From the largest of global corporations to the tiniest of local startups, the internet dictates the success of all businesses. In order for your small business to meet the modern demands of consumers, you need to develop a digital marketing strategy.
Just because your company is small does not mean you can’t create a sensible strategy to get people interested in what you have to offer. To get started, look over these tips and learn how you can put together a plan that helps you use your internet presence to the fullest.
Start With Social Media
Social media is the main reason the internet has become such a critical battleground for businesses. Before Facebook changed the way most people use the internet, sites like Amazon and eBay operated in a niche way. Smaller businesses might have had a website providing information about the company, but selling goods or services through the internet was a separate industry. Once social media came about, everything changed. Not only do consumers expect businesses to have a presence on Instagram, Twitter, and other apps, they also want the accounts to share content worth following.
To begin your plan, think about your social media presence. Focus on developing content your followers will find engaging and want to share. By doing this, you’ll be creating a solid foundation for the rest of your strategy.
Use Your Ad Funds Wisely
Unpaid social media posts, called organic posts, are an important factor in building your business brand. These organic posts can help grow your presence but often, it takes a long time, and the reach of organic posts is declining due to the sheer number posted each day..each hour…each minute.
The good news is that paid ads can help speed up the process for potential customer to see your business. Although advertising online can easily be a very expensive endeavor, the beauty of social media ads, such as Facebook, is targeting and pay-per-click. There are a variety of online tools that you can use to research your audience and then specifically target only those people who will most likely look at your ads.
Working hand-in-hand with micro-targeting, pay-per-click (PPC) ads are an excellent way to spend your budge wisely. The beauty of PPC ads is that you ONLY pay when a consumer clicks on the ad and follows the link back to your site. This gives you more control of your budget and helps you reduce the odds of wasting money on ads no one engages with.
Optimize Your Assets using SEO
Having a website and social media accounts are a great start. To take your digital marketing plan to the next level, you need to optimize these assets. Consumers search for goods and services using specific keywords and phrases. Companies have to know what their customers are searching for and very clever in naturally putting “keywords ” that customer will use when searching for your products or services.
Part of search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of using these words in the copy found on your web assets, such as blog posts, studies, how-to- docs in order to rank higher on Google and similar sites. Use SEO to your advantage and see how it improves your organic traffic.
Developing a digital marketing strategy takes time. It can be overwhelming where to start and what to use. With a limited budget, it is wise to take some time to develop a long-term plan. Research your audience and your competition and focus on what you can provide best for your customers. Start with a just a few tactics but do it great! Become the expert in that field. Be the central resource for you niche. Start now and see how your small business benefits from a plan of action.