Business owners often have many responsibilities and find it hard to make time for digital content. Their expertise is in knowing their business and may feel they just don’t have the expertise or the resources to allocate to digital innovations. However, in today’s market, it is nearly impossible to hide under a bush and survive. Or in other words, not have some type of ongoing digital presence on the web. It’s not necessary for a small business to be staffed with marketing or online experts in order to begin taking advantage of the many opportunities available. There are a number of ways for business owners to begin to learn about and benefit from online content immediately.
Here’s 6 simple steps you can take to help your business grow.
1. Visit Google My Business and own or add your business listing on Google maps. This will help people find your business locally when they search online. This is a free listing that has the potential to reach thousands even without a website! Add information like your hours and contact information. You can also add posts to this listing. This will raise your potential to be noticed on the web.
2. See what the competition is up to. Take some time to check out what your competition is up to. Do they have a website? Do they have ads? How are they ranked compared to your business? Is there information you might want to include on your site? Check out their navigation. Is it easy to get around? You don’t want to copy them, but you do need to know what you are competing against so you can put your best foot forward in your own marketing strategy.
3. Social media is a must. Choose one to focus on. Set one up if you haven’t already. Facebook (Meta) is the easiest and broadest reach at this point for business owners. If you have multiple social media channels, make a marketing plan to ensure your efforts are measurable and directed. Brainstorm ideas you can implement effectively over the next month. Focus all your posts and interaction on that same idea, then choose another for the next month. Oh, and look, you just created a content marketing strategy! It’s that simple!
4. Set up a new or update an existing website. It doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. A landing page (1 page) website will do. Include plenty of content to be able to market your business along with all your contact information at the top. You would be surprised how many websites I visit that require you to click on Contact Us in order to obtain a phone number. Don’t make your customers click more than necessary. You will lose them.
5. Be consistent. If you start doing something, keep it going. The worst idea is to start making posts and build a following on Facebook (Meta) and then not post anything for a month. People will stop following and your content will stop showing up in their feed. On the flip side, if you just keep working at it, chances are you will gain ground and add to your market share on the Internet. That can help your business grow.
6. Be sure to evaluate your progress. Google Analytics will help with this. But even if you are seeing great website traffic and not increasing your sales or generating more business, then what you are doing is not working. It has to be effective for your business or it’s not worth your time!
As consumers continue to embrace the digital world and technology continues to expand, the next generation of business owners will be expected to keep up with the demands. Some of today’s business owners are lagging behind in their efforts to keep up with their customer’s changing habits. By adapting your business marketing plan to take advantage of the many digital marketing opportunities available today and in the future, you can stay ahead of your competitors and keep your business growing.