You’ve built a killer business, but now you’re wondering, how do you get the world to notice? Welcome to the battlefield of social media marketing! It’s not just a trend, it’s a game-changer. You’re about to learn how to identify your audience, select the right platforms, create engaging content, and more. Ready to take control and boost your small business like never before? Let’s dive in!

Understanding the Importance of Social Media Marketing

You’ve probably heard it before, but it’s worth repeating: understanding the importance of social media marketing can’t be overstated when it comes to growing your small business. It’s not just about posting updates; it’s about building your brand awareness, fostering consumer interaction, keeping a sharp eye on your competition, managing crisis, and constructing a reputation that can weather any storm.

Think about it: social media platforms are where your potential customers hang out. They’re where you can make them aware of your brand, not just as a name or a logo, but as a personality. It’s where you can engage them, interact with them, and make them feel valued. And guess what? They’ll reward you with loyalty.

Now, let’s talk about competitive analysis. Social media is a goldmine of information about what your competitors are up to. Use it. Use it to stay a step ahead. And when crisis hits, as it inevitably will, you’re already prepared. You’re there, on the ground, ready to manage it head-on.

And finally, reputation building. On social media, every post, every comment, every like, is an opportunity to build and maintain your business’s reputation. It’s your chance to show the world what you’re made of.

Identifying Your Target Audience on Social Media

Once you’ve understood the importance of social media marketing, the next critical step is to determine who your target audience is on these platforms. This isn’t as daunting as it sounds. You’re in control, and with the right tools, you can gain valuable insights into your potential customers.

Start by examining audience demographics; age, gender, occupation, and income level. This information will help you tailor your messages to resonate with your audience. Next, explore behavioral insights. Understand their online activity, likes, dislikes, and how they interact with your brand. This will help you create content that’s engaging and relevant.

Don’t forget to consider audience interests. This will give you a clearer picture of what your potential customers value and enjoy. Geographic targeting is another crucial aspect. Knowing where your audience lives can help you customize your marketing strategy, focusing on regions where you’re most likely to find potential customers.

Lastly, delve into psychographic data. This includes attitudes, aspirations, and other psychological criteria. Understanding these aspects will let you tap into your audience’s hearts and minds, creating a strong emotional bond with your brand. By identifying your target audience, you’re not just marketing blindly. You’re strategizing for success.

Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms for Your Business

Where should you begin when deciding which social media platforms are right for your business? The answer lies in considering platform demographics, audience preferences, platform functionality, industry specific platforms, and platform budgeting.

Remember, not all platforms are created equal. Each one has a unique demographic makeup. You need to match your target audience with the platform they frequent. Why waste resources on a platform if your audience isn’t there?

Social media can be a powerful tool for small businesses to connect with their audience, build brand awareness, and drive sales. Here are ten social media platforms that small businesses should consider using:

• Facebook: With its vast user base and advertising options, Facebook is essential for connecting with a broad audience and running targeted ads.
• Instagram: Ideal for businesses with visual content, Instagram is great for showcasing products and engaging with a younger, image-focused demographic.
• Twitter: Use Twitter for real-time updates, customer support, and sharing news and industry insights.
• LinkedIn: B2B businesses can benefit from LinkedIn by networking with professionals, sharing thought leadership content, and recruiting talent.
• Pinterest: If your business is visually appealing and relies on visual content, Pinterest is a great platform for sharing ideas, products, and inspiration.
• YouTube: Video content is highly engaging, and YouTube is the go-to platform for sharing video tutorials, product demos, and educational content.
• TikTok: This platform is gaining popularity among younger audiences, making it suitable for businesses targeting Gen Z and millennials with short-form video content.
• Snapchat: Use Snapchat for creating engaging and short-lived content, ideal for promotions and limited-time offers.
• Yelp: Especially relevant for local businesses, Yelp is essential for managing and responding to customer reviews and gaining visibility.
• Google Business Profile: Ensure your business appears in local search results and on Google Maps by optimizing your Google My Business profile.

The choice of social media platforms should align with your target audience, business goals, and the type of content you can consistently create and share. It’s essential to maintain a strong and consistent presence on the platforms that make the most sense for your business.

Next, you should align your strategy with audience preferences. What type of content resonates with your audience? If they prefer visual content, platforms like Instagram or Pinterest might be the way to go.

Platform functionality should also be considered. The features and tools available on a platform can significantly impact your strategy. For instance, if live engagement is key for your business, you’d want a platform that supports it.

Don’t overlook industry specific platforms. These can be gold mines for reaching a targeted audience.

Lastly, consider platform budgeting. Some platforms may require more financial investment than others, whether it’s for ads or premium features. Choose wisely to get the most bang for your buck. In summary, the right platform is one that aligns with your business needs and goals.

Developing a Strategic Social Media Marketing Plan

Creating a strategic social media marketing plan is your next step, and it’s essential for directing your online activities and measuring your success. With a well-thought-out plan, you’re not just posting content haphazardly, but instead, you’re driving your business towards defined goals. This is where the magic of plan implementation comes into play.

Lastly, your plan must include crisis management. Social media can be unpredictable, and a poorly handled issue can damage your brand. But, with a plan in place, you’re prepared to handle anything that comes your way.

Creating Engaging Content for Social Media

You’ve got your strategy in place, and now it’s time to create the real game-changer: engaging content for your social media platforms. To do this effectively, you’ll need a content calendar. This tool helps you plan, organize and schedule your posts, ensuring consistency and relevancy.

Harness the power of visual storytelling. Images and videos are far more engaging than text alone. They evoke emotions, tell stories, and are more likely to be shared. User generated content is another excellent strategy. It not only provides you with free content, but it also builds trust and authenticity.

• Explore video marketing. Short, captivating videos can quickly grab attention, making it a powerful tool.
• Collaborate with influencers. They can help expand your reach and boost your credibility.
• Encourage user generated content. This fosters interaction and engagement.
• Incorporate visual storytelling in your posts. This enhances the overall user experience.

Utilizing Paid Advertising on Social Media

In addition to organic strategies, investing in at least one form of paid advertising on social media can significantly boost your brand’s visibility and engagement rates. But where should you start? It’s all about the right use of your budget allocation.

You see, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn offer robust ad optimization tools to help you get the best bang for your buck. You can tailor your sponsored posts to reach a specific demographic targeting. This could be based on age, location, interests, or even behaviors. So, you’re not just throwing your money into the wind. You’re strategically positioning your brand in front of the eyes that matter most.

But how will you know if it’s working? That’s where ad analytics come in. These tools provide vital information about the performance of your ads, such as click-through rates, conversions, and engagement. They help you see where your money is going and if it’s truly making a difference. Remember, with the right strategy, paid advertising can be an incredibly effective tool in your social media marketing arsenal.

