How To Get Started With Digital Marketing For Your Small Business 2023
For small businesses looking to make a name for themselves within their industry, a solid digital marketing strategy is a must. There are many thousands of businesses vying for user attention every day. To stand out from the crowd you need to set your business apart from the rest online.
With so many different platforms and tools at your disposal, it’s never been easier to get your company into the public’s view – but it can be difficult to know where to start.
The digital landscape is constantly shifting gear, and what is good for other businesses will not necessarily be the best option for yours. The prospect of digital marketing can be a little daunting for small businesses, especially start-ups.
Having said that, there are certain things that are pretty standard right across the board, regardless of industry or company size.
The best way to develop a solid marketing plan is to begin with the basics. So let’s take a look at how to get started with digital marketing for your small business.
Establish your objective, define your audience:
The first step to online marketing success is to establish a clear objective and define your target audience.
Everything becomes easier once you know exactly who it is you are aiming your products at, where to find them, and what you want them to do.
With a clearly defined goal and a solid grasp on your intended market, you can build your strategy around reaching those people and maximise your chances of achieving the desired results.
Don’t waste time, effort, and money communicating with those who are not interested or in need of what your business has to offer.
Once you have established your ideal customer profile; use this information to inform the design and development of your marketing strategy, as well as your company’s branding and online presence; including the layout and colour scheme of your website.
Speaking of websites…
Get a professional company website:
If your online marketing strategy is to include just one thing, a website it is.
Your website is the heart of your digital presence. This is where customers can buy your products, book your services, and find out everything they need to know about your business.
A professionally designed website with impactful design and an easily navigated layout will provide a positive user experience – driving audience engagement, boosting sales, and establishing your brand in the minds of the consumer.
What’s more, your website is the one area of your online presence that you have complete control over; from content and structure to design and functionality. You aren’t held back by the design choices and limited flexibility of social media platforms and other marketing tools. You’re limited only by your imagination.
Find your social platforms:
We mentioned above the limitations in design and functionality on social media platforms in comparison to your own website. This does not mean, however, that you should not include social media in your business’s marketing. In fact, social media is an integral part of your online marketing strategy.
According to recent social media research there are more than 4.5 billion people currently using social media platforms– That’s a lot of potential customers.
But of course, you aren’t going to reach all of them, and not everyone is going to be interested in your products and services. So it’s best to focus your attention on the platforms that are best suited to your business – where your target audience is most active.
Do a little research into each platform and find out which one will best serve your business and where you will likely get the most engagement.
Facebook; Twitter; Instagram; TikTok; Snapchat; YouTube. These are all incredibly popular mediums with huge user numbers – but are your target audience actively using them?
Social media is an incredibly valuable tool for businesses. Just be sure to prioritise your time and effort on those that will be most beneficial to your business.
Write blog posts:
Blog posts are an effective form of content in driving traffic to your website and improving SEO.
Regularly posting industry-relevant content to your blog provides value to your customers and establishes your company as an authority in your sector; driving engagement and converting leads into sales in the process.
Blog posts come in many forms and are some of the most consumed types of content online.
Some common styles of blog posts include ‘how-to’ tutorials and ‘Top 10’ lists. These types of posts don’t require a large amount of writing and are structured in a way that is easily digestible and appealing to readers.
Creating quality blog content on a regular basis can be time-consuming, but the rewards when done well are worth the effort.
Search Engine Optimisation:
As a small business, you will be wanting to maximise the potential of your website being found via search engines such as Google and Bing. To achieve this, you need to optimise your site for search results.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is an integral part of your digital marketing strategy, as the benefits of being included in organic search results are great.
There are a number of factors that dictate your SEO performance; page load speed; content quality, keyword relevance, and mobile optimisation are a few areas to consider when optimising your site for search.
It takes time to see the results of search engine optimisation, so you will want to have your website search optimised from the outset.
Next steps.
These five areas are the basis of any successful digital marketing strategy. Take note of the steps and actions we have detailed above and you are sure to get your online marketing off to a great start.
If you feel that your business could benefit from some assistance with your marketing strategy, get in touch with our friendly team here at it’seeze Web Design Watford to discuss our affordable website packages.
Our websites are professionally designed, easy to edit, and fully responsive. Each package comes complete with basic SEO implementation and ongoing expert support as standard.
Tagged as: Digital marketing for small business
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