Marketing your small business online

Small business plays a huge part in our communities, economy, and everyday lives. They are so important, in fact, that about 65% of new jobs are created by small businesses. There are tons if small businesses out there specializing in everything from car repair to website design. In this fast-paced world with so many small businesses to choose from, how can you make your business stand out and be successful?
Online marketing is a terrific way to build your company’s customer base and reach as many potential clients as possible. There are many ways to market your business online. With each marketing strategy, you will be able to reach different groups of people and test out which marketing techniques work best for your business.

Take Advantage of Social Media

You’ve heard the quote ‘nothing in life is free,’ right? Whoever coined that saying never marketed their business on social media. The biggest advantage of marketing on social media is the sheer number of people that you can reach. With options like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and many others there are tons if platforms to utilize when advertising your business. Another great thing about social media, you never know when something will go viral! Since everyone can like and share what you post on our business page you could wake up to a million likes by posting something interesting. By using social media, you can reach untapped markets and uncover a gold mine of new customers!

Start a Company Blog

If you have a little extra time and a knack for writing interesting pieces, starting a blog for your company may be a great idea. Starting a blog is quick and easy using any of the blog sites available online. Your posts don’t have to be long, but it is important to make posts regularly to keep current readers and attract new ones. You can write about anything you wish regarding your business. Telling readers about your daily life as a business owner, explaining why you started your business, and going into detail about your products and services could all be quite interesting to your readers. By keeping up with a blog and posting compelling content you can build a loyal customer base without breaking the bank or taking up your valuable time.

Spread the Word with Email

Using email to reach customers if a tried and true online marketing tool. This method sends mass emails out to those who have subscribed to your mailing list. Emails help to keep your company fresh in the minds of your current customers. These emails can be quick company updates, new product announcements, or current promotions. If you already have a well-established customer base emails can be a very effective tool. However, emails should not be relied upon for all your online marketing needs. Using email to supplement your online marketing techniques is a terrific way to keep current customers and perhaps attracts few new ones.

Attract Attention with Giveaways and Promotions

Everyone loves to get a great deal! One of the best ways to catch the eye of a potential customer is to offer them a chance to win your products or services or to get a great discount on them. A great way to attract customers to your social media with a giveaway is to hold an online raffle. Companies do this by making a post saying “if you like, comment, and share this post you will be entered to win a prize.” This will attract people who might have otherwise never found your company because others will share the post. Also, since they must like your page to enter the contest they will get your social media updates automatically which keeps your business fresh in their mind. Even though you are only picking a limited number of winners, others may be so excited to win the prize that they end up buying whatever product or service you were raffling off. That’s a great outcome for such a simple marketing strategy!

Outsource to a Marketing Site

If all this information seems overwhelming or you simply don’t have time to implement these techniques, there are sites online that will do your online marketing for you. These sites specialize in creating effective marketing for your company and distributing it among the proper channels. Since you do not have to be the one who sets these marketing strategies up you can free up this time and put it into doing work for your company. If you aren’t sure if using one of these sites would be effective for you, you can perform a cost-benefit analysis and decide. Consider how much your time is worth when you pour it into your business. Then, calculate approximately how much time you will need to spend each week on your online marketing. If the cost of a marketing site is less than you would lose by investing your time into it, a marketing site might be worth considering. This strategy means that you can concentrate on your business and current customers and attracting new ones is taken care of for you.

If you aren’t sure where to start with online marketing for your small business, don’t worry! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when entering the vast realm of the internet. By taking one baby step at a time to begin marketing online you will be able to slowly gain knowledge about what works for your business while gaining customers at the same time. If you concentrate on giveaways and promotions but they don’t seem to be doing the trick, move on to the next method that you believe will work for you. You are sure to find an online marketing technique that helps you to grow a strong and successful business.