Measuring and Adjusting Your Social Media Marketing Efforts

After setting your business’s social media marketing strategies in motion, it’s crucial to measure their success and make necessary adjustments. You’re not just posting and praying, right? You’re in the driver’s seat, steering your business towards growth.

A key aspect of this process is Performance Analysis. This involves closely monitoring the metrics of your campaigns to spot trends and discover what’s working. You can’t manage what you can’t measure, so it’s important to track conversions meticulously. Conversion Tracking helps you identify which posts are leading to sales and actions on your website.

To understand the profitability of your efforts, ROI Calculation is essential. This shows how your social media campaigns are affecting your bottom line. And you’re not alone in this journey; there are numerous Analytics Tools available to aid you in assessing your campaign’s performance.

But measuring isn’t enough. The power lies in making Campaign Adjustments based on your analysis.

• Experiment with different types of content.
• Adjust your posting schedule.
• Tweak your targeting parameters.
• Test different calls-to-action.

Conclusion

So, you’ve got the tools and strategies to conquer social media marketing for your small business. Coincidentally, your target audience is out there, just waiting to connect with your brand. By choosing the right platforms, crafting engaging content, and measuring your efforts, you’re set for success. Don’t forget, it’s not a one-time exercise, but a continuous process. Keep refining, keep engaging, and shine on social media!

Navigating the world of small business marketing can feel like steering a ship in a storm. You’re eager to make waves, but where do you start? Fear not, this guide’s got your back. We’ll unravel the mystery of effective marketing strategies, from understanding your audience to mastering SEO. Together, we’ll turn that storm into smooth sailing, placing the wind of success firmly in your business sails. Ready to chart the course? Let’s dive in.

Understanding Your Target Audience

You’ve got to understand that identifying your target audience is one of the first steps in creating an effective marketing strategy for your small business. You’re in the driver’s seat here. This is where audience segmentation comes into play. By dividing your market into smaller, more specific groups, you’re taking control, making your marketing efforts more efficient and targeted.

Consider creating buyer personas. This is a strategic move, aimed at understanding consumer behavior. By defining these personas, you’re essentially creating a blueprint of your ideal customer. This can guide your marketing strategy, enabling you to reach out to your target audience more effectively.

Don’t underestimate the power of demographic analysis. This is a detail-oriented process that can reveal valuable insights about your market. It’s about knowing who your customers are, their age, income, location, and other crucial information.

Importance of a Well-Defined Brand

In the realm of small business marketing, it’s crucial for you to establish a well-defined brand. This isn’t just about choosing a catchy name or designing a memorable logo. It’s about crafting a cohesive brand story that resonates with your target audience and consistently delivering on that promise.

Brand consistency is key. It’s the glue that holds your business together and makes you recognizable across various platforms. Think of your logo design as the face of your enterprise. It needs to reflect your brand’s personality and values, making a strong impression at every customer touchpoint.

Your brand’s mission statement is its heart. It’s what you stand for, your raison d’être. It should inspire your team, guide your decisions and communicate to customers what they can expect from you.

Brand storytelling is the art of weaving your mission statement, values, and experiences into a compelling narrative that connects emotionally with your customers, fostering brand loyalty. Remember, people don’t just buy products or services; they buy stories, experiences, and the promise of a better future.

Utilizing Social Media to Your Advantage

Your business’s presence on social media is a powerful tool, and it’s crucial that you leverage it effectively to engage your target audience. An effective method is through influencer partnerships. Teaming up with influencers whose audience aligns with your target market can boost your brand’s visibility and credibility.

Investing in social ads is another strategy to consider. These ads are cost-effective and reach a wide range of audiences. You can control who sees your ads by defining your target audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.

Video marketing is yet another powerful tool. Videos are engaging and can tell a compelling story about your brand. They can be shared across multiple platforms, increasing your reach.

Speaking of platforms, platform selection is key. Your brand doesn’t need to be on every social media site. Instead, choose the ones where your target audience spends the most time.

The Role of SEO in Small Business Marketing

While managing social media platforms is one aspect of your marketing strategy, it’s equally important to understand that SEO plays a significant role, too. Implementing SEO tools and techniques will help your business rank higher on search engine results, increasing visibility and driving more traffic to your website.

Start with keyword research. Identifying and using the right keywords that your potential customers are searching for can significantly improve your online presence. SEO tools can assist you in finding these keywords.

Next, focus on link building. High-quality, relevant links to your site can improve your site’s credibility and boost your rankings. Local SEO is another tactic you shouldn’t overlook. By optimizing your website for your local area, you’re more likely to attract customers in your vicinity.

Link building for small businesses is an essential aspect of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) that involves acquiring high-quality backlinks from other websites to your own. These backlinks can improve your website’s authority and search engine rankings. Here’s what link building for a small business typically looks like:

• Content Creation: Start by creating high-quality, valuable content on your website. This could be blog posts, articles, infographics, videos, or any content relevant to your industry and audience.
• On-Page SEO: Ensure your website is well-optimized for search engines, including proper use of keywords, meta tags, and an organized site structure.
• Local SEO: Optimize your website for local search if you have a local presence. This includes claiming and optimizing your Google My Business listing.
• Competitor Research: Identify your competitors and analyze their backlink profiles to understand where they are getting links from.
• Content Outreach: Reach out to other websites, particularly those in your industry or niche, to propose collaborations or guest posting opportunities. Offer to provide valuable content that benefits their audience.
• Networking: Attend industry events, join relevant forums, and engage with others in your field to build relationships that may lead to link-building opportunities.
• Online Directories: Ensure your business is listed in reputable online directories and review sites relevant to your industry, like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Angie’s List.
• Social Media: Share your content on social media platforms and engage with your audience. Social signals can indirectly impact SEO and may lead to organic backlinks.
• Content Promotion: Actively promote your content through email marketing, social media, and other marketing channels to increase its visibility and chances of being shared.
• Broken Link Building: Find websites in your niche that have broken links on their pages and offer to replace them with links to your relevant and valuable content.
• Participate in Online Communities: Join online forums, discussion boards, and Q&A sites like Quora or Reddit where you can provide helpful answers and include links to your content when relevant.
• Press Releases: Issue press releases for significant business events or announcements. Press release distribution services may include backlinks.
• Monitor and Analyze: Regularly monitor your backlink profile using tools like Google Search Console or third-party SEO tools. Disavow low-quality or spammy backlinks to maintain a healthy link profile.

Remember that the quality of backlinks matters more than quantity. It’s better to have a few high-quality, relevant backlinks than many low-quality ones. Be patient, as link building is a gradual process, and the results may take some time to show in improved search engine rankings.

