Most businesses are on a tight budget, especially when it comes to marketing. Many companies are finding that they don’t have a lot of money to invest on advertising and marketing. The irony is, not marketing your business will have a detrimental effect on your business.
One local business owner called Tom, who owns a fireplace store, has just put a closing down sign in his store window because nobody is visiting his store and he says he can’t afford to advertise any more. This year alone he has spent over $6000 on advertising in his local newspaper with expensive one time ads and it was a total waste of time and money.
Although it is sadly too late for Tom, the good news for other companies who are still in business is that online marketing is not only much cheaper but it is far more effective than traditional methods of marketing. Plus, you can easily track the success of each marketing campaign that you launch. Here are some big marketing ideas for businesses on a small marketing budget:
1. Optimise Your Website for the Search Engines:
This is one of the first things you need to put on your ‘to-do’ list.
Why? Because Google is not only the most popular search engine on the Internet but it is also your business’ best friend.
Google and the search engines want you to rank high in the search results. If their clients are searching for a product or service that provide, it is Google’s job is to tell them about your business.
However, you have to make it easy for them by optimising your site. This does not have to be expensive at all and yet will one be of the best investments that you could ever make. The return will be phenomenal as customers far and wide discover your company online.
2. Google Plus Local
While we are on the subject of Google, we can’t miss out Google+ Local. As mentioned in the previous marketing tip, Google really is on your side and it wants to help your business to be found. They make sure that if potential customers are looking for a product or service that you provide, Google wants to make sure that its results are totally relevant and your company appears in the listings.
As a result, search results are becoming much more local and personalised meaning that companies who claim their Google Plus Local Page and optimise it properly get the best rewards.
3. Start a Blog
No matter what type of business you are in, you can still have a blog. If you don’t know what a blog is, it basically stands for ’web log’ and they’re effectively online diaries for your business.
If you are going to create a blog for your company you need to do the following:
Host the blog on your own domain. E.g. your-business-website.com/blog
Anyone can set one up, that’s the easy part. Thinking of something interesting to say each time you blog is the tricky bit. You need to be able to write good content that will be interesting for your visitors and customers. People won’t thank you if it’s just going to be one long sales pitch.
Create a community and make your visitors feel part of it by responding to each blog comment. If you do, the more people will be inclined to read and comment on your blog more often.
4. Social Networking
Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus are all popular sites that you can’t ignore. By creating a profile on each of these sites, you will not only create new opportunities for potential clients to find you but they will also be excellent sources of traffic.
Local businesses that use social media sites, almost always see a significant increase in monthly traffic. The part that excites them the most is the fact that it is completely free. All it costs is a little of their time but the results are well worth it.
By investing a bit of time and effort providing good content that is relevant to your audience and interacting with your followers you will soon build a loyal following. This will raise your online company profile and make your site easier to find in the search engines
If you found these tips helpful then you are going to love all of the other ideas and suggestions we have that are guaranteed to promote your business online and get so many more online sales - Read More
