As a local business owner, have you asked yourself whether or not you should expand your business online? The short answer: YES! Digital Marketing allows small businesses to reach more of their audience, and the reality is that EVERYTHING can be done online nowadays. Today, we’re giving a quick 101 lesson on how you can dive into the realm of digital marketing. It may seem overwhelming, but don’t worry we’re going to break down the very basics of what you can do for your business.
What You Can Do with Online Marketing
First ask yourself, what are your business goals? Do you want to reach more of your audience? Do you want to bring your product into the public eye? Are you trying to beat your competitors? Whatever it may be, online marketing allows you to reach these goals through an effective marketing plan. It’s important to also consider your audience; certain online platforms tailor better to specific personas, and you can also render your online content to best engage your audience.
Social Media
The industry of social media has been exponentially growing in just the past decade. It is a key tool for businesses to quickly engage with their audience, and generate brand awareness. Posting content via social media allows your business to gain a following of both current and potential customers.
Knowing and understanding your audience is especially important when using social media; certain demographics may be more prevalent on one platform than another. Have questions about specific social media platforms, and how you can utilize them for your business? Check out our previous article here for a straight-forward rundown of the most popular social media platforms.
Your Virtual Real Estate, AKA Your Website
Is your website not generating a lot of traffic? Do you even have a website to begin with? Your business’ website is an essential tool for customers to find your business, get in contact, and hopefully drive sales. Making your website user-friendly is important for ensuring that your customers can easily navigate through the website, and understand your product.
This should include making sure your website is also mobile and tablet-friendly so your customers can view your website of multiple platforms of technology. Before your customers use your website they need to find it. You can do some keyword research yourself to see what your competitors are using on their site to make their content rank higher in Google searches.
Understanding what your audience is searching for online will help lead them to click on links to your website. Take for example a dog-sitting company; is your audience typing “dog sitters near me” more than “pet sitters near me”? Using the right keywords within your website will more likely drive more customers to your site.
We talk more about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and how to help your website rank higher on Google searches here. Check it out if you want to learn how to execute these techniques yourself!
Need Help?
Although these methods are the mere basics of online marketing, they’ve definitely proven to be effective for businesses when implemented correctly. Still overwhelmed with how to use online marketing for your business? No worries! Thankfully, you have come to the right place to have a group of professionals tackle your online marketing needs for you! We’re here to answer any questions or respond to inquiries you may have about an online marketing strategy. Schedule an appointment today!
