Every small business should implement effective digital marketing strategies to maximize its online exposure and attract customers. This may seem like a daunting task, however, if you don’t have the staff for it, lack the time to do it properly, or don’t know how. Given all that, we thought it would help to identify the best ways to build your online influence without getting too far afield with extravagant novelties. We’ve put together a list of four essential items that every small business should emphasize in order to grow their business.
Build an Effective Website
This is the home base for all your online affairs, and the final destination before an actual product/service purchase. Everything else (social media, search engine ads, etc.) lead to this. Therefore, it needs to be solid. Again, if you’re new to web development, then it’s vital that you hire an expert who can assemble something crisp, professional, and connected to every other online media apparatus.
Make Social Media a Priority
In some business models, particularly seasonal work or certain localized services, you might start with social media alone. That doesn’t mean the other components don’t matter, but illustrates how visibility on Facebook and Instagram is fundamental. Plus, it’s a quick way to reach a respectable ROI. While a reliable website could cost you a few thousand dollars, social media development doesn’t cost that much. Don’t forget that this is one of the easiest and fastest ways to interface with your customers any time of day.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
All this means is that you make your website content and other web components attractive to the Google algorithms, so that you’ll show up on people’s search results. SEO involves several important components such as dynamic web photos/graphics, HTTPS, effective backlinking throughout content areas, integration of Google Business tools, and so forth.
Pay Per Click (PPC)
Have you ever noticed the ad results that appear along with the regular search results when you browse for things online? Many of those are pay-per-click (PPC) ads, where you would create an ad, and pay for the keywords most associated with it (in a bidding process). Then Google displays the corresponding ads whenever someone searches for one of those purchased keywords. There’s a lot to this, but if you use this tool effectively, you’ll be able to target the folks in your area most likely to consider your product or services.
We hope these digital marketing pointers helped, and we’re always happy to share more with you when you partner with us at SRQ Business Alliance. We’re the premier local business alliance in Sarasota, Bradenton, and surrounding areas. Contact us anytime for more information about networking events and anything else we do by calling 800-807-0331.