6 Online Marketing Ideas For Small Business
In today’s market, there are many different ways to promote your small business, whether it’s a retail shop or a plumbing company. We have shared with you 6 online marketing ideas for small businesses that you could use to get started with your online marketing strategy and jumpstart your presence online.
1. Develop a Website with Your Potential Customer In Mind
Determine why your small business needs a website. Is it so your existing customers can find your contact information? Do you want your website to bring in new potential leads for your business? All of my clients should say both. You want to make it easy for your existing client base to find you so there is no chance for them to give up searching and call your competitor.
Most importantly, your website should work for you, so try to imagine yourself in your customers’ shoes. What keyword(s) might they type in on Google to find a business like yours? What are the top 3 questions people call you and ask about? How do you want people to contact you? All 3 of these questions should be answered or addressed on the homepage of your small business website.
2. Include Your Website Address on All Promotional and Direct Marketing Materials
Make sure that your website URL is posted on your business cards, letterheads, voice mail, email signatures, trucks/vans, and other advertisements. The more traffic you receive to your website, the better. This also makes it easier for others to refer you to their friends and family. It is much easier to remember and website address than a phone number.
3. Create and Integrate Social Media Accounts
Social Media seems to be taking over the world. Facebook recently announced that they have over 1 Billion users. Yes, I said 1 Billion, that is 1/6 of the world’s population. It is most popular with my generation and younger and has taken “referrals” to a whole new meaning. 5 years ago, if you needed a moving company to help you move across town, you might have picked up the phone and called your friend or even picked up the old school yellow pages. Nowadays, if you need a mover, you might just update your Facebook status to say “Anybody know a good mover in Dallas?” One of your Facebook “friends” is likely to chime in about someone they know.
You must take advantage of these free platforms. Some of the most popular social media platforms are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. Help your brand out by posting on these sites periodically with industry-relevant posts or pictures or even about how one of your employees went out of the way to help a customer. However, if you are just getting started with Social Media, at least create a Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn page for your business.
4. Publish a Press Release
Publishing a press release gives you the opportunity to announce yourself to the local community. This will also create additional links to your site, which will help your SEO rankings.
Some reasons to publish a press release are:
- Announce a new product, service, promotion, or event
- Promote an owner or employee achievement such as a certification or honor
- Share a customer testimonial or success story
- Share how your small business is giving back to the community.
5. Create a Blog located on your website
There are many reasons why everyone is blogging these days. Some blogs are created to share recipes, pictures, videos, fashion, and others. Blogs are very important for small businesses these days.
A blog for your small business can benefit you in many ways. If you post content on a regular basis about your industry, you can become somewhat of an “industry expert” in no time. This also gives you a chance to network with industry peers, who might be interested in your product or service.
Also, business owners and consumers will tend to come back to your blog on more than one occasion to learn more about the industry product or service you offer. Search Engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing also reward your website for having relevant, consistent information coming from your blog. The benefits of blogging can be discussed for days and will most likely be one of our future blog posts.
6. Participate in Question and Answer Forums
Similar to a blog, question-and-answer forums give you the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise on a particular subject matter. You will reap benefits by connecting with industry peers and potential clients who may have questions about the product or service you provide. If you can give a strong answer to one of these questions, you may have gotten an easy sale because you have shown that potential client that you truly are an industry expert.
Listed above are just 6 of many online marketing ideas for small businesses. There are many more that will help, but this would be a good place to start.