Finally, conduct a competitor analysis. Understanding what your competitors are doing well in terms of SEO can provide valuable insights for your own strategy. You can then use this information to refine your approach and stay ahead of the competition.

In the world of small business marketing, SEO isn’t just an option – it’s a necessity. By strategically using SEO tools and techniques, you can take control of your online presence and maximize your business’s potential.

Benefits of Email Marketing

With email marketing, you’re able to directly connect with your customers, strengthening relationships and fostering loyalty. This method of communication offers unparalleled subscriber engagement. You’re not just sending messages into the void; you’re actively engaging with your customer base, fostering a sense of community and connection.

One significant benefit is email personalization. By tailoring your content to specific customer needs, you increase the chances of a positive response. Customers are more likely to engage with content that speaks directly to them, and personalization does just that. It’s about making your customers feel valued and understood.

• Mailchimp: Offers a user-friendly interface, automation, and a free plan for small lists. Provides templates, A/B testing, and analytics.
• Constant Contact: Known for its simplicity and ease of use. Offers email automation, event management, and integrations with other small business tools.
• GetResponse: Features marketing automation, landing pages, and webinars. Suitable for businesses looking to integrate multiple marketing functions.
• ConvertKit: Designed for bloggers, content creators, and small businesses. Offers automation, customizable sign-up forms, and segmentation.
• AWeber: Known for its reliability and customer support. Provides automation, email templates, and split testing.
• Campaign Monitor: Offers drag-and-drop email builder and automation capabilities. Suitable for both beginners and advanced marketers.
• SendinBlue: Features marketing automation, transactional emails, and SMS marketing. Offers a free plan with limited monthly email sends.
• Drip: Focused on eCommerce businesses and B2C marketing. Provides advanced automation, personalization, and analytics.
• MailerLite: Offers a free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers. Features drag-and-drop email builder, automation, and landing pages.
• Benchmark Email: Provides email templates, automation, and engagement tracking. Suitable for businesses looking for customizable email campaigns.

When choosing an email marketing platform for your small business, consider your specific needs, budget, and the size of your email list. Many of these platforms offer free trials or free plans with limited features, so you can test them to see which one works best for you before committing to a paid subscription.

Newsletter creation is another tool at your disposal. Regular updates keep your business at the forefront of customers’ minds. It’s a fantastic way to promote recent news, products, or services and to keep customers informed and engaged.

Conversion tracking is another benefit, allowing you to measure the success of your campaigns. It gives you control, showing you exactly what’s working and what isn’t. This way, you can adjust your strategy as necessary.

Lastly, automation tools make email marketing efficient. They enable you to schedule emails, segment your audience, and more, giving you more control over your marketing strategy.

Optimizing Your Website for Conversion

In the realm of digital marketing, optimizing your website for conversion is an absolute necessity, and it’s an area that can’t be overlooked. To steer your business towards success, you must focus on landing page optimization and conversion rate improvement. These aren’t just buzzwords – they’re your ticket to achieving your business goals.

Your landing page is the first impression potential customers have of your business online. It’s your sales pitch, and it must be compelling. By focusing on user experience enhancement, you can create a page that’s not only visually appealing but also intuitive and easy to navigate. This will keep visitors on your site longer and increase the likelihood of them taking the desired action.

A/B testing strategies should form a key part of your approach. These can help you determine what works and what doesn’t, allowing you to make informed decisions about changes to your website. You can test different call to action crafting methods, images, headlines, and more to see what resonates most with your audience.

The Power of Content Marketing

Your company’s reputation and customer engagement can skyrocket, but only if you harness the power of content marketing effectively. By creating and sharing valuable content, you’re not only promoting your brand but also building trust and relationships with your audience. Strategic content marketing can help you gain control over how your brand is perceived and significantly increase your reach.

Consider incorporating these strategies into your content marketing plan:

• Visual storytelling: Use compelling images, infographics, or videos to tell your brand’s story and convey complex information in an easy-to-digest format.
• Viral content: Create content that is so engaging and shareable that it spreads rapidly online, increasing your brand’s visibility.
• Influencer collaborations: Partner with influential figures in your industry to reach a larger audience and build credibility.
• User generated content: Encourage your customers to create and share content about your brand. This not only boosts engagement but also adds authenticity to your brand.
• Podcast promotions: Sponsor or appear on podcasts relevant to your industry to reach a dedicated and engaged audience.
• Blog Posts: Create informative and engaging blog posts related to your industry or niche.
• Video Tutorials: Produce instructional videos or tutorials showcasing your products or services.
• Infographics: Design visually appealing infographics to simplify complex information.
• Customer Stories: Highlight success stories or case studies featuring satisfied customers.
• Email Newsletters: Send regular newsletters with updates, promotions, and valuable content to your subscribers.
• Social Media Content: Post engaging content on social media platforms relevant to your audience.
• E-books and Whitepapers: Compile in-depth resources like e-books or whitepapers on industry topics.
• Webinars and Live Streams: Host live webinars or Q&A sessions to interact with your audience in real-time.
• Guest Posting: Write guest posts for industry-related blogs or websites.

Conclusion

In essence, you’ve got a lot to gain by adopting these marketing strategies for your small business. Understand your audience, define your brand, harness the power of social media, SEO, email marketing, website optimization, and content marketing. They’re not just theories, they’re proven paths to success. So, go on, give them a shot. You’ll soon see your small business thriving like never before. After all, it’s all in the detail and strategy!

It doesn’t matter what type of small business you operate; your primary objective might be enhancing the revenue as well as the sales of your small business. As a small business owner, you might suffer from low-budget issues that prevent you from implementing robust marketing techniques. No matter how hard and time-consuming the process might seem, you should never give up on your dream of establishing your brand. This is why you need to understand the effective ways to grow your small business.

Keep in mind that there isn’t any one-size-fits-all growth strategy for your small business. Depending on the offerings and target customers, you need to create unique strategies that are relevant to your small business.

Scaling your small business efficiently and effectively to create an effective customer base might be a challenging and time-consuming task. You need to focus on a smart approach and consider different aspects of your company, such as finance, sales, legal, and marketing. Even though boosting your small business might take time, here are some effective ways to help you succeed.

Conduct Thorough Research 

When you’re searching for ways to boost your small business, you need to conduct thorough market research. This way, you will not only be able to understand your potential customers properly, but you can also understand your existing customers as well as their needs. It’s essential to know the target market so that your business never faces problems in fulfilling the expectations of the customers. This way, you can make necessary changes to help your business grow.

Additionally, you also need to consider researching your competitors. This is one of the most effective ways to grow your brand. When you know the weaknesses and strengths of your competitors, you will be able to stand apart from them. This will help you with the scaling process for your small business.

