Small businesses owners are facing a historic challenge, but I believe it is one they can win.

1. Think Local

While winning the SEO battle against these corporations will be nearly impossible on a national level, you have the advantage of a more localized audience.

Local SEO is your friend. When a customer searches for *insert product here* in the town you do business, you want to make sure you appear in those search results.

If you have more questions about SEO for your small business, read my article for some tips.

Investing in your local community and focusing on providing excellent customer service will keep you afloat even when facing competition from larger companies with a national reach.

2. Focus on Products and Services

There is no better way to stay competitive than by creating products that people want right now! If you can create something new or improve existing product lines, this will help improve your business's chances of success. Keep up-to-date on what customers are asking for so that you know how to take advantage of changing trends in the marketplace.

For example, if you have a bakery and people are requesting more vegan or gluten-free options, you could start exploring how to expand your offerings so that they will be able to fill the needs of these customers.

Updating and expanding your product line will help increase customer satisfaction and give you a competitive advantage in the field.

3. Providing Excellent Customer Service

If you offer excellent customer service positively and professionally, people will be more likely to return.

Good customer service might seem like a no-brainer, but people are so used to receiving poor customer service that if you go out of your way to create an environment where customers feel taken care of, they will likely come back.

For example, if a customer comes into your store and doesn't find what they are looking for, you can offer to order that product for them. An act like this is especially helpful if the item that the person wants isn't in stock, or there's not enough of it.

Offering this service will make people feel like their business matters, creating loyal customers who keep coming back and refer others.

Customer service counts for so much more than just your experience in person. Technology has completely changed the way people shop. It interacts with companies, making it so that you need to make sure your business is represented well on your website, Google Business Page, social media, and other online listings.

4. Keeping Up with the Latest Technology Trends

Technology has made it easier than ever before for small business owners but at the same time added a whole new set of challenges.

Technology can be a precious tool for small business owners, but it's essential that you know what's out there and how to use it in your favor.

It may seem like a lot, but luckily many resources exist to help educate business owners on ways they should stay ahead of the game. 

I recommend getting proper professional advice from someone specializing in this field, such as a web designer*Hyperlink* or IT person, so you know exactly where your money is going and if these new investments will pay off.

Without getting too technical, some examples of technology trends you should be aware of are:

• Payment systems (updating to Square, Stripe)
• Virtual Offerings - if applicable (Zoom, Google Meet)
• Simplifying appointment scheduling (Calendly, Square Appointments)
• Online advertising (Facebook, Google Ads)
• E-commerce (selling your products on your website, through Amazon)
• Cloud storage and backup (Google Drive, Dropbox)

To be successful in the digital age, we must stay on top of these trends and make sure our business stays up-to-date with them.

5. Consider Outsourcing Some Functions to Save Time and Money

There are many options for outsourcing functions to save your business time and money.

A couple of common examples of functions you could outsource our customer service and marketing departments.

You could hire an outside company to handle customer service and another for marketing.

Many small business owners have found this type of outsourcing is not only much less expensive than hiring new employees-- it's also more effective because they are focusing on what their business does best while the outsourced department handles everything else.

Small business owners also have the option to hire virtual assistants. With freelance marketplaces like Upwork, businesses can find a virtual assistant to handle their daily tasks and work for them remotely.

The expensive cost of hiring full-time employees is eliminated in this outsourcing because the company doesn't need benefits or provides salaries with each VA they hire. Plus, you don't have to worry about office space when your entire team lives elsewhere.

Virtual Assistants sometimes get a bad reputation, but in reality, these individuals are often just as qualified, if not more so, than on-site assistants.

Bonus: if you are looking to outsource your customer service, check out tawk.to. It is a free chat box for your website and offers customer service representatives starting at $1/hour!

6. Digital Advertising

While this might not be your area of expertise, it's still important to know digital advertising basics.

Digital advertising can be essential for small businesses due to the low costs and the considerable reach they can achieve. You can also get hyper-focused on the demographic and your targeted ads' location to reach local customers who may have an interest in the product or service you offer.

The cost of Facebook advertising will depend on your budget, with options for as little as $0.0025/day and up.

The positive thing about digital advertising is that you no longer need to wait for a printing company or the newspaper to publish your advertisement, as it's now possible to upload an advert from anywhere in the world and have it published online.

