When it comes to marketing for small businesses, things can be more complicated than they should be. With limited financial and human resources, it is not uncommon for business owners to add this task to their routine. To make matters worse, they still don’t have enough money to dedicate to campaigns.
Marketing is the lifeblood of any business. Regardless of the size of your company, number of employees, annual revenue, or industry, you must invest in marketing. This is the only way to remain competitive in the market and attract new customers.
Not to mention that it is almost impossible to compete with large corporations on an equal footing in traditional marketing. Unless you have millions of dollars to buy a prime time spot , it is unlikely that you will reach a mass audience with your marketing. Is that really true?
Internet Marketing for Small Businesses
Fortunately, the internet has brought a series of advantages to small businesses , many of which are related to the way they do business. With it came the democratization of marketing, and now any business can compete for user attention on an equal footing.
But how can you use digital marketing to your company’s advantage, save money with this strategy and make it work for your business? In this article, I will present a short Guide for small businesses so that you can start off on the right foot in online marketing. Let’s go!
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1. Create a blog and website
The first step to getting your business online is to start with your web space. Your company’s website or blog is your own land . You set the rules, decide what to publish and what not to publish, and have almost complete control. Therefore, your digital marketing strategy should focus on this prerequisite.
Start by creating a blog or website for your company. Today, you can do this for free and you can find many videos on the internet to help you with this task. On our blog, for example, there is a complete article teaching you how to create a blog step by step . Take a look!
But if you have no experience with the internet and don’t like getting your hands dirty, you can hire a professional indonesia phone number library website designer . Just don’t forget to consider this important step in marketing your small business . After all, most people turn to the internet to do research before making a purchase, right?
Now imagine how many sales you will lose if they find your competitor instead of you? I’m sure you don’t want to take that risk. So, invest in a nice web space, adaptable to any device and optimize the pages for search engines.
These pages can become great sources of business for your company
If they are well-designed. Therefore, you can’t be too careful to ensure that you have a resource phone number good website. Don’t skimp on effort or resources at this point. A silly saving here could cost you thousands of sales later on.
2. Don’t underestimate social media
When the goal is to impact as many people as possible and be present in the daily lives of your potential customers, it is impossible not to mention social media. They are great digital marketing tools and the main place where your target audience is, so it is of utmost importance that your company also has a presence in these places.
You don’t need to have a Facebook page with thousands of fans to have a presence on social media. Simply having an account for your business usb directory and keeping these pages updated is enough to be found by your audience and generate business through these sites .
Create a profile on the main social networks in the market, such as: Facebook, Instagram , Twitter, Linkedin and Google+. If you don’t have time to update them all, consider dedicating yourself to the ones where your target audience is most frequently. To do this, conduct a survey with your fans and find out which of these sites they prefer.
Another option is to hire social media management for your business . In addition to keeping these channels up to date, media management allows you to map opportunities, prevent and address crises, increase your business’s social proof and help distribute your content.
Furthermore, social media also contributes to a more intimate relationship with your company’s customers and fans. And when I refer to fans, I’m not just referring to social media followers, but rather people who truly admire your business and are passionate about your product or service.
Take advantage and check out the Absolute Guide on how to sell on Facebook and boost your business on the web.
3. Invest in content marketing
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Fortunately, small businesses have realized the potential of the Internet to boost their marketing results. Most have already completed the previous two steps, which is already a big step forward. However, some of them still insist on neglecting content marketing .
Having a website or blog on the internet and being present on social media is useless if you don’t generate quality content. Your potential customers need reasons to follow your company and like you. Content marketing can help you with this. With it, you can create quality and strategic content for your blog and also for your company’s social media.
If you don’t know how to do this, you can hire a content marketing agency or opt for freelance writers. Just keep in mind that, one way or another, you’ll need to generate quality content to stand out from the competition .
Likewise, content generation is the best way to put inbound marketing to work for your business. With an effective and consistent strategy, you can attract, convert, close and retain your customers more quickly and naturally.
Content marketing is also one of the cheapest digital marketing tools available today and has a much higher return. This factor makes it even easier to adopt it as a marketing strategy for small businesses . Give it a try!