Create a Sales Funnel 

If you look at a large and established company, you will realize that most of them have a solid sales funnel. As per LinkedIn, creating a sales funnel is beneficial. The sales funnel is something that will help your small business to go to a whole new level. Think of the sales funnel same as the customer’s journey. When the customers first know about your business and visit the website, they are residing at the top of the sales funnel. When they purchase products or services from your business, they have gone through the sales funnel of your small business effectively. You need to discover ways to help your customers and clients move through the sales funnel so they can purchase your business’s offerings. Apart from offering them coupons, make sure you send them the necessary updates.

Boost Customer Retention

 You should not just focus on acquiring new customers for your company. You also need to ensure that your existing customers are coming back for the products and services. You will be able to boost customer loyalty when you increase customer retention. This will help you enhance your sales.

Remember that it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than to encourage the existing customers to return. When you focus on customer retention, you will stop spending money on something that doesn’t guarantee a successful outcome. Here are some great ways to enhance customer retention:

• Pay close attention to customer service
• Consider using a CRM system
• Create an email campaign
• Develop a customer loyalty program
• Use social media platforms to build engagement with your customers.

Furthermore, diversifying your customer service channels, including options such as live chat, phone support, email assistance, social media messaging, and efficient complaint resolution services, is another crucial strategy to enhance customer retention in today’s digital age. This approach empowers customers to select the communication method that aligns with their preferences, thereby enhancing convenience and accessibility.

But remember that you can neither capture the attention of new customers nor build a relationship with the existing customers if your company’s name is mediocre. The name of your company might also prevent your brand from growing. This is why you need to ensure you’re choosing a short and memorable name for your startup or small business. Don’t forget to use the startup name generator tool for your company.

Participate in Different Networking Events

 One of a small business owner’s most important tasks is to boost your brand’s overall visibility. When you enhance the brand visibility, you will be able to capture the attention of new customers and increase the growth of your company. One of the best ways to achieve this is by attending different types of networking events. Consider going through local professional organizations. You can spread the word about your company by attending new networking events. Here are some effective ways to participate in networking events:

• Attend the events and meet other business owners
• Speak at the networking events and share your knowledge
• Promote your brand by putting up a booth

Focus on Strategic Partnerships 

When you enter a strategic partnership with another company, you will be able to reach a wide range of customers who are looking for products and services identical to your business. As per your business plan, the strategic partnership is something that will push your small business to a new level.

However, you need to consider various factors when choosing a company to form strategic partnerships. Make sure you always choose professional, reputed, and trustworthy businesses. You can also expand your small business by forming a strategic partnership with a vendor. Make sure you’re capable of managing business relationships without any issues.

Franchise Your Small Business 

This is another common yet effective growth strategy you should remember if you want to grow your small business. Franchising your business means you’re selling your business’s rights to an independent owner. When you do this, they can open their own franchise of your business and operate it. There are many renowned and well-known businesses in the world, such as KFC, McDonald’s, Starbucks, etc., that boost their company through franchising. When you open a new franchise, you will be able to target customers from new demographics, which will help you increase the revenue.

However, make sure whether your business is franchisable or not before you sell the rights of your company to an independent owner.

Conclusion 

These are the most effective ways to grow your small business. Make sure you contact us, and we will help you choose the perfect name for your small business.

Small businesses have dominated the e-commerce space since the pandemic’s shop small movement, which has continued to thrive well after. With the rise of social media shopping features, making purchases has never been so accessible. At the click of a button, impulse shopping has become the norm, and captivating first-time buyers has become crucial to businesses competing in the very saturated e-commerce world.

Many factors can make a business stand out, even in this highly competitive environment. With the right tools and mentality, your small business can hold customers’ attention in the e-commerce market and make those impulse shoppers return for more!

Analyze Fierce Competition

While scrolling through social media or browsing the internet, you’ll quickly realize there’s a business for anything and everything. The harsh reality is that your small business doesn’t stand alone, even in niche markets. In 2021, NASDAQ estimated that 17 million new small businesses would enter the market by the end of 2022. The number of small businesses will continue to grow as entrepreneurship is skyrocketing in the business world.

The rapid growth of the small business phenomenon should be a driving factor when analyzing your competition. To come out on top, you’ll want to evaluate where your business currently stands against competitors. One of the best ways to do this is to look at what’s performing well in your industry.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What are other businesses offering?
• How are popular small businesses staying relevant?
• Who are these businesses reaching?

Looking over the results of your research will help you determine where you should focus on improvements and invest your resources. Afterward, you can gain up-to-date insights from your website by assessing your demographics, profits, and the effectiveness of your outreach. Identify the gaps between your competitor’s successes and where you could be lagging behind.

Build Strong Connections

Content marketing is a small business’ secret weapon. By identifying the resources buyers use in their shopping or decision-making process, content marketing can be an effective way to grab the attention of any impulse shoppers that come across your online store.

To implement a media strategy for your content marketing needs, analyze which of your platforms has proven to be the most impactful at driving sales and develop a plan of action for the underperforming platforms to increase your traffic there.

Part of your strategy should include joining communities to support other small businesses. Perhaps you’re thinking, “but aren’t those my competitors?” Competitor or not, strength is in numbers, and support for other small businesses can help your business grow. As a small business owner, you know that running a business isn’t always easy, so being able to collaborate with other small business owners by showing online support can open the door to networking and audience-building opportunities.

Marketing your business in ways that demonstrate social awareness will leave a lasting impact on your consumers. Embracing and implementing customer values will set you apart from big box retailers. As a small business owner, you’re able to make deeper connections with your consumers. Customizing and personalizing their buying experience is something big retailers aren’t able to provide anymore. Keep this in mind when trying to market and network, as you don’t want to lose sight of why you started your business. Making a profit can be your target goal, but maintaining a customer-first mentality will not go unnoticed!

Keep Them Wanting More

Once you understand the role your small business can play in the e-commerce space, you can take steps to implement practices that keep the flow of returning customers consistent. The experience you provide to customers should be your number one priority.

1. Listen

Here is where all the analyses you’ve gathered should come into play. The customer behavior you observe on your website will provide you with insight into what your consumers are gravitating towards. If you notice one or more products aren’t selling as well as projected, dig deeper and look at your customer reviews. Your e-commerce site should have a designated place for customer feedback. This is your customers’ space to tell you what you’re doing right or where you need to have a second look. As the saying goes, “the customer knows best,” and of course, you’d like to think your product is the greatest, but to grow your business, you’ll need to embrace constructive feedback.

2. Incentives

Social media has a significant impact on the consumer buying process. A good practice you should put in place is staying as active as possible on your business’s social media accounts. Consumers love when companies acknowledge their photos, comments, or reposts. Any interactions you make with your followers will keep them engaged in what you’re offering and keep your business active on their feed.

