How Hard Do You Work to Market Your Small Business Online?
Owning a small business can be challenging but marketing that small business online can sometimes be even more challenging. If you own a medium size or large business, it is probably safe to assume that you have a lot of support in running that business. If you own a small business, that may be a different story.
The approach that you should take to market your small business online
When it comes to marketing a business online, it is clear that there is a great deal of work to be done when going from Point A to Point B. If you own a small business, your budget will most likely be smaller than other, larger companies. However, that doesn’t mean that you are finished before you even begin. There is still plenty that you can do to market your business and, believe it or not, it doesn’t all have to come out of your budget. Of course, there is always a price to pay but it may not be in dollars. You will have to spend a lot of time and effort to market your small business, which you would do whether you were also spending money on your marketing efforts or not. The question that might be on your mind now is, “How do you market your small business online effectively?”
Your budget
Although there are plenty of things that you can do that don’t involve money (as was previously stated), that doesn’t mean that you won’t need money for anything. You still need to have a budget set aside from which you can draw the necessary funds. There may be occasions when you feel that it is necessary to spend money on software, hardware, etc. Probably, what you won’t spend money on (or very little, if at all) is advertising.
[tweetthis]The majority of small businesses are word-of-mouth businesses.[/tweetthis]That means that the “advertising” won’t cost you anything. However, what you will need to accomplish is developing a solid relationship with your online connections and get them to the point where they trust you, find you credible, and regard you as an expert in your particular niche or industry. None of that will happen without the foundation of the relationship being established first.
Determine what is worth outsourcing and what is not
Because you have a limited budget, you must be very careful about the financial decisions that you do make. Before you purchase anything at all for your business, think twice about whether you really need that particular thing and then think again.
[tweetthis]If there is any way that you feel you can do without it, don’t purchase it.[/tweetthis]However, there are services that are worth paying another person to do for you. If you have that type of situation with your business, the money will most likely be well spent. When it comes to deciding upon what to outsource, tread very carefully. The last thing that you need is to deplete your budget before you have had a chance to save enough money for what you are doing and for what you want to do in the future.
Consider your branding and your search engine optimization efforts
Without branding, your business (whether it is small, medium, or large) will go nowhere. You need to have a brand, a story, and a voice that other people remember and that other people come back to over and over again. Without optimizing your content for the search engines, other people will not be able to find you and your business. Those two elements are absolutely necessary for you to succeed in business. When it comes to the SEO aspect of your business, if you write effective content with the right keywords, key phrases, anchor text, etc, there is a great deal that you can accomplish without any outside help. Learn how to do it. It isn’t nearly as complicated as you might think it is.
Make sure not to spread yourself too thin
One of the main differences between a large company and a small company is that in a large company, there are a lot more resources and a lot more people to accomplish everything that needs to be done. In a small company (depending on your staff and the size of your company), you may find yourself in a position of doing most of the work yourself (out of necessity). If you are stretched too thin, something is bound to fall through the cracks and that is never a good thing.
Make use of your social circles
No matter what the size of your network is, you can still put it to work. Connect with those people. After all, you have a connection with each and every one of them for a good reason. You may be surprised at how much they are willing to help you in any way that you need them to help. At the very least, they can spread the word about your business. Of course, there are many other things that they can do to help you and your business also. Networking is an important part of your professional success. One important tool that you will use regularly when you network is your elevator pitch. All you get is 30 seconds to effectively tell people who you are, what you do, and what you want. If you can capture their attention in 30 seconds, you will be good to go.
Conclusion
It is important that you don’t regard your small business as an obstacle when it comes to marketing your brand and your offerings. Although a small business is different from a larger business and your approach to how you market may be different, you can embrace your approach and make it work very effectively for what you have and what you are trying to accomplish. Remember to share your thoughts and ideas with your online connections. They are interested to know and you need to let them know what you are all about.
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