Ways to market your business online
Online marketing is a great way to build your business brand, strengthen existing customer engagement and increase your sales. You can also typically try out a range of online strategies at little cost. To get started, here are some budget-friendly ways to get your brand out into the online world.
1. Create a website
Creating a website is the most important thing you can do to market yourself online. A website allows you to appear in google search results and allows potential customers to find out about your business and get in contact. Websites don’t need to be long and detailed. Simple information about what you do and how to get in contact with you is a good way to start.
2. Use Google Adwords
The best way to ensure your business website gets exposure is to invest some money in paid search - Google Ads. One of the first things a customer will do when looking for a product or service is to search via Google, and so it's essential that your business appears as often as possible when people search.
3. List your business online
Registering your business on sites with a large audience can be a quick and low-cost way to start reaching new potential customers. Some details you'll typically be asked to provide may include your opening hours, address and website.
A few established sites that could be worth listing with are:
4. Use social media
Social media can be a powerful tool for gaining instant access to a large number of your target customers. It is however a competitive space, so be strategic with your time and money.
- Create social media presence for your business on channels relevant to your audience. This is a great place to post content about your business, such as photos, videos and special offers.
- Like, post and comment on social media posts related to your business niche
- Work out which social media channel your audience is primarily using and focus your efforts here
5. Send emails
Email marketing can be a great platform for building your brand and boosting sales, provided it’s done well. To engage effectively with those who’ve signed up to your mailing list, consider compelling content ideas such as infographics, online tutorials and articles with links to your products and services where relevant. You may also consider using an email marketing system to support you with email creation and automation.
6. Connect to groups and forums
Sign up to relevant social media groups and forums and reply to conversations happening in your industry. Write posts that capture the attention of readers who may be potential new customers. Once you've built the trust of your audience, you can start sharing links to your website.
7. Encourage customer reviews
Recommendations from existing customers are a great way to develop brand trust online. Encourage your customers to post reviews of your products or services on independent forums like Google, Facebook or TripAdvisor. There are also review gathering apps that you can send automatically to customers after you’ve completed a service or shipped them an order.
8. Create and publish useful content
Regularly posting high-quality content is a longer-term strategy to help establish you and your business as an expert in the industry and drive traffic to your site. If you are creating and publishing content on other channels, make sure your website details are included, so customers' can click through for more information, some ideas you can start with are:
- Blogs and articles - write about topics and keywords your customers are searching for
- 'How to' product demonstrations or video tutorials
- Interesting photos
- Short, engaging video clips
- Short quizzes and surveys
- Customer testimonials - written or in a short video
- Infographics that show relevant information
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This page is intended to provide general information of an educational nature only. It does not have regard to the financial situation or needs of any reader and should not be relied on. This information has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs. We recommend you seek independent professional advice before acting on this information.
