Still, since money doesn’t grow on trees, you need to spend your marketing dollars wisely. Here are some areas that can lead to big payoffs.

Turn your website into a portfolio

With 52 percent of small business owners working on their websites to help keep current customers and reach out to new ones, fine tuning your site can be money well spent.

I used an interior designer a few months back who fell into this category. She told me about her plans to add a photo album and videos to her site. That’s good, but I told her to take this one step further and create a tablet-friendly site that showcases her best work when visiting potential clients.

Use email to start a conversation

Email can be a powerful tool to help educate and interact with customers. This is especially true for professional service providers. Once a customer opts in to your email program, you can use it to nurture the relationship for years to come. Small business owners know this, rating email (51%) just below updating their websites as the marketing tactic they intend to focus on most this year, according to the poll.

An email newsletter can be an excellent vehicle for providing tips and updates. For example, a medical practice could include health and wellness advice and Q&As about common health concerns, while an accounting firm might highlight changes in tax laws and cost-saving strategies. In addition, appointment reminders sent by email can help reduce no-shows and cut costs.

Fine-tune your social media presence

After a cautious start, small businesses are enthusiastic about social media, rating it as their third most important marketing tactic for 2013 (37%). I recently read an interesting blog post on how dance studios are successfully using social media. Here are some tips for similar businesses:

• Celebrate customers with Facebook.

Post photos, videos, and customer success stories on your company’s Facebook page. You can also use the page to post announcements and other breaking news, keeping everyone up to date.

• Use Twitter to make special offers.

Twitter’s wide reach and zero cost make it ideal for publicizing discounts and other deals. By sharing your tweets, followers can help you win business from people you never knew existed.

• Connect with prospects on LinkedIn.

Among the major social channels, LinkedIn is the only one to focus exclusively on professional networking. This makes it a great way to find and engage with new prospects, especially if you run a professional services company like a management consultancy or law firm.

Win customers with online conferencing

Much has been written about how online conferencing can help small businesses expand their reach. Imagine logging on to your computer to make a sales pitch to someone thousands of miles away. With features like a whiteboard for viewing documents and tools for fielding polls on the fly, online conferencing can make viewers feel like they’re in the same room. Conferencing can also help nurture relationships once a sale is made, since you can hold virtual meetings without spending a dime on travel.

How will you spend your marketing dollars in 2013? I’d love to hear your plans. Enter them below.

*The Small Business Omnibus poll was fielded December 17-19, 2012, among 511 decision-makers in companies with 5-99 employees. Interviews were conducted online through the U.S. Research Now business panel. Panelists indicated that they participate in decisions to purchase supplies or services for their companies and that the companies have more than $100,000 in annual revenue.

Alice Bredin is America’s foremost small business expert, with more than 15 years of experience in the small business market. She has provided highly practical, actionable advice to millions of business owners through her books, syndicated newspaper column, radio commentary, and small business forums.

Marketers have coined the term SoLoMo to describe this convergence of social, local, and mobile trends. Whatever you think of the term, SoLoMo offers a big opportunity for small business owners.

How SoLoMo works

I know a gourmet sandwich shop owner who takes advantage of the social site Foursquare to help build her business. Customers can use their smartphones while they are in the restaurant to share their location with friends in exchange for a small discount on a sandwich. As their friends come in, the shop owner encourages them to vote for their favorite sandwich on the shop’s Facebook page and enter a drawing for free lunches for a week.

In sum: The owner uses a social media tool (Foursquare) to attract people in the local area through their mobile devices, then uses another social outlet (voting on Facebook) to improve customer loyalty. That’s SoLoMo.

Here’s another example: A local chiropractor gets more clients by posting specials in his listings on online business directories like Yelp and YP.com®. When people in the area see an offer and visit his practice, he urges them to post a review on one of those directories or on another social site. Meanwhile, he has made his website mobile-friendly, so people reading the reviews on smartphones can find more information easily.

Put SoLoMo to use

How can you use SoLoMo to build your business? First, keep in mind that each company’s approach to integrating social, mobile, and local techniques may be different. The key to success is authenticity. For example, Foursquare may not be appropriate for a plumbing supply store, but Facebook could be. I can imagine such a store posting specials on its Facebook page and sending links to the offers via text or email to local contractors, who would access the offers on their smartphones.

SoLoMo is inherently customer-centric. This means you should optimize your mobile site with the search terms customers will likely use while on the go. Be sure your staff is up to speed on your offerings, prices, and current promotions. In a SoLoMo world, many of your customers may walk in armed with this information.

It’s OK to begin slowly. Start with any social, local, or mobile tools or tactics you use now and go from there. It’s important to watch how your customers shop. Then, grow your strategy by embracing the mobile devices and social sites they use most.

