Small Business Digital Marketing 101

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Our Top Five Most Effective Marketing Strategies

Struggling to get attention for your business online? Looking for lead generation and brand awareness, but fear you’re in the wrong place? We’ve seen the struggle for small business owners and are here to help! 

Our top five most effective online digital marketing strategies will help small business owners attract the attention of new users and maintain current customer relationships. Through a variety of different methods, these strategies can help your business appear in front of customers while they’re actively searching and keep them around after they buy.

Strategy #1: Search engine optimization for small businesses

two hands on a laptop keyboard, next to a pen, a notebook, and a cup of coffeeResearch is the first step of a customer’s online buying journey. When a customer is searching for a product or service, they’re most likely going to hop on Google to look for answers. This is a great opportunity to get your business in front of customers right from the start with search engine optimization.

SEO works behind the scenes of your website making it more easily found via a user’s search. Without search engine optimization, your website just sits and gets passed by because it doesn’t indicate to search engines that it contains valuable, relevant information.  

Laying a strong foundation of keyword-rich content, SEO-friendly URLs and metadata, and relevant titles signals to the search engines that your website is full of the information users are searching for.

Fifteen percent of Google searches for products and services use unique search terms, so it’s important that search engine optimization is ongoing and includes content marketing. It’s a long game, but it’s worth playing.

Strategy #2: Website design for small businesses

When a user finds your website, it’s time to impress. After the web page is open, you have ten seconds to grab their attention before they move on. A user’s first impression of your website sets the tone for how they view your business overall.

Clients will infer the quality of your service and decide whether to trust your business based on your site. Make sure to leave a lasting impression with high-quality website function and design.

A great website is just as functional as it is visually stunning. When we build a website for clients, iFocus Marketing takes time to think through the user experience. A beautiful website will fail if it isn’t easy to navigate and understand.

Our work keeps your audience on your website for longer, which puts conversions within reach.

Strategy #3: Small business social media strategy

pretty african american woman sitting a coffee bar holding her smartphone and a cup of coffeeSocial media has a powerful impact on consumers and businesses. For small businesses especially, using social media is an effective way to attract new customers and maintain relationships with current ones.

Social media management is essential to establishing a trusting relationship with customers through a computer screen. Posting following a strategy, rather than spontaneously, allows small business owners to connect directly with customers, understand what they need most, and communicate the value their business brings. With a plethora of options and features in social media, connecting with customers is easier than ever. 

Finding new customers is possible through the power of social media advertising. The majority of popular social platforms allow businesses to run ads that appear with the content users are already scrolling. Paid social ads appear in front of new audiences who may be unfamiliar with what your business offers, so you can get them interested in learning more.  

Strategy #4: Display ads for small businesses

When a customer is considering multiple options, keeping your small business top-of-mind is a hot priority. Digital display advertising is great for small business owners wanting to get the most out of their ad dollars. 

Display ads are conveniently placed where users spend their time online. From checking the weather, to reading the news or using apps, display ad locations are in the right place at the right time, thanks to detailed targeting data. Throw in video ad formats along with their static counterparts, and you’ve got a compelling marketing campaign that’ll make consumers remember your brand.

Display ads can be used for multiple objectives from brand awareness, to conversion and retention. For example, if a user leaves your website but has already added items to their cart, we can use display retargeting ads to reel them back in. This strategy helps deliver a high return by matching the right ad, to the right audience at the right time.

Strategy #5: Small business online reputation management

closeup of a person holding a smartphone with a 5-star review bubble coming out of the screenCurious about what customers are saying about your business online already? If you’ve ever gotten a negative review, you might be hyper aware of how your online reputation can affect your business.

Online reputation management is a proactive approach designed to help small business owners keep their reputation clean before a crisis arises. Your next make-or-break moment may come from an online review or other online source. When you have a plan of actionable communication in place, your small business is ready to handle anything thrown your way.   

Reputation management isn’t a strategy just for when something negative happens. It’s also valuable for managing the positive feedback you receive online. Positive reviews are a portal for new business opportunities. When satisfied customers leave positive reviews, it encourages potential new customers to give your business a shot. 

Having a strategy in place to respond to online feedback will help you keep current customers happy and new customers intrigued.

Build a proven strategy with our digital marketing agency near you

Studies show the attention span for the average person today is just eight seconds. Along with growing competition and ever-changing digital marketing trends, small business owners can be left struggling to get attention. 

Thankfully, with the help of iFocus Marketing, a digital marketing agency near Kansas City and serving businesses nationwide, biz owners like you can successfully gain the interest of their target customers and maintain customer relationships through online marketing strategy.

Request a free discovery call to learn more about the ways we’re poised to help your business succeed.   

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