Digital ads are also easy to track, so there's no need for expensive marketing research techniques like focus groups or surveys - look at how many clicks on your adverts you're getting!

It's no wonder why some people say traditional ads don't work anymore either - most customers search online before buying anything!

Some examples of digital advertising platforms you could use are Google AdWords, and, of course, Facebook.

7. Be the Face of the Brand

As a small business owner, you can become synonymous with your brand in your customer's eye.

A more personal connection to your customers is one of the best ways for you to stay on top of their minds!

People are so used to seeing advertisements and logos that they often find themselves turning them out. But if it's a small business owner who has been advertising, then people will be able to recognize an ad from someone they know better than someone cold selling them something off the street corner.

Being one with your brand highlights that you should build your personal brand while building your business. Your personal brand will differentiate you from your competitors and make people want to do business with you.

8. The Power of a Good Reputation

Another excellent way for small businesses to survive in the age of Amazon is by utilizing their past experiences and being transparent with customers about any previous complaints made against them.

You inevitably will get reviews online. How you handle those reviews will significantly affect your reputation.

If you have many negative reviews, it is vital to take the time and effort to respond to those customers. You can handle responses in many ways, such as sending them an email or reaching out on social media/phone.

Responding to the positive reviews and reviews with constructive criticism is also important. You should respond to these reviews by thanking the customer for their review and any recommendations they made to improve your brand or company and respond promptly, which shows that you are dedicated to providing excellent service.

9. Unique Marketing Strategies

When you have a business competing with these big companies, it's a good idea to come up with creative marketing strategies and make your marketing more appealing.

I've already mentioned the benefits of digital advertising through Facebook and Google Ads, but you have many other options as a local company.

Some marketing strategies you can implement to make your company stand out are:

• Offering discounts for loyal customers: you can do this through a loyalty card or an email list.
• Offering a personalized experience: this could be through goodies like free samples, customer service representatives with knowledge of the company's product on hand, or social media contests.
• Employing guerrilla marketing tactics and using unconventional methods to get your brand out there. (I've always joked about dropping branded pencils at a high school on "accident" ;))
• Sponsoring events or programs for non-profits: this not only brings brand awareness, but you are also helping a good cause.

The list above isn't exactly "unique," but every company's situation is different.

The best way to succeed is by implementing a strategy (or strategies) that make sense for your business.

10. Social Media

This point might go without saying, but social media can play a crucial role in giving your small business the exposure it needs to attract new customers.

Engaging with your followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter can help you connect with people interested in what you have to offer.

These social media platforms can also be a valuable tool for gathering feedback from customers, which will only allow your business to improve over time. Small businesses must focus their efforts on providing outstanding customer service through these channels as well - this is one of the most effective ways to build trust and establish rapport with clients looking for somewhere new to buy products or services.

Readers might not see every post right away, but they may come back later and end up seeing something worth checking out!

Before going crazy with posting non-stop on social media, consider your social media strategy.

Some business models are easier than others to generate content.

For example, if your business offerings are pretty much the same year-round, your social media strategy might want to be more educational. You will want to educate the public on the benefits of what your business offers.

On the flip side, if you are in a service business or sell various products, you should use social media as your work portfolio or a catalog for your products.

With all of that being said, I would recommend researching what other businesses are doing in your industry and identify if those tactics could work for your small business.

11. Google My Business

Google My Business is a service offered by Google to make it easier for businesses to manage their online presence across the web.

The benefits are that you can use this as one place to claim and update your business information, including photos of your products or services. It also enables customers who need customer service to contact you through the available channels on Google Maps (i.e., phone number).

Google My Business is a way to save your customers time and provide them with more information about who you are.

You can also get a lot of great data analytics from Google My Business, which will help you understand what customers are looking for and how they find you.

The tool is also free and easy to use. It won't take up a lot of your time and allow you to get more customers!

There are, of course, many other tools offered by Google that can help your small business, too.

Thanks for taking the time to read 11 of my tips for helping your small business compete with Amazon and other large corporations. It might seem like you're going up against a giant, but it's possible!

I hope you found these tips informative and helpful as you seek to survive in this new business age.

If you are looking for help competing with these large corporations, I'd be happy to connect with you on some of your web design and content needs.