audience And Use Them As An Example Throughout Your Strategy

One of the best ways to improve your marketing efforts is to create an ideal audience persona. Think about what your target audience do, how they act, what their likes and dislikes are, what their pain points are and what their shopping habits are like - writing it all down as you go. Once you have done this, you will start to form a persona of the ideal customer. Not only will this allow you to better target your marketing materials, but it will also help spark new ideas when it comes to creating new products and services. For a guide when it comes to creating your persona, you can visit this guide.

2. Set Yourself Goals And Targets You Can Measure

Another great way to take your marketing to the next level is to set yourself goals and targets that you can measure. Whilst this won't necessarily improve your marketing, it will encourage and motivate you when you find you're not getting the ROI that you hopped. If you find that by halfway into the year you haven't reached the milestones you had set, you know that you need to do more to help achieve your goals. If you're smashing them, you may want to think about increasing them to reflect that.

3. Make Sure You Have A Solid Social Media Strategy In Place

Social media is one of the most important aspects of marketing, with a large portion of the population now owning at least one Social Media account. If you know your target audience spends a lot of time on social channels, ensuring you have a solid social media strategy in place should be one of your main priorities. This means thinking about what you're going to post, when you're going to post it and what channels you're going to share it too. It also means creating a bank of content that you can use on a regular basis, encouraging people to engage and interact with you. For more advice when it comes to setting up a social media strategy, visit this guide.

4. Consider Spending Time On Video Marketing

Video marketing is one of the most popular forms of marketing today, meaning you should definitely consider it when it comes to your business. Whilst a lot of people think that you need to put thousands and thousands of dollars into a video budget, that's just not the case anymore. Often people prefer a more casual approach that looks at the behind the scenes of your business. People are more likely to engage if they see your face, so posting Instagram Stories and doing live chats with your followers is always a great place to start.

5. Consider Hiring A Content Writer To Publish Regular Content On Your Site

If you don't have the time or skills to post regular blog content on your site, why not consider hiring a content writer to do it for you? They will be able to adapt to your brand's tone of voice, creating new and engaging content for you on a regular basis. One of the best things you can do when it comes to marketing is to have a consistent schedule, so outsourcing to someone who does have the time could be an incredible solution. You can outsource work to a freelancer, you can find hundreds of international content writers on marketplace sites like upwork or iwriter, but the quality varies greatly as english is often a second language.

For less hassle you can use an Australian agency, such as Vine Digital or try some of the Australian content writers registered on our site,

6. Learn The Basics Of SEO

When it comes to having a successful website, SEO is definitely at the heart of it all. Whilst it may seem difficult to get your head around, learning the basics doesn't take too long as long as you're learning from people with a lot of experience. Although focussing on SEO will help you show up in some of the top results on Google when people search for keywords relating to your site. Not only does that mean you get more organic traffic, but it also means the people coming to your site are already interested in what you have to offer. If you learn the basics yourself rather than just trusting your agency or freelancer you can appreciate the work they do better.

7. Use Sites Like Canva To Create Amazing, Shareable Graphics

One of the most common objections when it comes to spending time on marketing is not having the budget or time to create graphics to share on social media or in emails. Whilst this is understandable if you want high-res graphics that are going to be used for large scale print, if you're posting things online you may want to consider using sites like Canva to create your own. With easy-to-use templates and a drag and drop facility, you can create amazing graphics in seconds. Each template is set up to represent the images you post on every social media, whether it's the main post, a banner or a cover photo. What could be easier?

For tips and tricks when it comes to using Canva see this guide.

8. Consider Using Offline Marketing Too

Finally, in a world of digital media and online marketing, people often forget about the return that offline marketing can bring. Whether it's having an advertisement in a local magazine, speaking to your local paper about your business or advertising on the radio - you will be surprised what it can bring to you. If you're having trouble and want to start small, this may be the best place to start.

9. Hire An Agency To Help With The Aspects You Don't Understand

If you're struggling with your marketing and you think you need a bit of a push in a new direction, you may want to consider hiring an agency to help you out. They'll be able to analyse everything you're currently doing and create an easy-to-follow plan to lead you to success. If you don't have the time to carry out the plan, they'll also be able to manage it for you too! Whilst it definitely isn't the cheapest option, it can definitely pay for its self with the results it brings.

Are you looking to take your marketing to the next level? What changes can you make as a business? Let me know in the comments below.