So you started a small business and you are now burdened with the marketing part of it. You can not afford to spend a lot of money on advertising, especially if your business is just starting to find its footing. What do you do? Try online marketing. Even if your company is larger in scope, marketing online paves the way for bigger profits.
How do you do this? First you have to start with the neighborhood and then expand. Get personal. The best way to reach out to your neighbors is to share true stories and to show sincere pride in the work you do. Commitment is vital to your success because at the personal level, you can’t run and hide. You will be the face of your business so put your best face on, even online!
Use local websites and portals for your business. By local, we mean city-specific. If you live in Morgantown, target Morgantown sites, not those of West Virginia, the state. City specific websites are mushrooming everywhere so they shouldn’t be too hard to find. You can choose to advertise on these but be warned: it’s not as effective as advertising in the television or print media.
Another way to be visible on local sites is by offering content. Yelp.com and Judysbook.com are a couple of community-oriented websites that have grown rapidly because they cover all the suburbs and cozy towns. More and more people are making their way to community-based websites to get information on products and services.
Blogs are very good tools for small businesses. They are free and allow the writer to express his ideas and experiences. If you make them city-specific, they can lead to personal interaction with potential clients.
If you are advertising on Google, the best way to focus on the local customer base is to limit your visibility location-wise. Google will allow your ads to appear only for consumers in a specific city or locality.
One thing to make sure is that you are listed in your local business directory. Again, this should be city-specific. Examples of local search engines are Local.com, Backfence.com and CitySearch.
Joining a social network is a popular form of marketing to the young and trendy. Sites like Facebook have people listed under separate Networks, so you can easily see who’s in your area. These sites allow users to create interest groups.
If your business is on the right track, customer reviews can do it a world of good. A positive customer review is free and it gives you confidence. Such reviews are integral in search engine optimization. Allow your loyal customers to submit reviews online but not before giving them some basic guidelines.
Another marketing strategy is collaborating with non-competing local businesses that advertise online. If you are into the photography business, you can get together with a wedding planning business so that you’ll promote each other. This improves your visibility.
Bizymoms.com has been helping women work from home for over 10 years. Now, Bizymoms strives to share valuable information with Moms about businesses in their area. Our Mom Reviewed section includes a local business directory with reviews by moms on restaurants, department stores, schools and more.
Please Rate this Article
Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Marketing Articles Via RSS!
