Small Business Digital Marketing

Small business digital marketing is more straightforward than most business owners think; however, per usual, the real value here is in getting the job done. Anyone can read this article and understand it, but we challenge you to implement this in your business. You will absolutely see results.

If you’re new to small business digital marketing, these 5 steps should tell you 90% of what you need to know in terms earning customers from your Internet marketing efforts, at least in terms of using your website to generate new business.

Step 1: Define Your Customer

Small business digital marketing, like any type of marketing, requires an absolute focus over the identity of the customer, their habits, and everything related to their buying behavior, especially as applies to your types of products/services. Answer this question: Who exactly do I want to reach with my digital marketing, and be as specific as possible.

For example, I asked a plastic surgeon (client) the other day who exactly could afford their services. In turns out the answer told us not only the general income level of the target customer, but it also cut out a good chunk of surrounding geographical territories, which helps when it comes to social media and Google AdWords campaigns.

Step 2: Create An Enticing Offer For That Customer

Think creatively. What does that person want – what would make that person react? When you’re advertising you’re competing for attention on the Internet, which is very, very hard; it’s far less difficult however if you think about your offer from the perspective of the customer, what you know about that customer, and what would make that customer – at minimum – react. Like all marketing, small business digital marketing is all about what you can offer the customer of value.

Once they’re reacting, you’re part of the way there. To use the previous example of a plastic surgeon, the offer of a discounted Botox injection can be persuasive to the target audience. For a lawyer, the offer might be a complimentary consultation. If you really want to differentiate, explain how someone in that target customer base received that same offer from you in a way that was impactful for them. A testimonial about the value of your offer can be compelling.

Step 3: Create A Webpage Dedicated To Hosting Your Offer

You need a webpage that explains the offer with a strong call-to-action. The call-to-action could be “Sign Up!”, “Call Us!”, “Enter Your Email!”, etc. and be paired directly with the offer. For example, “Call Us for a complimentary 30 minute consultation!”. Try to be more creative than my example, however – remember, you’re competing for attention and a reaction.

Use simple language on the webpage, clear relevant images, and even ask an existing customer if the page makes sense to them. That can help clarify if the intention of your page is coming across well.

Step 4: Send Traffic To The Webpage

Without traffic, your small business digital marketing campaign is a bust. If a webpage is built on the Internet, and no one sees it, did it happen? It’s that sort of thing (the answer of course is that for all intents-and-purposes, the page did NOT happen). Traffic can come from a variety of sources. Online advertising through social media channels, such as Facebook, can deliver traffic immediately.

Small business digital marketing campaigns benefit greatly from targeted, measured, and experimental search engine AdWords-type campaigns. Just remember not to overspend.

Benefits of SEO In Small Business

Other options for getting traffic immediately include Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to appear in organic search results for searches related to what your business does. Small business digital marketing can also benefit from offline marketing through QR codes, radio promotions that send people to specific webpages on your website (such as your offer page), and other advertisements highlighting your offer and your website.

In the short-term, you may want to spend on AdWords to light a fire under your traffic, but in the long-term you should appear in organic search results, because customers trust them more.

Step 5: Monitor Your Offer And Optimize The Page

Google Analytics and a variety of tools are fantastic for learning more about the success of your webpages with your customers. Small business digital marketing is all about measurement. What you measure improves, and what you don’t usually doesn’t. Review how many people are clicking around the page, submitting email address, etc. Then change the page to make it more compelling – but make small changes at a time.

Overall, through this process, your small business digital marketing efforts will be a success. Now, just remember that execution is more important than the idea of this blog entry. Execute this process poorly, and you’re wasting money; however, done properly, and your online strategy becomes your business strategy. And, yes, we’re glad to help.