How Your Small Business Can Compete in the Digital Age

If you’re a small business owner and you already have a website, social media account, and blog, then your chances of competing in the digital age just went up a bit. However, if you’re marketing as if it’s still 1999, get those launched and circle back. Of course, you’re confident that your product or services are top notch and of great value to customers, but how do you really build a following, a clientele, in order to beat the competition who are probably dabbling in the same strategies as you are?

Have Consistent Branding

This has to be the first step in your small business marketing strategy. Branding and visibility are very important in today’s competitive digital world. Make sure you are sending the right message with your logo, brand, product, or services. You need to keep your brand image consistent across your website, blog, social profiles, and your printed materials.

Review Your Website

Take a careful look at your business website. Make sure it is mobile friendly and responsive. Check carefully if your content is both current and relevant. If it isn’t, then you need to update it. Add required functionality to keep visitors on your site longer. Verify your site on Google so you will appear on local listings and Google maps.

Publish Fresh Content

So you have a website, social media accounts, and even a blog. But is all your content fresh and up to date? Small business marketing in 2017 is a lot more than having a website and forgetting about it. SEO guidelines have changed overnight, and Google now considers fresh and relevant content a ranking signal. If you want to stay at the top of search engine results, you will need to keep up with those changes and publish SEO-friendly content. Brands change over time and your website and your small business marketing need to reflect that.

Create Special Offers

Everyone likes a sale or special deal, and you’ll be surprised how much in your niche market do. Add a monthly deal and publish it on your website, blog, newsletter, and social sites. An expiration date or limited time offer simply adds a sense of urgency, which heightens the excitement of the special offer.

Establish a Strong Social Media Presence or Advertise on Social Media

Small business marketing should never ignore social media especially now in 2018. Social media has become a marketing juggernaut. If you are not sure how, perhaps you need to engage a professional social media marketer or agency. The money you spend will be less than the cost of making social media strategy errors. Also, small business marketing now includes advertising on social media. Facebook ads are becoming more effective than any other social advertising tactic.

Be Active on Social Media

Simply having a social media profile is not enough. You must stay activeon all of your social networks, posting at least once a day. This is important if you want your posts seen by viewers.