Small businesses that use online marketing strategies have seen growth in their revenue at a rate that is 2.3 times higher than small businesses that do not. In the digital age that we live in, establishing a presence online is important for a business of any size. When marketing your small business, it is important to keep in mind that online marketing can offer an array of opportunities to reach and engage with your target audience in a cost-effective way. To help you navigate the evolving world of online marketing for small businesses, Auburn Advertising has compiled a list of successful online marketing strategies that can help boost your small business.
1. Develop a Content Strategy
Online marketing is a powerful tool for attracting and retaining customers. You should begin your marketing efforts by developing a content strategy. Your marketing strategy should focus on providing valuable and engaging content. Content could include blog posts, articles, videos, and infographics. These pieces of content should be posted on the platforms you intend to utilize for your online marketing. You should also determine your target audiences for your business in order to know how and where to market your small business online. Examples include websites, social media, email, and online advertisements. Your marketing strategies should be determined based on your target audience, and those who will or should purchase your product or service. Aim to consistently deliver high-quality content that aligns with your audience's interests and needs. This way, you will establish your brand as an expert in the business, which will build trust with potential customers.
2. Social Media
Social media is an essential marketing platform for businesses. According to NerdWallet, 96% of small businesses use social media in their marketing strategies. It is a simple and relatively inexpensive marketing tool that has significant outcomes. To use social media for your small business marketing, you should identify the platforms where your target audience is most active and develop a strong presence there. Creating and posting relevant and interesting content will increase customer engagement. Utilize analytics tools provided by platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to gain insights into your audience's preferences and optimize your social media strategy.
3. Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) can play a vital role in increasing your online visibility. What is SEO? SEO is where a specialist can optimize the website for your small business and generate content on your site through blog writing and copywriting to increase your search engine ranking. Through researching and implementing relevant keywords, optimizing meta tags and descriptions, and ensuring your website has a user-friendly design, your small business will be sure to attract customers through this online marketing tactic.
4. Email Marketing
Despite the varying latest digital marketing platforms, email marketing still remains a tried and true way to effectively generate leads and start conversions for small businesses. Building an automated email list by offering incentives such as exclusive discounts, free resources, or a monthly informative newsletter is a great way to keep a consistent reminder of your business in the public's mind and to encourage business. You should separate your email list based on customer preferences and behaviors to deliver personalized content that builds a strong relationship between your small business and either current or prospective clients. Be sure to craft engaging email campaigns that drive recipients to take action, whether it's making a purchase or visiting your website, or storefront.
5. Online Advertising
Paid online advertising can allow you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors to reach your target audience. You can use IP targeting to run your digital ad campaigns at specific physical addresses using an IP address. This way, you can reach all devices connected to the internet at those addresses through this targeted marketing tactic. For example, if your small business is a pest control business, using IP targeting, you can input a list of your current customers as well as their neighbors to serve online advertising to neighborhoods with similar demographics to your current customers and potentially reach new clients. When marketing your small business through online advertising, you can experiment with different ad formats, such as display ads, video ads, or social media ads, but you should continuously monitor and design your campaigns to maximize their effectiveness.
6. Customer Reviews
Customer reviews and testimonials can significantly impact a potential customer's decision-making process. Encourage your satisfied customers to leave reviews on platforms such as Google, Yelp, or industry-specific directories. This is a great opportunity for a small business because it generates completely free word-of-mouth advertising, which can lead your business to be held in high regard in your community. When utilizing customer reviews, respond to both positive and negative reviews promptly. This will show your commitment to customer satisfaction and build trust with your audience.
How Auburn Advertising Can Help
Auburn Advertising is a public service to the Auburn community created by full-service advertising agency, Inner Spark Creative. We aim for Auburn Advertising to be a place for business owners to learn how to effectively market their businesses. We are here to provide our professional team’s skillset and expertise to help you develop your own. We understand that while we have given you the ideas to market your small business online, executing these strategies can become confusing. Our full-service agency, Inner Spark Creative, offers an array of digital marketing services that we would love to provide to spark growth in your business! Contact us to launch your online marketing strategy today!
