If you are a small business, then one of the most powerful ways to generate exposure, attract new business, and secure increased revenues will be through your digital marketing strategies. While there are many options out there, the following five are the most effective and can be implemented relatively quickly.
1. Make Website
When considering digital marketing strategies, the first item on your checklist should be: make website. According to Social Media Today, 97% of users searched online to find a local business. That is a staggering number that speaks volumes about the importance of your business’ online presence.
Your website should allow potential customers to learn everything they need to know about your company both simply and quickly. It goes beyond just having a website. You need to be able to capture attention and establish credibility instantly.
There should also always be something actionable, whether it be capturing a potential customer’s information or closing a sale right then and there with an e-commerce section. Infusing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in everything you do online, whether it’s your website, social media channels, blog, or video content is also key to effectively marketing your small business digitally. You can have the most beautiful, detailed website in the world, but it serves you little to no good if no one can find it.
2. Build Social Media Presence
Diving into social media may seem like an easy strategy to implement, but it definitely requires some tactical thinking to get right. The idea of social media is to breathe life and personality into your brand.
Start by considering who your target customer is and what content they would want to see. In a world where consumers are bombarded daily with media from different outlets, how can you stand out from the crowd? Leverage your unique selling point and gain a following creatively. To be effective, this shouldn’t be about rapid growth.
Though growth-driven strategies can result in a large number of followers, they will add little to no value to the profitability and success of your small business. Building your social media presence is about growing a steady and engaged audience of potential customers or fans while showcasing what you’re all about. Social media can, and should, help your bottom line.
The best companies have a well-planned and thought out strategy. They work ahead using social media calendars, but also stay current in the conversations. They interact with their followers through comments and likes and also respond to direct messages. There are many opportunities with social media to drive purchases or business goals, both organically and relatively inexpensively, through paid advertising.
3. Add Blog
Similarly to social media, adding a blog to your website can be extremely effective in marketing and growing your small business, A blog should not be a direct sales pitch, rather it should become an informative and interesting resource your customers visit to learn new, relevant things. Adding a blog should add value to your organization.
It also naturally helps with boosting your search engine rankings. Well written, key-word appropriate blog articles can attract an infinite number of readers. The more your articles are shared with others, the more visibility they will have. It is important to include blog articles in your social media and email marketing strategies as well. A big part of digital marketing success lies in the extent of your integration of all available tools.
4. Leverage Emails
Whether you collect customer data online, in a brick and mortar store, or through an e-commerce platform, it should regard as gold. Customers who have already engaged with you are your “lowest-hanging fruit,” so to speak as they already know about you and have trusted you enough to engage with you.
Re-marketing to them through email marketing can prove to be a very valuable tactic. It’s a great way to build loyalty, disseminate key information, and keep customers informed about new products or services. Email marketing should not be a strategy for the masses.
The more personalized you can get, the more successful your campaigns will be. If you sell a product, for example, you may want to send a customer an email when it’s almost time for a refill/replacement. If your service is seasonal, sending a reminder can be extremely helpful during busy times. For products with long purchase cycles, marketing a new product or limited edition can help to dramatically drive incremental sales.
Plus, it is a great way (when used effectively) to stay top-of-mind. Like with social media, it is critical to remember that people are inundated with company marketing daily. Highly targeted, strategic emails can help not only cut through the noise but also limit the number of unsubscribes you will inevitably receive.
5. Engage Video
Video has continued to dominate as one of the most effective digital marketing strategies available. While many of these digital marketing strategies have minimal associated costs, high-quality video production will require a larger budget.
Video has proven time and time again to help successfully attract and retain customers as the best way to tell your potential customers about your organization is by showing them. However, if you have tight budget constraints, it luckily doesn’t mean video content is out of the equation completely. There are so many new applications emerging to create quick, yet engaging video content.
On social media now too, channels are adding new features that allow you to demonstrate what your company is all about. While it varies widely depending on where the videos will be published and how they will be used, videos really should not be more than two minutes – really! Our attention spans are so limited.
Overall, these five digital marketing strategies for small businesses are both manageable and effective with minimal hard costs to entry. Whether you’re first starting out or are looking to take your business’ digital landscape to the next level, making a website, building your social media presence, adding a blog, leveraging emails and engaging video tactics are a must. They will improve your online visibility and amplify the success of your organization!
Summary
Here is a quick recap 5 Effective Digital Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses:
- Make Website
- Build Social Media Presence
- Add Blog
- Leverage Emails
- Engage Video