Enhance the SoLoMo experience

Don’t expect to see results from SoLoMo overnight. The pace of the payoff may depend on where you begin: If you already have a strong social media presence or mobile marketing program, you might see gains sooner than someone starting from scratch.

Assign an employee to track results, such as upticks in sales or phone calls. Online tools like Foursquare’s analytics package or Google Analytics can provide useful information as well. Regularly check reviews of your company on social sites and take customer feedback into account when launching new marketing efforts.

Have you tried SoLoMo yet? If so, what results are you seeing? Please share your insights below.

Alice Bredin is America’s foremost small business expert, with more than 15 years of experience in the small business market. She has provided highly practical, actionable advice to millions of business owners through her books, syndicated newspaper column, radio commentary, and small business forums.

I’m a small business owner myself. I founded a marketing agency 20 years ago, and it’s still going strong. As I’ve talked with other women business owners over the years, certain differences have stood out. First, women are just as concerned about the bottom line as men — often more so. As entrepreneurs, they face stiff challenges from entrenched businesses run by men. But competition or no, women are different from men in many respects, which affects how they run their companies.

If you sell to a woman-owned business, keep these tips in mind:

Emphasize shared values

Many women business owners are deeply invested in their communities or in particular causes. Naturally, they tend to give special consideration to companies with similar values. For example, a woman entrepreneur I know buys insurance from a local broker who has a relationship with a charity she supports. And a nearby boutique owner concerned about poverty in developing nations tells me she buys exclusively from exporters of fair-trade goods.

Creating opportunity is important for many women business owners, too. If your company does this — for example, by working with disadvantaged groups or supporting a certain nonprofit group — highlight it, don’t hide it.

Use social networking

Women are more active in social media than men, so connect with them through these channels. Reach out through sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Start by liking their businesses or following them before you make contact. Emphasize building relationships rather than pushing your product or service.

Participate in offline networking opportunities, too. Local chapters of the National Association of Women Business Owners and Women 2.0 can alert you to these events, as well as your local Chamber of Commerce and industry-specific organizations.

Tell how you can help

Women-owned firms tend to be smaller. Two-thirds have fewer than five employees, according to the most recent U.S. Census. As a result, stress how your offerings can help women business owners achieve more with less. For example, a cloud services provider might show how it helps a small company gain the capabilities of larger ones while reducing its IT costs.

In addition, many women are fairly new to running companies and crave tools to help them succeed. Show how your offerings can integrate easily with their operations and provide training, if necessary. Look for resources that can help them solve their business problems, whether related to your offerings or not. Chances are, they’ll be grateful for the advice.

Promote work-life balance

Many women start their own businesses because they want a better work-life balance. If your offerings can help them save time or give them more flexibility, stress this fact. For example, a payroll service provider might focus on its time-saving benefits, while a web conferencing company might show how it can help reduce travel.

I don’t mean to lump women-owned businesses into a single group. Every person and every company is different. In the end, there’s no substitute for solid research before you approach a company, no matter who owns it. But as women continue to strengthen their status in the marketplace, it makes sense to recognize this change.

Do you do anything special to reach women-owned businesses? Please share your thoughts.

Alice Bredin is America’s foremost small business expert, with more than 15 years of experience in the small business market. She has provided highly practical, actionable advice to millions of business owners through her books, syndicated newspaper column, radio commentary, and small business forums.

This infographic gets to the heart of what makes small businesses so special:

These responses provide some valuable insights into how local businesses can keep the spirit of Small Business Saturday alive year-round. Key among them:

Go the extra mile

Consumers expect better service from retailers than they do from large ones, and for good reason. The vast majority (87%) of the retailers polled said they emphasize service as a way to retain customers, while 65% said they focus on nurturing one-on-one relationships. Small businesses are in a strong position to personalize their outreach to customers because they know their customers’ shopping habits and preferences.

Highlight unique products

Many local retailers distinguish themselves with their product selection, whether by offering locally made goods, imports from a certain region, or brands that are hard to find elsewhere. More than half of the retailers polled said they carry unique or hard-to-find items to set themselves apart.

I appreciate it when stores post information about brands or designers near their products, as it makes my purchases more meaningful. You could also consider naming a product or brand of the month on your signage or in an email newsletter, text message, Facebook post, or tweet.

Build a vibrant community

One of the key draws of Small Business Saturday is the way it helps customers feel connected to local businesses and each other. Encourage that feeling throughout the year by building a community around your business and staying engaged in your larger community. Ways your peers are doing this include:

• Hosting special events, such as wine tastings, trunk shows, or special shopping nights
• Sponsoring a school sports team or teaming up with a local charity
• Participating in community-wide events, such as parades or town fairs
• Providing learning opportunities based on the shop’s specialty — for example, a cooking class or jewelry-making workshop

Take pictures during these events and post them in your store, on your blog, or on your social media pages to help reinforce the ties between your customers and your business.

