Importance of online marketing for small businesses
It costs too much; I don’t need it; it takes too much time to set up, …
That’s what many small business owners say when offered online marketing services.
Many entrepreneurs are hesitant to invest in online marketing during the start-up phase of their business because they are not convinced of the return on investment.
However, if you want to grow your business in today’s modern world, not investing in online marketing could be an expensive omission. There are many entrepreneurs who, after a few years in activity, regret not having put in place a sound online marketing strategy earlier.
And a solid marketing strategy doesn’t have to be expensive! Many businesses started on a low marketing budget and are thriving today. How? By focusing on strategies and tactics that are inexpensive, but have the best return on investment.
Define your marketing strategy’s objectives
Digital marketing is a generic term that groups together several techniques allowing a company to gain visibility and, therefore, notoriety thanks to the internet.
Whichever method you pick, the main objective will be to attract the maximum number of qualified prospects to your company and ideally convert them into customers. How?
The starting point is necessarily the existence of a website.
90% of people have the reflex to search on Google for the information they lack. So imagine for a moment that your prospect is looking for exactly your activity in your geographic area and cannot find you even by typing your name.
What do you think he or she will do?
As per lessexcuses – He or she will simply go check the competition. So before anything else, take the time to create a website because your potential customers must be able to find you!
Then you have to manage to attract prospects to your site. This is called traffic.
For this, two solutions exist:
- paid advertising (GoogleAds, Facebook, etc.). The results can be fast and the right audience can be targeted, but the cost can quickly be high, especially for a small structure.
- free SEO, which focuses on keywords and quality of content. Results take longer to be meaningful but are more lasting. Your future customers and search engines will see it as a token of trust and expertise.
To promote your business on the web, digital marketing uses different types of content. For example:
- blog articles
- e-books
- newsletter and email campaigns
- infographics
- videos
- social media posts
- google my business
Your digital strategy will have to mix all these techniques and content in a way that is the most appropriate for your business.
What is your best digital marketing strategy
Digital marketing techniques are numerous, and there are many ways to implement them. This depends on your product or service, your target market, your marketing budget, your brand, your experience, your preferences, etc.
Every business is unique with its unique prospects and expectations. This is why every digital marketing campaign should be tailored-made. Ready-made mass-produced SEO campaigns are not going to work as they will not take into account your business specifics.
You have to get a personalized digital marketing strategy for a higher chance of success.
Thus, a professional who sells you a prefabricated solution without having discussed your business and your projects beforehand will not be able to assure you of good results.
Here is an example.
Your target client base is made up of young women aged 15 to 30 who are passionate about the world of beauty. Your prospects will be present on Instagram without a doubt. Posting content and stories daily on this social network will be very relevant to attract their attention. On the contrary, posting on LinkedIn every day will be a complete waste of time and, therefore, money.
Small businesses need tailored marketing
Whether you realize your digital marketing strategy yourself or with the help of a professional, take the time to think about the relevance of your actions. Otherwise, you risk getting discouraged quickly.
To be effective, your digital strategy must answer the following questions as precisely as possible:
- my prospects: where are they online? what are they looking for? how are they looking for it? at what time?
- my website: is it only a showcase site? with a blog in addition? if yes, to publish what, when, how? do I want to sell my products there?
- social networks: which ones? how often do I need to post on them? what time of day will I publish? what content?
These questions are just a starting point.
Depending on your answers, more questions will follow. It is essential to do this preliminary work because this is how your strategy will be built from the ground up.
You can then establish an action plan detailing the list of tasks to be performed associated with the expected objectives. Setting an editorial calendar for each chosen mode of communication will be essential.
Small businesses need online marketing
Developing your business is your main concern. Have you thought about digital marketing?
As a small business, you should use online marketing for three main reasons.
First, you should use digital marketing as a small business just because you are a small business!
Indeed, you have to forge a brand image for building and renewing your client base. Standing out from the competition is a real challenge. But thanks to digital marketing, you will be very easily accessible to your prospects and customers, and you will gain notoriety.
Next, consider the return on investment in digital marketing.
Digital marketing can help you stand out from the competition without an astronomical communication budget. Advertising campaigns in the local newspaper, on the radio or billboards, all cost a real fortune. However, these traditional marketing techniques target a mass audience and not necessarily your target audience.
Web marketing allows you effective targeting while following your results precisely. You can, therefore, easily measure your return on investment.
You can even build your entire marketing strategy for free or for a few dollars, but this may involve much more work on your plate. Indeed, there are very affordable solutions for creating your website and campaigns. The same goes for social networks and their management.
Finally, digital marketing works for all businesses, even for small news site like NewsiLike.
The effectiveness of web marketing does not depend on your activity: all businesses, big or small, should have a professional website and increase their visibility online.
If your core business is very far from all these concerns, it is recommended to delegate these tasks to a professional.
This investment will allow you to focus on developing the business itself and give your full attention to your customers. During this time, your digital marketing expert will promote your brand image on the web with all the efficiency required for the sustainability of your business.
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