7 Digital Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
Small businesses and their leaders face various challenges every day. Of these, one is routinely cited as the biggest problem by SMB owners: marketing. In order for small businesses to grow, they have to be able to market their products and services, which often is easier said than done.
To make things even more confusing, the rise of digital marketing has forever changed how companies of all sizes approach this important function. For small businesses and their owners, digital marketing can seem like an overwhelming and stressful task. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, if done well, digital marketing can be the secret to growing your business!
Small businesses who embrace the digital world and make it a focal point of their marketing efforts can set themselves up for future success. And while some digital marketing initiatives may seem more daunting than others, there are plenty of resources available to assist with those efforts.
Let’s look at seven digital marketing tips for small businesses and their leaders!
1) THINK MOBILE FIRST
There is no denying it anymore – we live in a mobile world. Phones and tablets have made it easier and more convenient than ever for people to connect to the internet. You can bet your current and potential clients use their mobile devices to view your websites, emails, and other digital content.
Small businesses, like larger organizations have already done, must update their resources to meet the expectations of their audience. It is crucial to ensure that your website is mobile optimized and fully functional on phones and tablets. If you don’t think mobile first with your digital content, you are most certainly missing out on potential clients!
2) IMPROVE YOUR WEBSITE DESIGN
Websites are the backbone of every company’s digital marketing strategy. Your website needs to look, feel, and act modern. An outdated or poor-functioning website will almost certainly lead to lost business.
As mentioned above, step one is ensuring your site is mobile optimized. Partnering with a website management or graphic design team can help with this. In addition, making sure that your website design is modern, sleek, and easy-to-use is a must. If you are not sure what that means, just check out some larger company sites as an example. You can use their site designs as a framework for yours.
3) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LOCAL SEO
Everyone knows that SEO is an integral part of any digital marketing strategy. One common mistake small businesses make is forgetting about local SEO. Since many SMBs are focused in one or a few areas, making sure you show up in internet searches in these geographic areas is key.
One of the best ways to boost your local SEO is to set up a Google My Business account. This is an extremely valuable tool for local or regional companies. Another way to enhance your local SEO strategy is through keywords. Make sure your website clearly lists the areas and locations where your company does business. This will increase the likelihood of your business appearing in local Google searches.
4) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
By this point, everyone knows about social media and how it can help a business. Yet, there are still many companies, mostly SMBs, who are either inactive on social media or not on it at all. These are big mistakes that can hurt your business.
Social media is a great tool for building your company’s brand and image. You can use social networks to build a following and engage with your audience. Not to mention that social media does play a part in SEO. While you don’t have to be on every social network, be sure your small business is at least active on a few!
5) VISUAL AND VIDEO CONTENT MOVES THE NEEDLE
You may be sick and tired of hearing it, but content matters, especially for digital marketing. Original pieces of content are a must for any SEO and digital marketing strategy. When people think of content, they most often think of blogs and articles. While these should be part of your strategy, don’t forget about visual and video content.
It has been proven that video and visual content receive significantly higher engagement numbers than other forms of content. Video and visuals are great resources for websites, emails, and social media. Don’t overlook this when deciding how to approach content creation.
6) PROVIDE VALUABLE INFORMATION, NOT JUST A SALES PITCH
This tip is true for companies of all sizes. Creating original content is important for any marketing strategy. Sending emails to your database is a great way to nurture potential clients and keep them up to date with your company. But if you are only creating content that talks about yourself, then you can bet you won’t get much return on investment.
Instead, focus your efforts on creating educational and thought leadership content. These can be blog posts, articles, videos, and infographics to name a few. By providing your audience with valuable content and information, it helps to build your brand and reputation. This is invaluable for all businesses.
7) FOCUS ON POSITIVE REVIEWS
Customers, clients, and even employees like to share their experiences with your organization on the internet. The rise in social sharing sites like Yelp and Glassdoor has made it easier than ever for people to rate and review businesses. For SMBs, these reviews can make or break the company.
Small-business leaders should focus their efforts on increasing the number of positive reviews their company receives. The best way to do this is to ensure that your company delivers on its promises to your customers. As for Glassdoor, SMBs should be sure to build employee happiness and engagement, and make sure that the workforce feels attached to the business. Don’t underestimate the value of positive online reviews.
GROW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS BY EMBRACING DIGITAL MARKETING
Some small-business leaders can feel overwhelmed and stressed when thinking about marketing, especially digital marketing. However, those SMBs that fully embrace the digital world within their overall marketing strategy are setting themselves up for business growth and success. There’s no need to fear digital marketing. Instead, focus on turning it into a powerful resource for your small business!
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