When you first started thinking of ways you could market your business and get your first customers, what honestly came to mind? If you are anything like the millions of people who start small businesses every year, social media was likely the one of the first things you tried. But you probably didn't just try it out; rather, you probably put pretty much all of your eggs in that basket! The thing is, there are other ways you can market your small business—ways that are easy to learn/do, don't cost you a lot of money, and area way to help you get people to know, like, and trust you. So today, we wanted to break you of your social media habit (just a bit) by talking through 3 marketing tactics you should definitely try. Read on to learn what they are, how to get started, and why they're worth incorporating into your marketing strategy.

SEO because it helps you get discovered

You may have heard of SEO, but what is it really? Search engine optimization is the process of making sure your website and its content are easily found by people who are searching for terms related to what you do. And it's about more than just using the right keywords (although that is a big part of it). Search engine optimization also includes making sure your website is well-organized and easy to navigate, that your content is high quality and informative, and that you have links to other websites that are relevant to your industry.

The thing with SEO is it can be a bit technical, but the basics are actually pretty easy to learn—and that's what you can focus on! Once you start implementing some simple SEO strategies, you'll start seeing results pretty quickly if you keep at it. And, contrary to what you might think, SEO is something you can do entirely on your own without having to spend any money.

If you're not sure where to start, we recommend checking out this guide to SEO for small businesses. It will walk you through the basics of search engine optimization and show you how to start implementing it on your website.

Why You Should Try It: Because people are searching for what you do online—you just need to make sure they can find your website!

How to Get Started: Start by doing some keyword research to figure out which terms people are searching for that are related to your business. We love Ubersuggest and Answer the Public for this—and you can do a few searches for free each day. Then, take a look at your website and see if there are any areas where you could improve your SEO. Is your website easy to navigate? Is each page of your website targeting (read: the content built around) a few unique keywords? Make a list of some things you could work on and start making the changes one by one.

Next up on the SEO side of things—a Google Business Page. If you haven't already claimed your page, now is the time! Google My Business is a free listing that allows you to control how your business appears on Google Maps and in local search results. The process of claiming and optimizing your Google My Business listing is simple, and it's something you can do entirely on your own. All you need to do is enter your business name, address, and contact information. Once your listing is verified and live, be sure to regularly post updates to it (2 times a month is a great pace to start at).

Why You Should Try It: Because it's an easy way to make sure your business is appearing in local search results.

How to Get Started: Start by claiming your Google My Business listing. Once you've claimed and verified your listing, fill out all of the relevant information, add photos, your business hours, a description of your business, and anything else that might be helpful for potential customers. Then, start monitoring your listing to see how people are interacting with it.

Pro-tip: If you notice that people are leaving reviews, be sure to respond—whether they're positive or negative. Google Business Pages are a great way to show off your excellent approach to customer service.

Email marketing because it helps you nurture sales

Another great marketing tactic to try is email marketing. Because whether you have a product or a service, it can help you nurture potential customers towards a sale. Think about it, sometimes people aren't quite ready to buy the product or service they are looking at, but they are very interested (read: can be persuaded). When that is the case, email marketing can help you get them over whatever hurdle is standing in their way—because you've gotten them the information they needed, because you sent them a 5-star review, or you showed them how the product works.

But don't just add people to your email list and start bombarding them with sales pitches! You need to build a relationship first.That means sending them valuable content that they actually want to read. Only once you've built up a rapport should you start selling to them. Otherwise, you run the risk of turning them off and losing their business entirely.

Why You Should Try It: Email marketing is a great way to nurture potential sales and build relationships with potential customers.

How to Get Started: Start by adding an email sign-up form to your website that is paired with a freebie or lead magnet (try a quiz lead magnet to capture emails and so you know what valuable content they’re looking for!). That will help you build your email list because people are incentivized to sign up. Then, create a nurture series of emails to send to your new subscribers. Include valuable content (pro-tips, reviews, how to's, personal introductions, etc.) that will help build trust. Lastly, be sure to create a calendar of newsletters to send on a regular basis since this will help you stay top of mind!

Pro-tip: Learn more about creating email campaigns to work into your email marketing strategy.

Free samples because they help you build trust

If you're selling a product, offering a free sample is a great way to build trust with potential customers. The reason being it allows them to experience the product for themselves and see whether it's a good fit for them (or try before they buy). Free samples also demonstrate your confidence in the product—if you're willing to give away a free sample, that means you must be pretty confident that people will more than like it. And finally, free samples can be a great way to get people to sign up for your email list. Just be sure to follow up with them afterwards and offer a discount or other incentive to buy the product.

Why You Should Try It: Giving away free samples is a great way to build trust with potential customers and get them to sign up for your email list.

How to Get Started: If you're selling a product, start by offering free samples to potential customers. You can give them out in person or include them with online orders. Just be sure to follow up with people afterwards so you can turn them into paying customers.

Thinking: Oh man, I really should take a sec to plan out my marketing! Great! That is a huge step in the right direction—and here is a helpful piece about creating a marketing strategy to read before you dive in.

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