How to Promote Your Small Business Online – Guide
You may not have a lot of money to spend on marketing in the early stages of your startup, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t effective ways to get your brand out there. Before the Internet, small businesses had few opportunities to market their products cheaply, through methods such as flyer printing or sponsoring small local events. All kinds of options are now available on the web, you just need to know where to look. Our growing fascination with research dates back to the early days of the internet, before algorithms took over. At that time it was much easier to be found on the internet. It didn’t take all the technical knowledge, breadth and knowledge of hundreds of ranking factors to be discovered relevant in an online search. Today, however, with the evolution of Google’s top search algorithms and major customizations known to names like Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird, being found on the web is likened to a PhD. in physics or mathematics. As entrepreneurs, we all know that the best way to market a business online is to be found organically through a search at the top of Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs).
Ways to promote your small business online
Strengthen your SEO
You may not want to pay for ads on Google. Don’t worry, neither do we. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to rank higher in search results, and SEO is the best way to do that. The higher your rank, the easier it will be for people to discover you. While there are many ways to perform SEO online, today we are going to focus on two important SEO tactics to help you market your business more effectively. local SEO An easy way to be more visible in local search results is to improve your local SEO strategy. You can do this by claiming and listing your business on platforms like Google My Business, Bing Places for Business, and Apple Maps Connect. These are free tools designed to help organizations manage their online presence on their respective search engines and maps. Now, if you want to know what the big deal is with showing up in local search results, we’d like to highlight two key findings from a 2014 Google report here: You cannot take this information lightly when it comes to the organization that controls 92% of the search engine market. If you have a physical storefront and want to increase your local sales, this is a great opportunity. When you register on these platforms and add your organization details, potential customers can easily find your work hours, contact information, website, location, and more. When searching for your service with the phrase “near me”, your business is more likely to appear up in the results. traditional SEO While local SEO targets a specific geographic area, traditional SEO is for any business that wants to expand its digital reach and rank higher in organic search results. This is becoming more important as e-commerce choices up steam in various industries around the world. This type of SEO is aimed at optimizing your website, product listings, and general content to improve your discoverability. Using effective title tags and meta descriptions, performing keyword research, writing ALT text for images, and including clickable text phone number on your contact page are some examples of SEO best practices that can help boost your content marketing efforts.
Enjoy social media
Nearly 80% of Australians are active social media users, and a third of Australian consumers say they will inspect a brand’s social media presence before doing any kind of business with them. That said, many small businesses disregard social media marketing, which has tremendous potential to grow their business. Social media is an instant connection to the world – a powerhouse of visually rich content that people are constantly interacting with and sharing. You can establish a social media presence without spending a lot on paid ads or hiring an influencer to market your business. We recommend that you create a free business profile on whatever platform your target audience uses and start posting relevant and useful content in your niche. When people find that your posts are really helpful and engaging, rather than just blatant advertising, you’ll get organic followers that can eventually become customers.
Start email marketing
In terms of ROI, email marketing trumps almost all other marketing techniques. From sending out newsletters, seasonal offers and promotions to customer support, email is a versatile tool that every small business should use. The best part is that it’s highly customizable and exceptionally affordable. You can target and deliver relevant emails that add value to specific customers at a fraction of the cost of other marketing channels.
Create a business blog
Business blogs are an effective tool for building brand authority and credibility. While they may take longer to produce results than other marketing methods, they are undeniably an excellent investment for your business. When you share your experience writing blogs optimized for your industry, you give search engines more reason to show you on their results pages. It also helps you build domain authority and drive traffic to your website by reaching a wider audience. Simply put, the higher your search engine rank, the more people will find you and the higher your chances of converting into customers. For example, let’s say you run a photography business. If people looking for a Brisbane wedding photographer find your blog post on ‘Top 10 Photography Spots in Brisbane’, they may want to hire you if they are impressed with the photos you’ve taken and your in-depth knowledge of the field.
Join forums and online communities
Online forums are where people exchange ideas and interact with each other on a particular topic. Choose a suitable forum where you can meet potential customers, participate in discussions and actively contribute to your tips and opinions on topics related to your business. However, make sure you are sticking to the rules by promoting your business only in appropriate contexts. This is an excellent way to interact with potential customers, build relationships and introduce them to your services at the right time, when they are needed. Quora, Reddit, LinkedIn, Facebook and Flying Solo are some platforms where you can find dedicated small business groups or channels.
Final note
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