For small businesses selling online in niche arenas, paid marketing may not be the best solution for getting the word out. Instead, save money and be more effective by targeting your market via platforms they are already engaged in, such as blogs, Quora, Facebook groups and Twitter hashtags. Take a look..
Niche Blog Outreach
What are you selling and who is your audience? Chances are, there’s at least five blogs that have captive followers who would make excellent customers. Reach out to these bloggers with useful, relevant information and a solid “newsy” pitch. Use the bloggers name if possible and include photos of your products as attachments.
Quora
Quora is an open forum questions and answer website that you should absolutely join if you haven’t already! Search questions, topics and people and ask or answer questions based on your niche expertise. This will help connect you with potential buyers and allow you to establish a great, conversational relationship with them.
Facebook Groups
Join Facebook Groups relevant to your industry and be a regular contributor. Not a spammy “hey buy my product now” contributor, but someone who shares useful information on the overarching topic. People are more likely to pay attention to your product pitch AFTER you’ve already shared valuable content with them.
*Note: Facebook Groups has recently undergone a change; check out this Mashable article for details.
Twitter Hashtags
Hashtags (#) are a way of tagging your tweets to make them more searchable to those looking for something specific. This is a great way to target people who are looking for you! Try out different hashtags and see which get you the most feedback. The more specific your hashtag, the better!
Keeping up with marketing your products should be your #1 focus. Results do not come in overnight, so continuous outreach is key here. Do not give up early, and try different techniques. Your best bet is to push for all mediums at once. When customers see how active you are, they are more likely to trust you and feel your professionalism. Good Luck!
