Ways to market your small business in 2021
Every business is unique. Therefore, it is key is to find the most effective solution for your business type and structure. Let’s explore different marketing ideas best suited to your needs:
Target the biggest audience: Social media marketing
Social media marketing involves the use of social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, to connect with your target audience to promote your brand, boost sales, and drive website traffic.
The main requirements for effective social media marketing are to publish great content, engage your followers, analyse results, and running social media ads.
Most cost-effective: Email marketing
Email marketing is used to enhance the relationship with your current or previous customers and to promote customer loyalty and repeat business.
The first step of email marketing is to collect email addresses from your customers. Remember that you always have to ask for some form of permission before you send out promotional emails.
Email marketing can be used to promote special offers or events, sales, and loyalty programmes. It is also effective to entice current or past customers to reorder products or services.
Best for long-term results: Content marketing
Offering useful and informative content can attract visitors to your website, where you can then attract them to make a purchase. Content comes in many forms and can include:
- Writing blog posts for your website
- Recording a podcast
- Writing press releases
- Creating infographics
- Rewriting your sales copy with a storytelling spin
- Adding case studies to your website
Best for quick results: Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
PPC is a model of internet marketing where advertisers pay each time an ad is clicked by searchers. So, rather than attempting to earn visits organically, PPC is a way of buying visits to your site.
Search engine advertising is one of the most powerful forms of PPC. It allows you to bid for advert placement in search engines’ sponsored links, so when someone searches for a specific keyword, your business is displayed in the search result. It is a fast and efficient way to gain traffic.
Best for visibility: Google My Business listing
Google My Business is a free tool you can use to promote your business on Google Search and Google Maps. All you have to do is to create a Google My Business account, connect with your customers, and post updates to your profile. Soon, customers will start to interact with your business on Google.
Five important questions about digital marketing for small businesses
How can I grow my email list for email marketing?
Your email database can be increased with opt-in features on your website that prompt users to provide email addresses in exchange for a newsletter or promotion from your business. Some social media platforms such as Facebook can also be designed to include opt-in sections.
How can I drive traffic to my website immediately?
Social media is one of the quickest ways to attract people to your website. You can use posts that include links back to your website to create funnel traffic to your website within a short time frame. Content that includes promotions, giveaways, and other engaging material is particularly effective.
Is blogging still valuable?
Yes. One thing that really attracts viewers and generates leads, is regularly publishing content that offers valuable information. Roughly 409 million internet users read about 20 billion blog pages monthly. As a result, 53% of marketers prioritise blogging as a primary content marketing strategy.
What is the difference between Google Ads and organic rankings?
Organic rankings involve listings generated from natural traffic to your website. So, your website produced traffic based on the content it offers. On the other hand, Google Ads is an advertising platform you can use to pay to run ads for their website. So, Google Ads marketing refers to paid traffic.
Why do you need to try so many different digital marketing methods?
By focusing on a variety of methods offers you more opportunities for increasing your reach online. But it is also important to understand that not all digital marketing methods are effective for all types of businesses. Therefore, it is useful to try out many techniques. Digital marketing for your small business must be a comprehensive approach that focuses on website optimisation, social media, content creation, and much more.
Make your business stand out
If you’re looking for a way to track brand awareness and ROI, you need a solid marketing strategy. One of the most effective methods of marketing today is using digital marketing solutions. Not only is digital marketing essential for promoting your products and services but growing your online presence is also critical to your business’s overall success. Ready to make your small business stand out in South Africa? Contact Web Guru today. We will find the right digital marketing solution for your business and help you to grow online.
