An online marketing strategy is an important part of the overall marketing strategy of any business. It is especially true for small businesses that are working with a limited marketing budget. And they have to maximize this marketing budget while still competing with larger companies for their target audience’s attention. Online marketing stands out among the rest because it is low-cost, convenient, provides businesses with massive reach, and it can be done in such a way that is customized.
To stay competitive in the online marketing place while working within a strict budget there are a handful of marketing strategies for small businesses that have proven to get the most value for the money. These strategies allow you to do a lot more with a smaller budget because they provide a high return on investment, no matter what industry your business is in.
Here are just a few of the top marketing strategies to grow your business online:
1. Website
Your website is your first impression and your website will either pull your ideal audience in or instantly turn them away. Your website should be professionally made and easy to navigate. While also speaking directly to your ideal customer and promoting a call to action make your website stand out among millions of website out there.
Including about section, testimonials, contact information, portfolio, services, products and blog pages are necessary for building a strong website for your business. Depending on your business and your niche, picking the right pages is almost just as important as the design.
2. Reviews
Online reviews are crucial for your business reputation. Positive or negative reviews and how you handle them might effect customers decisions to contact you. Local and small businesses need to show they care about the customer. Responding to any type of reviews shows that you care about what people are saying about your company and you want to engage with your customers even after they have the experience.
Also reviews can be very helpful for SEO and your company’s ability to rank above the competition. Asking for reviews on sites like Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor and Facebook helps you to have a diverse review profile on a number of websites. After you start getting reviews it’s important to monitor them on a weekly basis so you can reply to them and engage with past customers.
3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the process of getting website visitors from the results on search engines. You can gain more traffic, more clients and more exposure by optimizing your website for the search engines. Additionally it brings awareness to your brand and it’s cost-effective.It is possible to rank higher on the search engine results page by making small changes to your site and developing content that focuses on relevant keywords.
SEO is especially important for small businesses because consumers who are searching for brands to buy from locally often use their mobile device to find nearby locations. You can increase your chances of appearing in these local mobile search results by optimizing your site and content for local SEO.
4. Social Media
Businesses of any size should be using social media and it’s really non-negotiable. A big percentage of consumers today use social media for customer support, and prefer using social media instead of the contacting via phone. If people can’t find your business on social media, they will be finding your competitors who are present on preferred social channels.
To develop a social media marketing strategy it’s important to identify which platforms your target audience uses. Once you have an idea of which social media channels you’ll be using to connect with your ideal buyers, it’s time to think about what types of content you will post and how often you plan on posting. It’s important to regularly create and share different types of content on your channels that keep your audience engaged and entertained.
5. Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies for small businesses. Most customers are not likely to buy from your business the first time they visit your site. That’s why keeping in touch with them after they leave is important. Email marketing is about building a list of customers and prospective customers. This list of names and emails are people who are interested in your business, and you know this to be true because they have opted into this list themselves.
Keeping your emails shorter is a good way to keep people engaged, while still getting your message across. People can get overwhelmed when presented with too much information. Email newsletters are also a great way to stay on top of your customers’ minds while letting them know about your latest promotions.
If you have a small business, you need to take the above five areas of online marketing into consideration. Some of these actions will be more important and effective, depending upon your business. You can have professionals to help you with these if you don’t have the resources to handle them.
To find out more about my online marketing services, please get in touch.