Online Marketing Basics

How to market your small business online

Not so long ago, internet connections were available via a phone line and we happily browsed the web, waiting for the images and long paragraphs to load, sometimes taking a couple of minutes to do so. It was not possible in those days to make purchases online; it seemed like a science fiction movie from the 70's. In the early days of the internet, a website was considered a luxury item, almost as a status symbol, because of the high cost of creating one. There are many things that have changed these days, as you are already aware. In today's business world, a business' website may be its best sales tool, here's why;

1. It is your best lead generation tool: Even smaller companies today can compete against the world's largest companies for customers thanks to lead generation: in today's market anyone can get customers through websites.

2. It is your most cost effective tool: Your website is the best method for taking orders, accepting new customers, and much more, 24/7 without needing anyone to wait on the line.

3. It is a simple way to test marketing: simply changing names, prices, pictures, copy, and much more to see what appeals to your customers is much easier than to try it with a catalog"

4. It's your own retailer: You can now set up an e-commerce website for your business that can accept payments, take orders, and automatically process the orders and ship them if necessary.

Understanding the process of online marketing

Although your website is probably one of the most important assets in your online marketing campaign, it is not the only thing you need. The majority of small businesses believe that simply creating a 5 page catalog website on the web will bring them all the customers they seek. In today's competitive marketplace, this is unlikely to accomplish anything for your business. In order to run and grow your business online, you have to create and follow a step-by-step marketing process.

1. Be consistent and take charge of the situation

Taking the time to educate yourself on the different online marketing strategies and managing your efforts online can assist you in achieving success in online marketing. Putting up a website, Facebook page, and Twitter account and then neglecting it will lead to failure and it will be attributed to some obscure evil internet god that you got into way too late or just unlucky, rather than the fact you are the perfect 22 year old Harvard genius. I've seen many people go through this, only to come back years later regretting all the success they could have achieved if they had stayed the course.

A great image is essential to your online marketing: you have to choose the colors you want for your logo and the font you want for your website. Even though most people consume a lot of content every day, it's often better to consume less. If you have flashy letters and loud music on your website, chances are that it is going to interfere with the sweet soothing music of your customer's online radio station, and she will quickly give up on your site. Ensure that all your marketing material includes the same creative elements as your website so you can build a brand for your business.

2. Develop your online brand

There are some companies out there who claim that web design is some obscure field where code wizards and design goddesses live. A great, effective website is relatively affordable with today's advances in online technologies. This is not to say find your 17-year-old nephew to create your website It doesn't take five or seven thousand dollars to get a very effective and attractive website.

3. Focus on Content:

Most people go online to find useful information. But the common error of many small business owners when they start creating a website, they put all the time and energy finding the right colors, the perfect logo on all the awesome images for the website but neglect to create the best content for their customers to read. To discover the wonders of search engine optimization, you need the content on your website that speaks to your customers interests. This is key in your online marketing efforts. If you don't feel as creative, I highly recommend you contact us to help you create compelling content for your site.

Companies often fail to communicate their offer and treat their website as a tri-fold brochure. Make sure you provide a clear explanation of what you've got to offer your customers and find the one reason they will visit your site. Whatever it is, communicate what you offer in clear and concise terms so that your prospective customers know what to do next. It could be a simple contact form for more information or even a video sales pitch.

4. Build your audience

This is where the magic happens. You can have the best looking website, all the social media pages in the world and so forth, but if no one can find you online it is pointless to spend time and money on these online adventures. Traffic=customers=sales

5. Search engine optimization:

SEO or search engine optimization is probably one of the most important pieces of the online marketing puzzle. This is where if done correctly can take your business from a small pop and mom corner shop to a large online retailer. Basically millions of people search every day for services and products online trough search engines, SEO is what helps you beat the competition so more people will find you. Online marketing wouldn't be complete without SEO, or search engine optimization. It is here where your business can grow from a small pop-up corner store to a large online retailer if done correctly. Basically, millions of people search every day for services and products online trough search engines, SEO is what helps you beat the competition so more people will find you.

6. Social media:

Facebook and Twitter have become part of life for most of us by now. These days, almost everyone is connected online through some social networking site - whether it be a friend, family member or colleague. Taking advantage of this opportunity requires you to create a social media campaign. Just like when I talked about web design, you won't gain any traction by just setting up a Facebook or Google+ profile; you must devise a strategy to interact with all of your potential customers.

7. Paid online advertising:

A paid online advertisement can be just as effective as some other online marketing methods. There are plenty of online marketing programs available to you such as Google AdWords, Facebook and banner ads, but you need to carefully analyze and understand where your money is going before you spend it.

There are plenty of other online marketing strategies to follow, but I wanted to highlight some of the most important basics that will hopefully guide you in the right direction. More details about online marketing campaigns for small businesses will be coming your way soon.

Our goal is to help small business create successful Online Marketing Campaigns at affordable Prices. Including Website Design, Branding, SEO and more. Click here to view our affordable digital marketing Plans