Reach customers wherever they are

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of the retailers surveyed rely on their websites or online listings to reach new customers. These tactics are certainly helpful, given the number of people searching for products and services online. I would also challenge you to get into mobile marketing to help reach the skyrocketing number of consumers using smartphones.

If your current site does not look good on smartphones, you may want to build a mobile website. You also can send text messages to customers and prospects with updates and special offers. Both of these techniques are reaping big benefits for retailers, according to recent research.

Want to take advantage of Small Business Saturday? Organizers have put together a package of signs, banners, and other templates to help you make the most of the day.

What tactics are you using to distinguish your business and keep the spirit of Small Business Saturday strong?

Alice Bredin is America’s foremost small business expert, with more than 15 years of experience in the small business market. She has provided highly practical, actionable advice to millions of business owners through her books, syndicated newspaper column, radio commentary, and small business forums.

I sympathize. When customers fill a store, making sure all goes smoothly can be a real challenge. But retailers also need to view these times as a big opportunity — not just to ring up sales, but to engage customers and build loyalty so they’ll visit your store again and again. This doesn’t have to involve much time or money.

Here are 20 quick and easy tactics that can entice your customers to keep coming back:

Offer something for nothing

• Hand out loyalty cards. Reward customers with discounts and other perks as their purchases mount.
• Give away gift certificates. You could provide a discount for the same amount, but a certificate makes it feel more exclusive.
• Offer freebies. People love samples, tastings, and other small giveaways. They can also get customers acquainted with more of your offerings.
• Give a surprise gift. Give something to the first shopper to come in each hour on a designated day of the week.
• Hold a drawing. All you need is a bowl and some slips of paper. Make sure the prize is something your customers will really value.

Personalize your store

• Post photos. Include pictures of yourself, your employees, and your customers to give your business a human face.
• Highlight staff favorites. To help guide customers, have your employees tag the products they like most.
• Post customer testimonials. Quotes from your most loyal fans offer concrete proof that you’re doing a great job.
• Choose a customer of the month. Pick a loyal customer and post a photo and an anecdote. Give the customer a small prize or discount.
• Highlight product stories. Post information about your products and vendors to help customers feel more connected.

 Host events

• Throw a party. Provide snacks, drinks, and door prizes. Encourage shoppers to bring their friends and family.
• Offer entertainment. Hire a magician, a piano player, a storyteller — you name it, as long as it’s fun. Even better, invite a customer to showcase his or her talents.
• Mount contests. Make your contest relevant to your product line. For example, a toy shop could host scavenger hunts for kids and offer toys as prizes.
• Host a charity event. A clothing drive, fundraiser, or shopping event that gives a percentage of the proceeds to charity are great ways to give back.
• Arrange a swap. Ask customers to bring in a few items — handbags, clothing, books, even recipes — to exchange with other customers.

Showcase your expertise

• Host a class. A jewelry store could teach customers how to make their own jewelry pieces, while a food store might host a series of cooking classes.
• Give demos. Show off your latest gadgets and equipment to get customers excited.
• Deliver star power. Bring in experts or local celebrities related to your business — for example, a clothing designer, an artisan, or an author.
• Train your team. Be sure your employees are well-versed in all your products and prepared to share their knowledge with customers.
• Be a resource. Your customers may request information, such as where they can find certain items that complement purchases from your store. Be ready to help.

Try implementing just one tip each day during your busiest month, and you may start seeing familiar faces coming back as time goes by. Keep track of which tactics work best and focus on those the next time customers fill your store.

What do you do to build customer loyalty? Share your thoughts in comments below.

Alice Bredin is America’s foremost small business expert, with more than 15 years of experience in the small business market. She has provided highly practical, actionable advice to millions of business owners through her books, syndicated newspaper column, radio commentary, and small business forums.

To me, the biggest take-away for small business owners who want to get started with mobile marketing is that you must create a mobile-friendly site. Once that’s done, consider launching a text messaging program. With both in place, you’ll have a one-two punch that can help you start delivering new customers and increasing sales quickly.

With your mobile presence buttoned up, consider adding to your mobile marketing program. This infographic sheds light on the most important mobile tools and tactics being used by small businesses today. In a previous blog post, I looked at the professionals behind the SMB mobile marketing surge.

Reach customers on the go with a mobile website

I’ve talked to a number of small business owners over the past several months who have reported extraordinary results with websites optimized for the smaller screens of mobile devices. Consumers are increasingly using their smartphones to find small businesses. What does that mean? If you don’t have a mobile-friendly site, you’re almost certainly losing sales.

