Small business marketing is a highly underestimated job, because most owners are way too busy just…
…running their business.
Believe me, running a small business isn’t easy these days.
So how do these owners put their company on the online map?
Melissa Davis has a few tips on that issue. And if you’re not an owner yourself, read this carefully, as you may discover this is a business for yourself, helping out local merchants.
Here goes. Enjoy!
Anyone who owns a business knows that small business marketing is no easy task.
Owners are bombarded each and every day by a variety of different ad reps telling them that their product will flood them with customers.
The truth is, there are many good advertising products which can deliver customers; however, if you would like to focus on the most cost-efficient and effective means of marketing your small business then online advertising is the way to go.
Do it your self?
Many small-business owners are very busy and may think they do not have time to figure out how to use the Internet to leave their mark. This is often times a misconception when it comes to advertising online.
There are many things that may get you penalized by the search engines, but some companies may still employ some tactics which are questionable in order to gain short-term results. The following are a few things you can do in order to accomplish your small business marketing online yourself.
Pay per click is one of the first things most small business owners try out when they are getting started with online marketing.
This simply means you are bidding on keywords which your customers are searching for in order to appear at the top of search listings.
PPC campaigns can be very effective, but there are some downfalls.
These campaigns must be followed closely in order to be profitable. Many small business owners simply try to outbid the competition to get to the number one spot. However, if your conversions are not good you can end up losing a lot of money in a short amount of time.
Before getting started in pay per click you should thoroughly research all aspects and nuances of this marketing method.
Free Organic Search
Ranking your website highly in the organic search results is a combination of successful on page and off page SEO.
On page SEO simply means making your website search engine friendly which your designer can help you do. You will also want the keywords you are trying to rank for to appear on your pages.
The second part of ranking involves off page SEO which generally consists of building links to the pages you are trying to rank. Many of the search engines, such as Google, see a link pointing to your site as a positive vote. The more votes you get the higher you can rank.
Here are a few places where you can get links for your website.
• Article Directories
• Blog Comments
• Forum Posts
• Business Directories
• Link Exchanges with Related Sites
Social Media
Social media is becoming very popular with small business marketing.
Creating a Facebook fan page for your business and promoting it through your friends and family is a great way to drive traffic to your business.
Also, media such as Twitter can also be utilized. If you are a restaurant owner you can urge current customers to sign up to follow you on twitter and even leave their e-mail addresses for specials. Whenever business is slow simply send out a Tweet or an e-mail with a special coupon which has to be used within the next couple of hours to try and drum up some business.
You may also find popular local blogs which you can follow and interact with in the comment section. Many blog owners will allow you to leave a link to your business in your posts. Be helpful and honest in your comments and you may see the results with increased business.
Theses are only a few on the ways you can use the Internet for small business marketing. Let these examples spur your imagination and good luck!
