Local Online Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
With tight budgets and limited time, small businesses often struggle to stand out against their competition and we know that marketing is not easy, and if you’re a small local business with a small budget, it can be even more difficult. Local Online Marketing can be a solution to this dilemma.
Here are some small business marketing ideas that will help make your business one to remember.
Publish Great Content:
The benefits of content marketing far outweigh the time, money and effort that goes into it so when you produce and distribute content consistently, you not only provide ongoing value to your audience, but you also show search engines like Google that your content is fresh, relevant and valuable to the conversation. Every time you write something before publishing it, just read it and ask yourself, “Is this helpful?” Other mistake businesses do when they start creating content they set unrealistic goals and give up too early.
Use the advantages of Google Analytics:
Google Analytics is a great tool to use to know about your market, competition and customer activities. Track data from your Website and monitor customer journeys. You can also get a clear picture of what your competitors are doing right and map areas where your business has room for improvement. Interpret the data and crank out reports, charts, and graphs that will help in formulating your own strategy.
Reviews:
Your online reputation as a small business owner could be the deciding factor when a prospective customer is searching for your product/service. Positive or negative reviews and how you handle them can be a customer’s deciding factor when it comes to their decision to contact you. This is why it is a good practice to respond to every review you can.
Some of the common mistakes to avoid include:
- Duplicate listings
- Setting up unnecessary new listings after a change of address
- Business name misuse e.g. adding unnecessary promotional messages.
Reviews can be very helpful as well for SEO and your company’s ability to rank above the competition. Small local retail businesses need to push for their customers to give them their honest review. Whether it’s on Yelp or Google Places, it will help.
Maximize Your Video Marketing:
Video content is really valuable, and while it can cost big bucks to get professional YouTube videos produced, there’s nothing wrong with giving it a shot yourself, you don’t need to really buy equipment to make professional looking videos. You can use your phone assuming it’s somewhat modern, prop it up on a cup of coffee as your tripod and start practicing your video skills.
Develop Email Marketing:
Email marketing is one of the best ways to market your services and content to a quality audience. Great content doesn’t guarantee that recipients will open your email. There are, however, ways to improve audience engagement, open rates, and conversions.
There are a really comprehensive email marketing guides which ensure you cover all the essential email marketing questions. Some of which are:
- Do you know the legal side of email marketing?
- Have you chosen a provider?
- Do you know what your competitors are doing?
- Do you know how to craft an effective email?
Keep thinking about your business and customers as both of them change, grow, and evolve. You’ll find new ways to improve customer experience and your bottom line if you keep your eyes open.