Marketing a small business online can be difficult at times, particularly if you work in an industry where a number of titans make it difficult for you to achieve good search engine rankings. However, John Church, who is a former Vice President of JMI, points out that this should not discourage smaller business from using the web to their advantage. There are still a number of things that you can do online to improve your marketing efforts, some of which require very little in the way of direct investment. Consider all of these useful tips to be more successful in the online domain.
Keep Social Media Profiles Active
Many small businesses will create social media profiles because they believe that is what they are meant to do, before leaving them to lie dormant by not updating content or interacting with their followers. Social media is all about engagement, so if you offer little to the people who actively want to be engaged by you, they will have no reason to share your page to friends or to continue caring about the brand. If you are going to create a social media page, make sure that you support it with content and by interacting directly with your customers.
Blogging
Being able to create fresh and interesting content is going to play a large part in separating you from the competition and giving customers a reason to visit your website. Your website should have a blog in place that sees regular updates being made. Any message that you choose to deliver needs to carry a high level of authority, so that you can establish yourself as an expert in your field, in addition to hopefully being directly relatable to your business. Use your blog to share your story and make sure to publicize every post on your social media pages for maximum exposure.
Consider PPC Ads
Google, Bing and Facebook all offer you the chance to create targeted ads that appeal directly to people in your local area who may be looking for the service that you have to offer. If you are confident in the quality of your website and have a little money to invest in your online marketing, this can often be a great option if you want to increase visibility and pull more visitors to the site. Most of these advertising plans also offer detailed analytics, so you can pick out weak points in your strategy and improve upon them as you go.
Press Releases
John Church JMI , formerly of JMI, points out that press releases are still an effective means of getting news out there, so take advantage of PR sites whenever your business has something important to say. They will be able to offer increased exposure while also offering you the chance to talk about new services.
Keep Social Media Profiles Active
Many small businesses will create social media profiles because they believe that is what they are meant to do, before leaving them to lie dormant by not updating content or interacting with their followers. Social media is all about engagement, so if you offer little to the people who actively want to be engaged by you, they will have no reason to share your page to friends or to continue caring about the brand. If you are going to create a social media page, make sure that you support it with content and by interacting directly with your customers.
Blogging
Being able to create fresh and interesting content is going to play a large part in separating you from the competition and giving customers a reason to visit your website. Your website should have a blog in place that sees regular updates being made. Any message that you choose to deliver needs to carry a high level of authority, so that you can establish yourself as an expert in your field, in addition to hopefully being directly relatable to your business. Use your blog to share your story and make sure to publicize every post on your social media pages for maximum exposure.
Consider PPC Ads
Google, Bing and Facebook all offer you the chance to create targeted ads that appeal directly to people in your local area who may be looking for the service that you have to offer. If you are confident in the quality of your website and have a little money to invest in your online marketing, this can often be a great option if you want to increase visibility and pull more visitors to the site. Most of these advertising plans also offer detailed analytics, so you can pick out weak points in your strategy and improve upon them as you go.
Press Releases
John Church JMI , formerly of JMI, points out that press releases are still an effective means of getting news out there, so take advantage of PR sites whenever your business has something important to say. They will be able to offer increased exposure while also offering you the chance to talk about new services.