28 August 2015
Online Marketing for small businesses is not a choice but a necessity - for three reasons.
- It is the most inexpensive marketing vehicle available
- It is also the most powerful marketing tool around
- Your competition is likely on it and once they win the high ground,it is not easy to win it back
Thankfully, online marketing for small businesses is not as tough as it used to be, with one-stop service providers like
izmoWeb.com is now offering end-to-end web marketing services.
How do you startup your online marketing on a shoestring budget? Here are four steps to follow :
1. Get a well-designed, mobile friendly website with rich, focused content
Your
small business website is your Online Avatar – the 24x7 shop front that shows up every time when prospective customers search for your product or service, and drives them to your business. All of your marketing – from print handouts to social messages and promotions on Facebook, Twitter, and more, should lead to your website. Why? Because that is where prospective customers can find all of the answers they need, at any given time.
Go Responsive
First off, your website needs to be responsive – it should work equally well on PCs, laptops, tablets and mobiles. Prospective customers are increasingly researching products from multiple devices, and if your website is dysfunctional on mobiles and tablets, you are likely to miss out on 53% or more of your online business potential.
Wire it to show up
Second, it should be well thought and designed to show up in local searches. Your business name, website URL, telephone numbers, working hours and driving directions to your business – all should be available prominently in web searches, in a customer friendly manner.
Customer Focused, Deal Clinching Content
Third, your website should have purpose-built content which reciprocates your customer’s need – content that not just describes your services, but closes the deal and brings the customer to your doorstep.
That should include :
- Features of your product or service
- Your USP – the one reason why customers should buy from you, rather than the competition
- Your seasonal offers
- The loyalty rewards offered by your business
- Your community outreaches
Frankly, this is not a DIY project for 98% of small businesses. The best choice would be to sign up with a reliable web partner like
izmoWeb.com
2. Create a marketing Calendar and reach Out with your Marketing Promos
Once you have an effective business website up and running, you need to create an online marketing calendar – your rough promotional plan, say for the next three months or so.This will ensure that your website keeps humming with activity. Google will notice it, and so will your customers.
Once your marketing plan and calendar are ready, action it - reach out to your customers with your marketing promos. Build and upload promotional offers on your own website, send out occasional email with seasonal offers, and more.
This is a task that most businesses can manage on their own – provided that they have the right website solution with an easy-to-use website manager which allows them to build campaign pages on the fly.
3. Go Social
Your website is up and running and your marketing plan for the next three months is ready and moving. Now is the time to go social and engage with your customers and prospects.
More than 70% of your prospective customers are likely to buy from a small business after they interact socially. Facebook and Twitter work quite well for almost any customer facing business. YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram are all powerful social tools too.
Remember, on Social Media, you have to engage, and not sell. Your promotional content should be limited to 10% or less, and should be a part of your conversations.
4. Track Everything
Marketing is not a one-off activity, but a serious of interconnected dialogues with your customers and prospects. You need to find out what works for you in your market.
Invest in the time to track :
- Every Marketing Activity, and the Returns from it
- Customers and prospects contacted – build up this list carefully and review it periodically for business opportunities. As you grow, you may have to transition this to a CRM system like iCRM.
Small businesses that have implemented these are highly likely to win the upper hand and lead their local markets. It costs next to nothing to get started, so why not?