Mobile-friendly sites highlight the information that customers are most likely to need while on the go, and they are designed to load quickly on smartphones. A mobile website solution provider can build your site or give you tools and templates to do it yourself.

You may want to streamline your mobile site so it focuses on one goal, such as making special offers, raising awareness with a video, or permitting fast ordering. List the elements of your full site that you need to change to accommodate the smaller screens of smartphones. For example, you should arrange content in one column to reduce scrolling.

Strengthen relationships with text messaging

Small business owners have also told me about the fantastic results they’re getting with text messaging. This tactic gives you a low-cost way to engage with your existing customers on a personal level. It also can be a very effective way to win new customers.

How? Think of ways to encourage customers and prospects to send you a text. An ice cream shop might announce: “Text ‘ice cream’ to 67396 to get a free cone and future offers.” The shop could then engage these new subscribers by sending more enticements on a regular basis.

Expand your mobile marketing

Once your company has these two strategies in place, you may want to enhance your mobile marketing program with:

• A mobile app to improve customer service
• Mobile barcodes to drive online traffic
• Location-based services to raise awareness and increase visits to your business

For example, I know a plumbing business that created a mobile app so its technicians could schedule their service calls faster and track time at a site. The app also let customers take photos of their plumbing problems with their mobile phones and send the images to the office for more efficient troubleshooting.

Want more ways that mobile marketing can help improve customer service and grow sales? Watch this webinar where I review the tools and tactics in greater detail.

Have you employed mobile marketing tactics for your business? Is your site optimized for mobile? Share your insights in comments.

Alice Bredin is America’s foremost small business expert, with more than 15 years of experience in the small business market. She has provided highly practical, actionable advice to millions of business owners through her books, syndicated newspaper column, radio commentary, and small business forums.

Mobile marketing helps level the playing field with big companies by allowing SMBs to reach customers and prospects more effectively and affordably. Mobile devices have become one of the primary ways for consumers to find small companies.

A recent survey of SMBs’ demonstrated their enthusiasm for mobile Internet sites, text messaging, mobile apps, and other tools and tactics. I recently hosted a webinar on the lessons suggested by the research. This infographic depicts the findings, including:

• 71% of SMBs have a mobile-friendly website
• 40% send text messages to their customers
• 59% want to use mobile marketing to win new customers

What does mobile marketing mean for your business?

Mobile marketing can offer tremendous advantages — including better customer service, improved productivity, and lower costs — compared to other marketing strategies. Mobile tools can also help you strengthen relationships with the customers you already have while winning new ones.

For example, I know a florist that created a mobile site that lets visitors browse, buy, and send flowers without ever entering her store. To improve the experience, the florist also used the following tactics:

• Designed the site for mobile devices to help pages render properly
• Simplified the order form so shoppers don’t have to enter much text
• Provided a click-to-call feature to let customers quickly call with any questions

These are great take-aways for other SMBs looking to incorporate mobile marketing.

Mobile marketing can add to your bottom line

Mobile marketing also offers powerful ways to help boost profits. About half of those surveyed said they began mobile marketing to help increase their sales. The findings demonstrate how well they’re succeeding at this: 66% of the respondents said their mobile efforts have been somewhat to very effective.

Add this to the cost-saving benefits of mobile technology, and the impact to your bottom line could be dramatic. Promoting your mobile program through in-store signage, email, and your social media networks can help increase your return on investment.

In my next blog post , I’ll discuss some of the mobile tools that SMBs are using and offer tips you can use to get your mobile marketing program in place. Feel free to share this post with your colleagues using the share buttons below.

Alice Bredin is America’s foremost small business expert, with more than 15 years of experience in the small business market. She has provided highly practical, actionable advice to millions of business owners through her books, syndicated newspaper column, radio commentary, and small business forums.

Bredin offers acquisition and retention programs to leading marketers, including American Express OPEN, AT&T, ATB Financial, Avaya, Bank of America, BBVA Compass, Capital One Bank, Cisco Systems, Citizens Bank, Dell, Dun & Bradstreet, Fidelity Investments, Google, HP, HSBC, Huntington Bank, IBM, Ingram Micro, Intel, LinkedIn, M&I Bank, M&T Bank, Merrill Lynch, Microsoft, Monster Worldwide, Popular, Qwest, Regions Bank, Sam’s Club, SAP, Sony, Staples, Sun Microsystems, SunTrust Bank, U.S. Bank, Verizon, VMware, Wells Fargo, and Yahoo! Small Business.

Alice’s newspaper column, “Working at Home,” was syndicated nationally in 150 newspapers by Tribune Media, and her two small business books have been used by entrepreneurs worldwide to improve productivity. She is frequently quoted in the media, including The New York Times, USA Today, Fortune, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. Her expertise has also been tapped by the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship.