We’ve come across many small business owners who don’t have the capacity to hire internet marketing specialists to promote their businesses online. Truth be told, digital advertising and traditional print advertising can be expensive for startups. While we always insist on having professional SEO services for any business, it’s good to start small by taking efforts to do your own online marketing. With that said, we are going to look at ways we’ve helped small businesses market themselves online. Hopefully, you can learn a thing or two on how to promote your brand online.
#1 Choose the right online marketing channels
So which marketing channels are best for your small business? There are dozens. For a start, you need to identify social media networks that can help you sell your brand online. Narrow down your options to 3 because then you’ll be able to dedicate adequate time on the social platform rather than having 8 platforms which you are never active on. Facebook and Twitter are most commonly used in Kenya so make sure you include them in your list of online marketing platforms.
#2 Start a blog
Blogging is one of the best ways to market your small business online. But you can’t just post articles and expect the whole world to see it. You must promote your blogs socially. Post you blog on different networks so that other people can read it. If the content is good enough, you will give your business exposure to an extent you never imagined possible. Avoid salesy content when writing your blog posts and try to focus on giving your readers helpful, interesting and relevant information.
#3 Build a presence on social media
Social media attracts customers more than you could ever imagine. Identify the platforms which your customers and prospects engage with the most and use it to promote your business online. Once you set up an account, connect with the audience by sharing relevant content, engaging with the community and every other effort to increase your brand’s presence.
#4 Make use of social media advertising
Sponsored posts can really boost your online marketing efforts. T5he ads appear right in the middle of newsfeed (on Facebook) meaning that it’s impossible for them to go unnoticed. But make sure you invest in really great advertising banners and catchy messages that will get you the kind of visits you need.
Most importantly, target the right customers who are likely to buy and during the time that they are most likely to be interested in your product or service. Good thing with social media advertising is that you can cancel anytime if you feel like it’s not generating any returns on your investments.
#5 Consider Pinterest and Instagram
If the product you are selling is highly visual, such as bridal wear, food or shoes, you need to leverage on Pinterest and Instagram. You may assume that these platforms do not have a huge following in Kenya but you’ll be shocked at the kind of business you can attract via the two.
#6 Email marketing techniques
Email marketing has a huge impact especially if you are running deals and promos that you’d like people to know about. The thing with email marketing that makes it a challenge is getting quality contacts. You request users to subscribe to your site online. Don’t make the mistake of buying spammy email contacts because it rarely gives any returns. Look for quality contacts of people who are actually interested in your product or service.
#7 Try Google AdWords campaign
Even though PPC ads can be expensive to some small businesses, they are one of the most effective ways to market a business online. You get to bid on certain keywords and set a budget according to what is most affordable to you. You basically have control on the level of targeting and exposure your products or service get. But in order to have an efficient Adwords campaign, you’ll need to pay close attention to the keywords and match types you choose and even select some negative keywords that will sift through the irrelevant visitors.
#8 Write press releases
As a small businesses looking for some online exposure, you need to start writing some press releases that will help you to promote your brand online. Press releases have a high chance of being picked by search engines compared to the normal articles especially if they contain the right keywords. Write a press release to announce the launch of a new product or service.
Don’t forget your website design
All of the ways to market your brand online will lead the potential customer to your website. If the site is not good enough, all your online marketing efforts will go down the drain. Invest in a good web design and watch your business succeed.
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