Traditional marketing has been slowly changing over the past decade. This is especially evident within the past several years. We have seen the migration to social marketing and may have even felt the change to the need for immediate response from customers/clients.
As a small business owner you have to be flexible and be willing to adapt and make changes. Even for those that have been in business for 20 -30 years plus, you can learn what is effective and what works with marketing in the digital age today.
There are key factors that are important for your online marketing efforts. Here are some tips that you can use to make a difference whether you are a real estate professional or a traditional storefront business owner.
Your website needs to be the hub of your marketing efforts. Use it for lead generation, by collecting emails and contact information. Use it as a landing point for your social media marketing. Make sure that it is updated and fresh continually with relevant keyword usage. Have your contact information on it, especially your address and hours of business, if you are a storefront or have an office.
Add a blog function for important tips, facts, and content marketing. Use it for search engine optimization purposes with proper keywords that are relevant for your business and use structure of articles properly. Check out my other articles on this topic for key points to fully develop this area of your site.
Depending on your business, Facebook is the place you need to start your marketing efforts. Use your business page to drive people back to your website for conversions. Use your website to share information on your social media. Facebook ads and other social sites are also a very effective way to send people to your website and to build followers on your social pages.
Instagram is another key strong site excellent for driving business. Hashtags drive engagement but also content is important. Talk to people, engage them, and use local hashtags for best results.
Video is a great way to add something special into your marketing. Use it on the website to introduce yourself, talk about reports and specials to encourage email sign-ups, and even for your blog posts too. Especially effective today in social media posts. People like to see what’s happening in your business and your life.
Always remember people buy from people they know and like. Be you, be real, and speak to your followers with a light heart.
For small business, the secret of marketing in today‘s digital age is to offer relevant content that gives great information that you customer is looking for. Humor, tips, insights to your business, which engages and speaks to the customer is key.