According to PRWeb a new survey indicates that although the number of small businesses that have a website has increased from 50% to 80% over the past two years, more than 40% still do not know how to professionally market their site. The survey also provided the following statistics:
- 20% of small businesses don’t have a website, of that 16% do plan to have one in the future.
- 41% believes their websites bring exposure but 28% don’t know if the website helps.
- 40% report they need help with small business SEO on their website for better search rankings
- 37% say they need help using Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
- Nearly 35% need help with email marketing promotions.
- 33% need help building inbound links to their website.
Unless you are a big name brand just having a website will not bring in the amount of traffic that you want. It is very important that you not only have a website but that you also know how to market it as well. The following are 15 methods to market a small business online, we have covered many of these tips individually so be sure to visit the links provided to get a more in depth look at each.
Although it is possible to have an online presence without a website it is always advised that the following methods are used to compliment your website rather than replace it. Creating a website yourself or paying someone to create one for your small business should be your first step. Your website will act as a central hub and connect with the rest of your online marketing efforts.
Search engine optimization or SEO is performing on page and off page methods to improve the visibility and rank of a website. SEO aims to generate greater traffic by increasing a website rank and authority in the search engines. If you are unfamiliar with Search engine optimization then you should hire an SEO expert.
Having a blog can help market your website tremendously. A blog is an excellent way to reach out to your existing clients and gain more along the way. A blog is extremely easy to set up and manage. Blogs offer a quick way to supply news, promotions, ideas, or other information to your audience. A blog can also establish you as a professional and offers an effective way to provide customer support. Additionally a blog will help earn your company respect, increase the traffic to your website, allow you to gain feedback, and may help you rank better because search engines like Google really like websites with blogs.
- Participate in Social Media
Social media has become a major influence in the world of Internet marketing. Using social media is easy to do and the reach is global. Social media is a great resource for any business because it has the ability to quickly spread your message and target your potential customers. Participating in social media establishes a communications platform that can assist companies with proactively monitoring and controlling their customer communication and perception.
Like most social media sites YouTube is a great resource for free marketing. Anyone with an account can upload a YouTube video but the real goal is to increase your presence and offer valuable entertainment to the other users. YouTube will generate more visibility for your website and will help it rank better in Google.
Businesses can increase their local presence with sites like Google Places , Bing Business Portal, Yelp, YellowPages, Superpages, InsiderPages, Localeze, CitySearch, or InfoUSA. These types of websites provide local citations or web references. Local citations are when another website mentions a business and its contact information, this can occur with or without a link to the business’s website.
Keep current with the reviews that your customers are leaving about you on review websites like Yelp. If you find a negative review take the necessary actions to correct the situation and if you find positive reviews find a way to work them into your website or sales pitch.
Email campaigns can be a great way for a business to generate an increase in traffic and sales. Many companies employing email campaigns often fall short of accomplishing their goals because their emails appear too spammy, lack customer value, or fail to project any personality. When sending out emails try to give your customers something to care about and appreciate, rather than just bothering them with useless information. Only relevant and appropriate information should be included such as promotions, events, product updates, business changes, and other information worthwhile for your consumers
A Fairly new method of internet marketing is using QR codes. These are two-dimensional icons that can be scanned by smartphone cameras to automatically pull up text, photos, videos, music, URLs, and even make phone calls or send emails. This form of brand marketing is on the rise and is providing businesses with many new, creative, and effective marketing opportunities.
- Read and Comment on Blogs
Commenting on blogs and participating in online discussions will build a credible reputation for you and your business. Online discussion will expand your network and open your website up to new customers. Some blogs even allow you to link your website to your comment which can provide a valuable backlink to your website.
- Join an Online Community and Participate in Forums
Joining online communities and participating in online forums is similar to commenting on other website’s. Forums provide an outlet for you to reach new customers and increase your visibility. Joining an online community specific to your industry is great for learning, networking, sharing experiences, locating job opportunities, meeting experts, and finding solutions to problems.
Submitting a press release or article to a directory works similar to a posting on your blog except that it is on another website where it can be seen by a different audience. If you submit unique and high quality content it has the potential to attract visitors to your website.
- Create Online Contest and Promotions
Create and advertise free stuff or promotions. Special promotions for online customers will most likely attract visitors. Holding an online contest is another great way to get your customers involved and even attract new ones in the process.
- Create Infographics or High Quality Content
An infographic is a pictorial representation of specific data or knowledge. Infographics can be a great way to showcase information on a particular subject area and can prove to be a good source of link value. Infographics have the ability to transform the plain material into interesting and exciting web content. Infographics have a reputation of being able to quickly spread across the internet which is why they are great for SEO.
A Link exchange or Reciprocal Link is one of the many ways for a website to gain backlinks. Backlinks are crucial to increase the link value and rank of your website. Reciprocal links are when two websites agree to exchange links with each other. Google looks at both the quantity and quality of a website’s backlinks which is why it is important to build your website’s backlink portfolio.
These are just some basic tips on marketing your small business or company website. These should provide a good starting point to get your company name out there and allow you to start attracting more visitors.
Thanks for Reading!
Dustin
CDTek.com
