Marketing online for small businesses is not always easy. A limited budget as well as personnel and time reasons mean that compromises are necessary.
But especially for smaller companies, the Internet offers great opportunities to reach customers all over the world .
This post is about 6 tips for your small business that will help you become successful online.
The importance of online marketing 2020
Marketing has made a huge leap forward over the past decade. Most companies today have a website. If you want to play at the top, you should also offer your products online. For instance, a company selling wide area walk behind mower, also started selling lawn mowers online. Though lawn mowers are a slow consumer goods that need a lot of information to make a decision. People are now moving towards digitalized world where they can buy even large items online without leaving the premises of their home.
Corona has given the whole thing even more importance: never before in history has the online connection of people and companies been as important as this year.
Ten or twenty years ago, advertising on television, radio or in the print media was normal. Today most of the marketing activities are focused on the internet . Companies around the world are investing more and more of their advertising budget in online advertising and activities.
No wonder: 59% of all people in the world are now online. This means that you can theoretically reach over 4.5 billion people if you have an Internet presence.
Take advantage of these opportunities!
Here are 7 tips for your small business to become successful online:
1. Meet the requirements
Are you already online with your company? Do you have a website ? If so, great! You’re ready to go.
If not: First of all, take care of your website. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars building a website. There are a large number of providers of website builders on the Internet . Alternatively, you can hire someone to create it.
The important thing is to make sure that your website has a responsive design (this means that it is optimized for mobile viewing). It is important for Google and for your prospects that the site can be easily reached on the go.
2. What makes you special?
One of the most common questions is “How should I stand out from the crowd?”
I believe that every company is special .
You are definitely different from your competitors. Write down the things you do differently. Also write down the things you want to do differently.
Define your goals. Write a philosophy – why not?
This step cost me a lot of time (and nerves) when setting up my own business. But it made my head clear . Since then I have known who I am, what I can do, what I would like to offer and who I want to work for.
So: what makes you special? Does your company work particularly environmentally friendly? Do you have a special service? An extraordinary motto? Or do you have a special founding story? Go ahead, write everything down.
3. Use SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ensures that the 4.5 billion people find you online – when they look for you.
Make sure that is the case. For this, it is important that you deal with SEO and apply it .
If you don’t have time for SEO yourself, get advice on the options or hire someone to do it for you. This investment will usually pay off within two years.
4. Email Marketing
Don’t sigh. Email is still a very powerful tool for keeping your customers informed and in touch .
I know, I know: my e-mail inbox is just as cluttered with spam as yours. But do you know that too? There are these special newsletters that you enjoy every time they arrive. Those who offer you added value, who entertain or inform you .
And that’s exactly the point: make sure you send emails to prospects who are eagerly awaited: packed with solutions, information, and entertainment .
This is the only way you can make a name for yourself, stay in the memory of your target group and sell your products.
5. Social media
Do you already have a Facebook business page for your small business? If so, then fine. Otherwise: get one. You can do that with a few clicks. Share content there . That’s a good start.
In the second step, you should consider which social media platforms your target group is still using. Instagram? Twitter? Pinterest? Create accounts there. Get active and share content diligently .
When you have a little budget to spare, invest it in social media ads . So you can be sure that your content will also be seen.
6. Focus on high quality content
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “Content is King” before. Bill Gates made this statement in 1996 and to this day he has been proven right.
That means: Create high quality web content for your visitors on a regular basis , then you will be successful online.
The content should be genuine, helpful and of high quality .
Your readers are smart. They quickly notice whether you are interested in informing them or whether you just want to sell your product.