Incentives don’t always have to be a social media interaction. A promo code or a gift-with-purchase can be another incentive technique to explore. A first-time shopper coupon code when a customer signs up for promotional emails or text messages is a call to action many e-commerce companies utilize to inform customers of future sales or product launches. It’s a little ‘thank you’ that customers appreciate and can convert those on the fence about making a purchase. Gifts of complementary stickers or handwritten notes in your packaging can show customers that you take pride in your small business and make their purchase feel like it was personally acknowledged.

3. Usability

A website with user-friendly features can be the driving factor in customer retention. Shoppers look for websites that have clean layouts with easy-to-use navigation. Cluttered product photos can be misleading, and no one likes a website with pages that don’t load. Review your site analytics to determine how your domain can handle the audience you’re bringing in during your busy season. Take your time building your e-commerce site and plan a design that’ll encourage customers to browse your entire website and grab the attention of interested impulse shoppers. It’s a space for your product portfolio to shine, so don’t skimp on optimizations and personalizations.

Inventory & Shipping Management

At this stage in your e-commerce journey, using tools to monitor your orders and keep track of inventory will be your best friend; but sadly, most of the tools you’ll need come with a cost. You can try to manage this aspect of your business without them, but as your business grows, it’ll become harder to keep up with the demand. Opening a small business line of credit can help you offset the costs of fees, software subscriptions, and domain purchases that your e-commerce site will require.

The organization you put in place is the key to a happy customer and a stress-free small business owner. You can manage your inventory by making a spreadsheet that links to your e-commerce site to easily update your stats in real-time and keep track of what’s in stock and what’s selling out. An updated inventory sheet will alert you when changes happen and help you communicate with customers on low-stock announcements or when you need to introduce a new product.

Buyers expect fast shipping times and easy access to track their orders. There are several tools you can use as a small business owner to stay on top of your packages transit and arrival times:

• Shop
• Aftership
• Shopventory
• ShippingEasy

It can be hard to satisfy customer demands when the product is no longer in your control, but providing them with updates can ease any frustration they may have.

Being proactive in the e-commerce world through maintaining customer relationships and facing your competition head-on will give your small business room to thrive. You have the tools you need to leave your mark in the small business industry, so good luck and happy selling!

Digital marketing can be daunting, especially for small businesses who may not have the budget of the likes of Coca-Cola or Netflix to spend on marketing campaigns. Even so, there are plenty of digital marketing options that small businesses can implement to boost their brand awareness and reach new customers in innovative ways at a low cost or even free. Here are seven digital marketing tips for small businesses!

1. Set Up & Maintain an Active Google My Business Listing

A Google My Business (GMB) listing is a free and easy way to make your small business more visible online. By taking a few minutes to set up your listing, you can improve your chances of being found by potential customers searching for businesses like yours. An active GMB listing can help you build credibility and trust with potential customers.

Your Google My Business listing is often the first point of contact a consumer has with your brand. You should maintain an up-to-date profile with photos, correct address, website, and social accounts.

Also, you can showcase your latest promotions through Google My Business posts and keep consumers up to date on your offerings. This is also a good channel to share your latest blog posts. Consider incorporating making Google My Business posts the same time you post your social content. By doing this, you are expanding your presence on the search results page, which is like real estate gold!

Also, be proactive in getting customer reviews! People care about and trust the first-hand experiences of other customers. Encourage existing customers to leave you a review– you can then repurpose it into testimonials for your landing page or social feed!

2. Focus on the Right Social Media Channels

Small businesses need to focus on the right social media channels. You don’t want to spread yourself too thin by trying to do everything. You’ll only end up feeling overwhelmed. There’s no point in wasting time and resources on a platform that doesn’t align with your customers.

Do research to determine where your target persona spends time online, and focus on those. For example, if you’re a healthcare supplement brand for seniors, you probably don’t need a TikTok account. Facebook and Google ads might be a better fit for that demographic. Time is money, so don’t waste time on channels. In addition to being present on the right channels, posting relevant and engaging content is also important. It’s a great way to engage with your followers and customer base!

3. Build Trust Through Content

To build trust with potential and current customers, you should write blogs highlighting your value proposition and addressing users’ pain points. By providing quality information, you can position yourself as an expert and thought leader in your industry and earn the trust of those who matter most to your business.

Producing original content for your website and blog will directly contribute to your SEO.

4. Use SEO to Grow Organic Traffic

SEO, also known as Search Engine Optimization, is a strategy every small business should work on. The objective is to increase organic traffic to your website. This can be done by optimizing your website for specific keywords, creating backlinks, and ensuring your website is mobile-friendly. Additionally, you should ensure that your website loads quickly and is easy to navigate. Following these tips can increase your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages, ultimately leading to more website visitors.

More website visitors also means more potential business!

5. Invest in Digital Advertising Campaigns

Aside from working on an organic strategy, we recommend running paid ads simultaneously to maximize brand awareness and drive website traffic.

More businesses are turning to online advertising rather than traditional media because you have more control over the campaign, ad spend, and tracking results. All ad platforms collect data such as impressions, clicks, etc., enabling you to measure how the ad performs. TV commercials or radio spots aren’t able to track audience behavior as detailedly as digital. With these data insights, you’ll figure out what imagery and messaging of your ads are well-received by your audience. You can continue to create effective ads by analyzing the data.

Digital ads allow for granular audience targeting, so have a strategy for people are different stages of the customer journey and deliver relevant ads to them!

Paid Search, Paid Social, and Display ads are the essential three most brands should be running. As mentioned in the previous point, focus on your target demographic’s social channels. Some other channels include video, native, audio, Over-The-Top, Digital Out-Of-Home, Metasearch, and more.

Digital ad campaigns can have different objectives, such as getting clicks to your website, driving conversions (lead generation or sales), increasing brand awareness, and so much more. When running a small business, this can be complicated and overwhelming. That’s why we recommend considering partnering with a digital advertising agency that can help you strategize, set up, and manage these campaigns. Investing in paid ads would increase sales, and more people would know about your brand.

6. Lead Generation Will Go a Long Way

Generating leads is an integral part of marketing and sales for any business. Encouraging people to voluntarily fill out a form to provide you with their contact information takes trust, and you should be offering something of high value worthy of their time. It might be a seven-day trial of your software, a downloadable resource, or a promo code–pair it with a landing page and highlight the benefits of your service offerings!

By collecting a list of contacts (which is proprietary to your business), you can use it for other digital marketing strategies, such as email marketing or uploading it as an audience list for paid ads. You can utilize it to foster client relationships and promote loyalty programs etc. The possibility is endless. So be creative and brainstorm how you can encourage people to want to give you their information!

