A strong online presence is important, whether you’re launching a new small business, or you’ve been up and running for years. Digital marketing helps build and optimize your online footprint. That way, customers can quickly and easily find your business when searching for the products and services you offer.
Digital marketing may sound too hard if you’re a small business owner with little online marketing experience. However, a few key changes could make a big impact. Even if you’re not an online whiz or marketing guru, you can help improve your business’ online presence.
Here are five digital marketing tips for your small business to try this year.
1. Build your social media presence
Customers are increasingly looking for businesses on social media. Though there are exceptions, most small businesses probably need a page or account on at least one major social media platform. This can be a simple and inexpensive way to reach your current and potential customers, through both posts and ads.
Your business does not need to be on every social media site. In fact, it may be better and more sustainable to focus on just one or two and do them well. The platforms you choose should complement your business and be ones that your target audience are on.
2. Optimize your website for mobile
In 2019, 63% of Google’s organic search traffic came through mobile devices. So if your website is not mobile-friendly, you may be missing out on a lot of business.
Luckily, many web building tools and apps automatically optimize websites for mobile right out of the gate. This includes simplifying menus, resizing images, and decreasing the amount of time it takes a page to load. If you work with a web designer to build and maintain your site, they should be well versed in best practices for mobile optimization.
3. Focus on local SEO
When people search businesses like yours “near me”, you want your business to appear high in the rankings. This is where local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in. It may sound technical, but there are simple steps that small businesses can easily take to help improve their local SEO.
If local customers are important to your business, adding your location to the title tags and meta descriptions on your website can help them find you. Listing your business in online directories is also essential. Create accounts in Google My Business, Yelp, Yellow Pages and other similar sites for your small business. Be sure your details are accurate and consistent on each site, so customers have no trouble finding you or getting in touch.
4. Start blogging
Search engines love new content. Blogs are a great way to help improve your SEO rankings, but can also provide another way to engage current customers and attract new ones. Think of a blog as another space to share helpful information about your products, services, or industry.
While you should try to post regularly, you shouldn’t blog just for blogging’s sake. The content you share should be relevant to your audience. You can also optimize each article for SEO by including images, adding links to other pages on your website, and balancing the number of keywords you include.
5. Ask for online reviews
Online reviews are important to customers: 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020. Asking your loyal customers to leave you a review could help your business reach buyers who are on the fence and help you get found in search rankings.
Asking for online reviews could be as simple as sending a follow up email after a purchase, including an ask on receipts or invoices, or asking in person. Be sure to let your customers know where you prefer that they post their reviews. There are hundreds of review sites out there, but you may make the most impact by focusing on a few. Depending on your small business, sites like Google, Yelp, and Better Business Bureau (BBB) might be the way to go.
Market your small business—and protect what you’re building
These might be just the first steps you take in your online marketing journey, but over time they could make a big impact for your small business.
While you focus on marketing your business, you may also want to consider protecting it as well. Business insurance could help create a safety net to help your business weather events that could put a strain on your finances or operations.
BizInsure makes it easy to compare multiple types of insurance policies from different insurers at the same time. Save time finding and buying business insurance and focus instead on your great marketing efforts!
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