3 Essential Keys to Marketing Your Small Business Online

In life there are essentials and there are nice-to-haves. Food: that’s an essential. Bear Grylls is quickly becoming the foremost authority/entertainer on living in the wild. There have been many times that he will eat anything he can just to stay alive. It seems grub worms are one of his staple go to meals. Personally, I prefer a good steak with grilled asparagus, that’s not so essential to survive, but nice to have. Online marketing is no different. TheBig3-Marketing_online_essentials.jpgThere are the nice-to-haves and the essentials. Here are three online marketing essentials that every business needs to be successful.

1. Social Media

If you plan to succeed online, you have to be present -- and that means being active on social media. That doesn’t mean present on all social media platforms (that would be gravy), but you do need to be present where you know your customers are (and odds are they are online). Keep in mind that just having a username isn’t enough. There is a real need to be active on the sites you choose to be present on. Setting a goal/schedule of how many posts and tweets you’ll do in a given day is a good start. But also make sure that you are active in the sense of engaging and following up with customers and their comments.The number of social network users in the United States is projected to increase from 180 million in 2015 to over 200 million users in 2019.To help decide where your customers may be, here are some statistics regarding social media sites for May 2016:

  • Facebook is, by far, the most popular social media site. Almost three-quarters of internet users in the United States access Facebook.  
  • Nearly 80 percent of internet users in the United States have a social network profile.
  • YouTube is the second most used social media site in the country, accounting for nearly 22 percent of all visits.

What is important to understand is that your customer may not necessarily be on Facebook. They may be on Snapchat or Pinterest. Take the time to know where YOUR AUDIENCE resides online.

How we can help: Do you know where your audience resides? We help you target individual customers, niches, and groups on a wide variety of social media outlets, including Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and more. Our experience in social media promotions gives us the expertise you need to get your business in front of the right people at the highest return on investment (ROI).

2. Content Marketing

Your company has a significantly lower chance of success without a viable content marketing strategy. However, what matters most today is not just having a content marketing strategy, but also creating and maintaining one that includes multiple tactics. Every year there seems to be the “next great thing.” It started with blogs on your website, to guest blogging, to email blasts, to creating engaging images, and 2016 seems to be the year of the video. Almost every mainstream media site is adding video capabilities to their toolbox.

But again, the content your business needs is dependent on what your customers need, want, and expect.

How we can help: We take your vision--the message you want to convey, the facts your customers need to know--and turn them into engaging content that people want to read. We write to your specifications--taking the information you provide us and adding to it the intangibles that spell success or failure in a media saturated world. Our goal is to help tell your story in a way that causes movement and momentum. The power of your story will help you be known, help people connect with you, and ultimately increase sales.

3. SEO

Do you ever feel that your website and/or the content you create is getting lost on the internet? Unless you optimize your website and use search engine optimization (SEO) you probably are getting lost. SEO is the collective term for the strategies and tactics used to make sure search engines can access your site. The way you build your website can affect how search engines share your pages with internet users. The problem comes when the search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo! change their algorithm surrounding how they rank pages.

Search Engine Land says it well:

What you don’t know can hurt you when it comes to SEO. Going forward, it’s important that you also keep up with the latest changes in SEO best practices -- otherwise, your future optimization efforts might fall flat.

If you feel SEO is an unknowable, overcomplicated disciple, you aren’t alone. There are people who can help and stay on top of all the changes to ensure that you are being found. We are some of those people.

How we can help: Your website is vital to your online success, and is unique to your business. We work with you to develop and optimize your web presence, allowing you to connect and engage with your customers in a meaningful manner. Our SEO services are designed to maximize both visibility and increase revenue. We stay ahead of the curve so you don’t have to.

In Conclusion

As you market online, it is essential that you are maximizing your social media presence, content that you are creating, and your SEO. Don’t settle for just getting by, online marketing isn’t about simply checking the boxes -- make sure it is done exceptionally. Allow us to focus on our marketing expertise, so you can focus on your expertise. Contact us today.

Eric Wagner

While Eric now focuses on internet marketing, he also has a background in web development. He loves being among the first to find out about new tech—and better yet, being a part of making that tech succeed. Eric is known to be a good listener, seeking to understand how each individual sees the world. He is a harmonizer in group settings, cultivating unity while constructing the overall goal and strategy. When he’s not busy helping i7 clients dominate the online marketplace, Eric enjoys drone videography (he’s got a UAV pilot’s license), woodworking, community service, and all things outdoors.

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Informed about Marketing Trends

CLICK ABOVE
to Get OUR Newsletter!

OUR RECENT POSTS