Working with a top-notch digital marketing agency will help you generate leads from multiple channels. For example, when you pursue SEO aggressively, you will see a lot of leads being generated organically and you getting the same in the form of your website’s contact form. The same holds true for PPC ads, as well as social media marketing. The only thing that you need to watch out for is that you work with the right digital marketing agency. To connect with the best, please visit website.

7. Retain Customers with Newsletters

Email newsletters should be a staple in every brand’s digital marketing strategy. They are great mediums to share updates and new promotions. It also ties in with lead generation. Consider segmenting your audience based on behavior or interest. For example, if someone downloaded an eBook from your website, they might be interested in resources and tips, so create drip campaigns or specific content catered to their interests. Who knows, they might convert to a customer later down the road!

By informing people of your brand and offering value (blogs, tips, discount codes etc.) on an ongoing basis, will create loyalty over time. We recommend a weekly newsletter, don’t spam people’s emails too frequently. You gotta make people want to look forward to receiving your emails in their inbox, right? Here is Mailchimp’s guide to writing email newsletters for you to get started.

There you have it! Digital marketing covers so much ground, but we wanted to highlight these seven as they are foundational to any successful digital strategy. Check out Brandignity’s blog for more tips and resources like this!

Social media marketing is an excellent way to grow a small business’s customer base. It’s a low-cost strategy that can reach millions of people. Despite these benefits, many business owners are unsure how to get started or what to do with social media.

Choosing which social media networks to use as a small business owner may be likened to going to an all-you-can-eat buffet and being served on a dinner roll-sized plate. Here’s a guide on using social networking sites as tools to help your small business develop.

1. Come Up With A Plan

It’s simple to get started with business-related social media. Most people are all familiar with the technologies because you utilize social media regularly. Creating a Facebook Page for your business, starting an Instagram account, and starting a Twitter account are all entirely free. Before jumping in head first, keep in mind that any successful business strategy starts with a well-thought-out approach.

You may utilize social networking platforms for free. However, the time and effort required are still an investment in your company. You have no notion what you’re doing if you don’t have a plan. It implies that there is no means of knowing whether or not you are getting a return on your investment. Consider putting together an introductory social media strategy. It guarantees that all of your social actions help your organization meet its stated objectives. Make sure when configuring a plan you are aware of all your social media marketing costs.

2. Research Your Target Audience

To successfully target their wants and interests, the next stage in developing a social media marketing plan is to define your buyer personas and audience. Consider who you want to contact and why, as well as how you’d categorize them all together. Furthermore, social media analytics may provide a wealth of helpful information on your followers, their locations, and their interactions with your company on social media. These insights allow you to fine-tune your strategy and target your audience more precisely.

You can decide the type of material that will attract the followers and consumers you seek by researching your buyer profiles and audience. You’ll also learn to develop exciting material that keeps your audience interested. Take caution not to push yourself too far. Instead, concentrate your efforts on networks that your target audience currently uses.

3. Know Your Competitors

Your competitors are almost certainly using social media, which means you can learn from their mistakes. You may do a competitive analysis to find out who your competitors are and their strengths. You’ll have a good understanding of what your business requires, which can help you set your own social media goals. It will also assist in the identification of future customers. Social listening is another way to keep track of your competitors. Conduct social media searches for the competitor’s firm name, account handles, and other relevant keywords.

Find out more about the information they’re providing and what others have to say about it. You may see changes in how your competitors and industry leaders use social media as you track. You might also notice different campaigns that you can study and help you form your strategies.

4. Decide On A Social Media Platform

Consider how many social media accounts your company can effectively manage and maintain, and then pick the networks with the most activity for your target demographics and current consumers. The following are a few well-known platforms:

Facebook

Many business owners consider Facebook to be the most effective social media platform. It is not only one of the most sophisticated business platforms available, but it also has a large user base, which is ideal for brand exposure.

Instagram

Restaurants, boutiques, and retail enterprises are good candidates for this platform since they produce much visual content. It’s an excellent method for using images and video content to highlight your company’s capabilities.

Twitter

For business-to-business (B2B) transactions, Twitter is a highly effective marketing channel. Leads can be connected to resources, notified of new goods, and more using the platform. It’s also an excellent place for customers to ask questions, voice their issues, and interact directly with their favorite brands.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a competitor or complement to Instagram because it has visual content that users may “pin” to their own personal boards. The beauty, fitness, home products, food, and retail industries are among the most popular on this site.

Linkedin

The world’s premier professional social networking site, LinkedIn, is usually referred to as such. It can engage with customers, hire new employees, and form alliances with industry partners. It’s a terrific place for B2B social media marketing because it’s a business-to-business network.

Tiktok

TikTok democratizes content uniquely and innovatively. Unlike other social media sites, where content is prioritized based on the poster’s popularity, TikTok has confirmed that follower counts have no bearing on what content appears on your feed. TikTok is still regarded as a market pioneer, both monetarily and in marketing. You’ll have less competition as a platform newcomer, with fewer household names vying for the same target audience.

Youtube

Nearly 2 billion people have signed up for YouTube. It is the most effective social media tool for building corporate culture and training and demonstrations. YouTube may be a fantastic tool for communicating with clients if your company can produce its video content. YouTube allows you to host videos that may be integrated on your website in addition to direct platform views. The use of visual information to catch the attention of website visitors is incredibly successful. It’s a convincing argument to sign up for a YouTube account.

5. Establish Your Brand’s Authority

Establishing authority is the most critical aspect of social media marketing. Followers of the page want to know that you are a trustworthy source of information. They should see you as someone who has a lot of knowledge and understanding of the issue and someone they can go to for help. It’s also important to keep in mind that social media is primarily visual. Consider it a virtual magazine.

While the written content is essential, the accompanying image has a considerably higher impact on recruiting new clients, catching their attention, and directing them to your page. Include useful infographics, charts, vibrant photographs, and designs in your posts. To keep the feed looking orderly and pleasant, utilize the same color palette and design style throughout.

6. Use A Social Media Calendar

Creating a social media calendar should be the first step in every small business’s social media marketing strategy. Create monthly or weekly calendars and designate different content categories to specific days of the week. You have complete control over how often your content and platforms are published.

Keep up with the changes in social media policies and algorithms and adjust your material accordingly. Facebook, for example, has announced a tweak to its algorithm that would boost postings from family and friends while de-emphasizing business messages. ‘Saves’ now have a higher priority in Instagram’s algorithms than comments and likes.

7. Create Unique Content

The quality of your content will determine how you handle social media marketing. You should now have a good idea of what content you should create based on your goals, target audience, and brand identity. You’re also sure of your understanding of which networks to cover. Consider what your competitors are sharing and how you may sell your products differently. Additionally, take advantage of the platform’s features. You may use Facebook live broadcasts to convey the most up-to-date information about a product launch or to advertise a deal, for example.