4. Advertisements are also welcome
Organic results can take a while to have an effect on your digital marketing strategy. In this case, if you need a quick return, ads can be a great bet. Through them, you can generate traffic to your website, create a contact list and even promote special offers from your company.
However, not everything is perfect when it comes to advertising. Investing in Facebook, for example, can be a shot in the foot if you have no idea how to proceed. You need to understand how ads work on the world’s largest social network and have at least a little knowledge about the subject.
Otherwise, it could take up all your marketing budget and not bring any results. To help you out, check out our beginner’s article How to Advertise on Facebook . This social network is the biggest source of traffic today, but you need to figure out the under-the-hood to make it work for your business.
Just like the other steps in this guide, you can also hire companies that specialize in sponsored ads. However, I recommend that you do your research carefully and check the experience of the service provider you choose. I have heard many stories of people who invested a fortune in agencies in this segment and later regretted it.
A great tip is to choose agencies that are focused on results. These companies focus on creating results for their clients and not making money on your investment. This gives you more peace of mind and also ensures that you will get a return on your investment. In fact, asking about the ROI of the campaign is the first thing you should do before hiring any company.
5. Be careful with branding
The biggest marketing mistake for small businesses is to invest time and money only in branding. There is nothing wrong with investing in your brand, but when you are small and have little money to invest, it is best to focus on strategies that bring faster results to your company.
Additionally, a good branding strategy includes other factors of your business, both internal and external, that cannot always be controlled and financed by a small business.
Coca-Cola, for example, is one of the most famous cases in branding. It makes a point of making its brand visible whenever possible. To this end, it sponsors events and invests heavily in marketing.
But what few people know is that Coca-Cola’s success is not just linked to good branding. It has a gigantic structure that allows it to put its product in front of us at all times. Even in the most remote places, the world’s most famous cola manages to reach and stay in front of our eyes.
Now tell me, would you, as a small business owner, be able to invest thousands of dollars in branding your business , making it known and still have powerful logistics like Coca-Cola? It’s very likely not!
Therefore, you should be careful with this strategy. Building your brand should be a consequence of your marketing and customer service, but the main focus of marketing for small businesses should be generating results.
Bonus tip: Stay informed!
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I believe this bonus tip is very powerful. If you want to get results with digital marketing and all its nuances, you need to stay up to date on what is happening around this strategy. For this exact reason, I recommend that you follow blogs on the subject, participate in training sessions and do everything you can to learn more.
Digital marketing and the internet are very volatile. It would be a big mistake to believe that what you learned once can be applied throughout your life. So, keep your eyes open for change and anticipate it.
A good idea is to subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss any content we publish here on the blog. These are texts about digital marketing, content generation, sales, SEO and much more. Sign up and receive this content every Friday in your email for free.
Conclusion
As you can see, marketing for small businesses doesn’t have to be that difficult. When you learn how to use the right tools and strategy , you’ll see results faster and with less investment. All you need to do is take advantage of opportunities that big companies can’t or don’t want to see.
However, never try to reach the same level as large corporations, at least not at the beginning of your business. Remember that these businesses have capital to invest, a marketing department and the best agencies on the market.
On the other hand, you can also partner with small agencies and see your results grow. Since these specialists have a smaller number of clients, they usually offer personalized service and strive to meet your goals. This makes it easier to negotiate what you need and get the return you want.
Another point that you should not neglect is the relationship. For a large company, keeping things on track is very complicated. The more you grow, the more dissatisfied customers you collect and dealing with these impending crises can be very difficult.
Therefore, take advantage of the modest size of your business to build relationships with your potential customers. Offer incredible after-sales service and focus on high-performance customer service . Oh, and always deliver more than you promised.
Word-of-mouth marketing is still the best way to gain customers, especially in the digital age. Therefore, you should not abandon the old but very effective practices of treating your customers like royalty. After all, satisfied customers return and bring more friends, right?
Did you like these tips and want to have access to a practical plan to attract more customers and sell more in your business? Sign up for the Strategic Content Course and discover how to double your sales in 12 months. Sign up for free now!
