Online marketing is a large component of marketing for many small businesses. There are many aspects to online marketing that you'll want to consider for your business. Here are just five for your consideration.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is huge, and it consists of generating articles, blog posts, social media updates, white papers, videos, and other educational materials about your company's products and services. Content marketing provides your prospects with something to read, watch, or learn from.
You can offer your content via your website, social media pages, a special landing page, in a blog, in the description portion of your profiles, via paid ads, or almost anywhere online. Your content should promote your brand as well as show your prospect how to use your product or service.
Video
Video has become incredibly important. It's no longer enough to generate text. Graphics are better than text, but video trumps them all when it comes to effectiveness, higher search rankings, engagement, and sales conversions.
The good news is you don't have to hire an expensive video team anymore. A good video camera is less than $500, and you can also use your smartphone for some very decent footage.
Directories
It's no longer enough to simply have a website. Being listed in online directories will help your business expand its visibility. Some common directories for small business include:
- Yelp
- Angie's List
- Manta
- Better Business Bureau
- Yellow Pages (online version)
- Thumbtack
- Your local Chamber of Commerce
- Craigslist
- Google for Business (Google Places)
Some of these directories work best if you ask customers to post reviews. Be sure to also check out your industry-specific directories.
Social Media
Including social media in your digital marketing is a no-brainer today. Graphic and video posts are far more effective than text posts, so it's important to make this content switch if you haven't already.
If you've focused on the "big 3" platforms - LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook - it might be time to try some new ones. Pinterest and Instagram lend themselves to graphic representation of your product. Google Plus is often overlooked but can help search engine rankings. And YouTube is a must because of the importance of video.
Public Relations
Digital public relations has been around for a while as well. If you don't already have a Press page on your website, consider this addition. It can list contact information for reporters as well as a list of articles that your product, company, or employees have been featured in. You can also post press releases to this page.
Distributing press releases is less expensive than ever with options such as PRWeb and PRNewswire.
Make sure your digital marketing campaign has all the components above and that you have updated your content for these latest trends. Having an up-to-date digital campaign will help you generate more revenue and grow your business.