You can also create content with the help of current customers and promoters. It can be done by reposting their material or encouraging them to use a hashtag to share their own product-related experiences and photos. Finally, use current trends to your advantage. Trends in social media shift quickly, especially on short-form video services like TikTok. Do not be scared to join, but go with caution.

8. Evaluate Your Development Frequently

You’ll never know how successful one campaign is compared to another if you don’t keep track of your efforts. You can put everything into perspective when you get a bird’s eye view of your social media activities. It entails reviewing your best-performing content and changing your campaigns as needed when your content fails to meet your goals. The majority of social media is, without a doubt, a learning experience. Real-time campaign data allows you to make minor adjustments to your social media marketing plan rather than making large-scale, time-consuming modifications.

Data vigilance is at the heart of successful social media marketing. You may be reactive in the near term to maximize the effectiveness of your current efforts and then proactive in the long run by incorporating these lessons learned into your next plan redesign. You can use your data to see if your KPIs are in line with the overarching aims of your company or if they need to be altered.

Takeaway

Social networking could be a powerful instrument for enhancing your business strategy and increasing revenue. You can use the metric to determine what works best for your company and examine it. A few minor tweaks to your social media marketing strategy might significantly impact. Some firms might take months—or even years—for success on social media. You will have no issue conquering social media marketing if you are devoted to learning from your mistakes and using what you’ve known for future initiatives.

Small businesses have lower annual incomes, fewer employees (usually less than 50) and limited resources. Not to mention, small businesses are constantly under pressure to compete with larger enterprises with much larger marketing budgets.

In the competitive world of today, if a small business wants to sustain in the market, the only way this can happen is if it can achieve more with less.

Therefore, technology and automation are the two methods businesses can employ to achieve more with less; it can help them cut costs and increase efficiency. Unfortunately, many small businesses still don’t understand the necessity of marketing automation that could help them spread their thin resources optimally.

What is marketing automation?

A business cannot survive without marketing its products and services in today’s time and age. It needs to showcase its products to the right consumer market for success. On a daily basis, marketing personnel engage in repetitive tasks that includes sending emails, crafting engagement strategies for social media, creating subscription lists, writing blogs etc. Each of these tasks takes time and effort – both of which can be minimized with the help of marketing automation software.

However, the magic of marketing automation is not confined to everyday marketing tasks. The main goal of the software is to generate leads, nurture them in a highly personalized manner and convert prospects into customers and first-time customers into delighted, loyal ones. This sounds complicated, time consuming and expensive; but in reality, it is the very opposite.

In short, the top functions that marketing automation offers to organizations are;

• Lead scoring
• Targeted emails
• Website integration
• Customer profiling
• Lead nurturing

Amazon is a great example of this;

1. Amazon sends emails requesting customers for product ratings and reviews a few days after a product is shipped. This is a great way to assess customer satisfaction levels and also provide useful content for the website.
2. Amazon uses marketing automation to display more shopping choices on its webpages based on a customer’s recent purchases.
3. Amazon also shows you what other people have bought and what is popular on the website. This helps customers make additional purchases.

Marketing automation is growing leaps and bounds with each passing day. A report published in April 2017 states that 49% B2B companies are using marketing automation. Moreover, 91% users agree that marketing automation is vital to company success and growth.

Image source: emailmonday.com

Why should small businesses adopt marketing automation?

As mentioned earlier, small businesses are weighed down with many predicaments. At the small business level, it is not a priority to automate marketing practices, budget constraints being the main reason. 25% UK companies have revealed that they face marketing challenges due to budget limitations.

However, marketing automation can benefit small businesses even more than large enterprises by giving them a chance to compete with the big fish in the industry.

According to Nucleus Research, marketing automation resulted in sales productivity increase by 14.5% with a 12.2% decline in marketing overheads. Hence, with the help of marketing automation, small businesses can decrease costs while increasing productivity levels thereby optimally utilizing their marketing budgets.

Below are some reasons why small businesses should adopt marketing automation;

1. Smaller sales cycles

Marketing automation helps close deals and leads to final consumer purchases. Hence, the time gap between a consumer expressing interest in a product and the purchase is significantly reduced with the help of marketing automation.

Organizations claim that the process of converting leads into customers is much faster with marketing automation. Aberdeen Group State of Marketing Automation 2014 research states that 88% companies are successful in converting leads to sales with marketing automation. These statistics will surely help small organizations achieve their sales targets faster and more efficiently.

2. Increases productivity

With the help of marketing automation, a small company can better leverage its employees and can experience a much needed boost in productivity levels. This is because a software can take care of marketing tasks that are repetitive such as sending emails to customers, conducting surveys, developing strategies to enhance customer experience, overseeing online advertising etc. HubSpot offers a wide variety of tools that can automate many of these processes.

Moreover, the software provides innovative solutions for mundane tasks. This gives the marketing team an opportunity to concentrate on other tasks that require human skill and attention.

Hence, small businesses can benefit a great deal by using marketing automation. In other words, business can now get much more out of existing resources.

3. Enriched customer retention

It is vital to engage customers at every step of their lifecycle in a pertinent and customized manner. However, customer retention is a constant struggle for companies. Marketing automation has a solution for this business dilemma as well. One of the main functions of marketing automation is to turn leads into customers and first time customers into loyal ones.

Marketing automation keeps customers engaged and updated via personalized emails. Using customer data, small businesses can now understand exactly what a target audience segment requires at a given moment and provide exactly that. ‘Being available at the right place and the right time’ increases purchases and thus the bottom line.

Also, advanced marketing software are able to gauge customer intentions and predict understand a customer is looking for and tries to encourage them to buy what they want in a shorter span of time.  One such marketing automation software that helps with customer retention is known as Windsor Circle. It uses customer history of purchases to create personalized marketing that connects with the customer on a deeper level, thereby ensuring that the customer keeps coming back.

4. Helps with lead conversion

Generating leads is easier than understanding and converting them. However, marketing automation is able to deduce the web pages that a lead visits, emails they open and products that interest them. This vital information can be put to great use by displaying only that content to a lead in which they showed interest. This way, you can nurture leads and convert them into loyal, returning customers. Infusionsoft is a great software, built especially for small business aimed at boosting sales by gathering leads

5. Monitoring marketing campaigns

Former campaigns, whether on ground or social media, need to be evaluated for their successes or failures. This task, albeit important, ties up useful resources in calculating tedious numbers and analyzing data.

However, marketing automation software such as TEO (TargetEveryone) can do this job efficiently for the company. TEO uses measurable data to track expenses of a campaign as well as the ROI. It also monitors and analyzes the response rate received following a campaign to deem whether it should be continued or not.

