Small businesses need the internet. Even if the pandemic didn’t sweep the nation in 2020, they would still need an online presence. That’s because their customers have moved online to do most of their shopping. Prior to COVID-19, projections showed that eCommerce would generate close to five billion dollars in 2021. This figure will probably continue to rise. Therefore, your small business needs to be part of the eCommerce boom as well.
Of course, marketing is required to make this happen. However, it doesn’t mean you have to heavily invest in a consulting firm. There are easier and less costly ways to elevate digital marketing to grow your business. Here are a few suggestions.
Increase Your Social Media Presence
You don’t have to post a dozen items a day across your social media accounts. Instead, be selective and use content generators that provide relevant material to engage your readers. Mix those offerings along with promotions about your upcoming products. What you don’t want to do on these social media platforms is express heavy-handed opinions on politics and other global events. Your customers don’t want to see this material. It might paint you in a different picture, In turn, you lose dedicated customers.
Blog
Blogs are still relevant, particularly if you don’t use them to express ultra-critical opinions. Like social media, that causes your information to go viral in a different way than you desire. Instead, you want to use your blog for information customers normally don’t get. For instance, they want to read about new products and how they came about. They want to know your business philosophies and how you regularly apply them. They want to know if you have any favorite charities.
In other words, customers old and new want to know about you. A blog is a great way to make this happen. Furthermore, you don’t have to write one every day. A regularly scheduled weekly column draws more people in because they anticipate your next piece.
Guest Blog
Another way to elevate your digital marketing is to write guest columns for other blogs. In particular, those related to your industry or the small business environment as a whole. These are locations where you can be a subject matter expert on things you’re passionate about. Take some time to research these types of blogs, then read past entries. Reach out to the blog owner if you have any questions before submission. When it’s released, make sure to backlink it on your own website. This results in additional traffic being fed to the guest blog.
Create A Mobile Application
This is the best way to not only market your business but also add a new revenue stream. Plus, it doesn’t cost much to create and launch. Instead of relying on a team of developers, you can create one through an app maker. Several platforms offer the ability to create your own mobile app. There are dozens of templates for both Android and Apple. You follow the steps to add the material, set the security options, and run quality checks. You can launch the app when everything is given the green light.
Promote Affiliate Marketing
The best thing about affiliate marketing is it costs little or nothing to set up. What you do is add your products to an affiliate site. Amazon is the prime example of this type of place. Next, allow affiliate marketers to link and review your products. When their readers and customers click on the link, they go right to your item for a quick purchase. Not only do you increase your revenue but you also earn a commission for the marketer. The more people who promote your product the greater promotion it receives.
There are many more ways to elevate digital marketing for your small business. However, don’t try all of them out at once. Look at them all and see which ones fit your business model. Next, take time to educate yourself on how they work.
Conclusion
Don’t give up if one or more marketing methods fail. Tweak them if needed or try something else. Eventually, you’ll end up with a group of digital marketing tools to increase your business’ profile.