These are just a few ways small businesses can take advantage of marketing automation. However, if used to its maximum potential, the sky is the limit.

Image Source: Flickr/Dominik Syka

As we all know, mobile is totally the ‘thing’ right now. And for good reason—the connected world is starting to lean on their smartphones more than their desktops, a change that is stirring up online marketing. You’ve been told that you need a mobile optimized website for your business, and you do, but be careful! Not all mobile optimized websites are built the same.

It’s not enough these days to simply strip all the images off of your content landing pages and offer up the text in a mobile-friendly format. Small businesses need to connect with customers immediately, and it is the role of a mobile optimized website to make this easier for them. Those that don’t, lose you business. The following two attributes are necessities for small businesses:

Tap-to-Call

When customers arrive on your small business website from Google, Yelp or Urban Spoon, they need a quick, easy way to immediately get in touch with you. Don’t make it hard for them by not providing a phone number, or providing it but forcing them to copy it, exit the browser, load the phone app and paste in the number. Instead, a good mobile optimized website has a tap-to-call button right at the top of the homepage.

Tap-for-Directions

Many mobile users use their smartphones’ GPS to find new locations. I know I do. Make this process easy for them by including a tap-for-directions button above the fold. Including your address on page is not enough. Customers are looking for ease of use, or they very well just may go to your competitor, who makes this process easy for them. Install a button or link that opens up their navigation app like Google Maps or Apple Maps, and automatically plots directions to your property.

If your businesses mobile optimized website has neither of these things, you need to call your web developer ASAP and insist that they are included. Until then your website is broken, and you’re missing out on new mobile customers every day. Now, these aren’t the only parts of a high function mobile website, which should also include image optimization and minimal background scripts to aid in faster page loads, but in my opinion, a mobile optimized website for businesses is useless without an easy way for customers to make phone calls and plot directions.
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Author Bio & Dossier

Brandon M. Dennis is the Technical Marketing Manager at buuteeq, the digital marketing system for hotels. He manages buuteeq’s SEO, paid media channels, social outreach, and the company blog. You can connect with him on Twitter @buuteeq.

Image Source: Flickr/Gerald Rich

Pay Per Click advertising is an extremely powerful and highly effective marketing tool. Whereas billboards, television adverts, newspaper and magazine pieces and of course radio exposure are all great tools they do take time and significant effort to transform into a solid sale or lead. A PPC agency will help businesses to stand out from the crowd in a place where instant ordering and contacting people is not only possible but even probable, and that place is the internet.

The top 5 reasons that PPC is so right for your small business is:

Your Budget

When you start out in any type of business it is essential that you make sure that people know who you are, where you are and what you offer. It is also important that you don’t overstretch your advertising budget as start-up and smaller businesses rarely have huge amounts of cash to use for this therefore there needs to be a budget in place that yourselves and the PPC agency agree on in order to set realistic goals with the aim of getting you what you want and need. Unlike some advertising forms PPC advertising is still an effective marketing tool regardless of the fact that it doesn’t require a large amount of funding.

PPC and Geography

Having local support for your business is important for anyone however for bricks and mortar businesses located in a town for example, local support is vital for the success of the business. Fortunately your PPC agency is able to combine PPC with geo-targeting which increases local community visibility.

PPC is Quick

A quick fix isn’t always best in business however when it comes to small business start-ups PPC campaigns are fantastic at giving your business a quick boost and building immediate levels of traffic which in turn starts to bring profit in quicker. Over time your other slower to build yet very effective marketing strategies will start to show results however in the meantime you will have already started to build visibility.

PPC is Specific

As a small business you need to stand out above the bigger names and brands in order to get noticed. If you have a very defined niche then PPC agencies will be able to use this to further increase the success of your campaign as specific search terms, which also tend to cost less per click, are going to find you more targeted traffic which is most like to turn into a solid lead or sale.

PPC is Convenient

The beauty of having a Pay Per Click agency working on your behalf is that the advertising campaign will literally run itself in a sense, not requiring you to do anything to maintain it. Small business owners rarely have extra hours in the day so this cost and time effective method of targeted advertising is ideal.

Attribute to: Jag Ture

Jag has been writing for over 5 years. Her sales and marketing background at PPC agency, Cayenne Red has helped her write informative articles in areas including digital marketing; specifically, PPC, SEO, Affiliate Marketing and Social Media Marketing.

There can be no doubt that online marketing is a growing field. In fact, throughout these tough economic times, the digital sector has continued to show strong growth. Of course, much of this increase in uptake can be attributed to larger companies – the multinationals who had the foresight to stay ahead of a rapidly changing online landscape, as well as a size-able budget to implement their plans.

These big corporations tend to have in-house online PR and marketing staff, meaning that they are ready to adapt to new situations. Smaller businesses don’t have this ability, and in fact, they probably don’t need it. But it should be regarded as essential for every business to have its own website and preferably a number of social media profiles. Many small business owners have recognised this, and have become a part of the new digital economy. What benefits are they enjoying?

Establishing a Presence

The most basic reason for small businesses to get on the web is that they are expected to do so. In a time when we are depending upon the internet more and more for a wide variety of tasks, the average customer will not be searching the Yellow Pages for local companies. Instead, they will be using a search engine. Your company will be invisible to many potential customers if it lacks a website. Now that so many of us are turning to the online world for products and services instead of walking into the town centre, your website is your shopfront. A basic site with information on your services and contact information is cheap and easy to set up, so there’s no excuse!

Communicating Effortlessly

Social media platforms are a great way to establish a link with potential consumers. Not only do they add another form of online presence over and above your website; they put you on the same plane as the people you want to sell to. Social media marketing is effective for two reasons. Firstly, you are communicating with your target market via a medium that they have chosen to sign up for, and which they probably spend deal of time on. Secondly, there is great potential for viral growth. Social networks are a fantastic resource because when a customer ‘shares’ something that you have posted, they are implicitly endorsing your business. Their contacts are then more likely to view you in a beneficial light, thus making them more likely to also interact with your profile.

Easily Publicising Incentives

The viral potential of social networking makes it child’s play to attract more traffic and, hopefully, sales. By running a competition for a comparatively low-value item, such as a free cinema ticket or something from your shop, you can achieve massive exposure. Do this by requiring each entrant to ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ your page before they can be entered into the draw. Once again, you are receiving a subtle endorsement from each entrant, and you are making it more likely that increased numbers of people will be exposed to your messages. This is because once they have ‘liked’ your page, consumers will see your status updates in their home feed.

Author:

Thomas Jones is Content Manager for I Say! Digital, the outsourced SEO specialists. Though he mainly takes care of copywriting and content creation services, he is training to become a social media consultant. In his spare time, you might find him brewing his own beer and talking politics.