Top 6 Best Digital Marketing Tips For Beginner Small Business Owners

Top 6 Best Digital Marketing Tips For Beginner Small Business Owners

It helps to have digital marketing tips, and some direction, when you start a new business.  As a small business owner, you probably know by now how important digital marketing is to your strategy. But do you know how to navigate through all there is to know about it? Are you struggling to know where to even begin?

Here are the top 6 best digital marketing tips for beginners!

1. Build A Social Media Presence

Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or how old you are – social media is essential to small business growth in today’s digital world. According to Social Media Examiner, 96% of small businesses say they use social media in their current marketing strategy. If you’re not currently on social media, you should stop what you’re doing and follow these digital marketing tips to building a successful social media presence!

1. Determine your goals:

   What do you hope to get out of being on social media? Are you looking to sell a product or service, raise brand awareness, or increase lead generation? Establishing goals at the very beginning will help you determine which network you should focus most of your attention on.

2. Define your audience:

   If you’re already in business, chances are you have a good grasp on who your target demographic is. Once you’ve decided who your audience is, you’ll want to take time to research what social media channels they’re spending most of their time on.

3. Choose your social media platforms:

   Not every social media platform will work well for you. For example, B2B companies often find themselves most successful on LinkedIn, whereas Instagram tends to tailor more to the younger demographic and is a more visual platform.

4. Create a content plan:

   Benjamin Franklin once said, “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” While that quote may be slightly dramatic in this case, it’s not totally wrong – having a content plan certainly helps you keep on track with your goals so you can be successful in your marketing strategy. A content plan gives you a chance to decide when you want to post, themes you want to stick to, what type of content you’ll be publishing, etc.

5. Start posting:

   Once you’ve created a content plan, you can begin posting your content. In order to free up some of your time, look into using social media management tools. These tools can help you schedule posts in advance so you’re having to spend less time in this area.

6. Engage:

   It’s not enough to just post it and forget it. You want to also make sure you’re engaging with those that have come to your social media page. Responding to comments, liking their comments, responding to reviews, and asking questions are all ways to engage with your audience.

7. Measure and optimize:

   Ah, yes. Now that the fun, creative part is over – it’s time to get serious. To stay on track with your goals and to know if what you’re doing is currently working, you need to measure and optimize. Using tools such as Facebook Insights gives you the data you need so you can create better content.

 

2. Use Email Marketing Campaigns

Don’t fall into this misconception that email marketing is dead. It’s not dead, it’s actually thriving now more than ever before. According to HubSpot, 80% of business owners believe that email marketing amplifies customer retention. Email marketing gives you an opportunity to stay connected with your current customer base. A statistic from Content Marketing Institute shows that about 87% of marketers use email marketing to disseminate their content.

With all that being said, it’s no wonder so many business owners are using email marketing in their current marketing strategy. Not only is it an easy tool to use, but it’s very cost effective and has a high return. According to DMA, for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42.

Benefits Of Email Marketing For Small Business Owners

• Build stronger customer relationships
• Develop your own unique brand through use of templates and a brand style guide
• Efficient with both your time and budget
• Build credibility as a company
• High return on investment (ROI) and increased sales
• Appeal to different segments of your target audience

3. Give Your Website Some Love

If you’re a beginner small business owner, you may not have a website yet. Whether you’re just getting started, or you already have a website, show it some love. Online visibility, especially in today’s world, is extremely important to the success of your business. Without a website, your business essentially doesn’t exist.

Not only that, but a website can drastically help small businesses increase their flexibility, branding, control, and their overall credibility. According to a study by Clutch.co, 64% of small businesses have a website, which means 36% do not. Out of that 36%, 35% believe they’re too small to have one. While that may come as a shock to some, it’s the reality of small business owners today – they don’t see a benefit when social media gives them all the tools they need to connect with customers. However, even with the rise of social media, websites are still important for your business to have.

There are some best practices to make note of when it comes to what makes a website a successful website.

• Mobile friendliness
• Easy to locate
• Page load speed
• Easy to navigate and not cluttered
• Accurate information
• Call-to-actions
• Simple design is better
• Targeting your customers
• Get personal, show the real side of your business

When a visitor comes to your website, they need to be convinced to stay – so that’s why it’s important to make sure your website follows the above best practices as much as possible. It only takes a few seconds for them to decide if they’re going to stay on your website or leave.

4. Explore Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

When it comes to SEO, we could tell you a million times over just how important it is to your small business – but how about we just show you. The first 5 results on Google receive up to 67% of all clicks. You know how you get to be one of those first 5 results on Google? SEO.

SEO takes time, and small business owners often get discouraged when instant results don’t take place. However, any digital marketing agency will tell you that it’s completely normal not to see results for a while. In fact, SEO can take about three months for you to see any results – but once you do, you’ll see why it was worth the wait.

If you have the means to do so, hire someone to manage your SEO. As a small business owner, you’re wearing many hats and often don’t have time to dedicate 100% to your digital marketing – understandably so. Hiring someone who has the resources, skills, and time to help you successfully rank on Google will ensure you get the most for your money. But let’s dive into some of the benefits of SEO for small businesses:

• Help you create a faster, user-friendlier website
• Bring in more customers
• Provide better conversion rates
• Build brand awareness
• Get ahead of your competition

5. Focus On Your Content Creation

One common theme throughout this blog so far is this: content, content, and more content. According to HubSpot, 70% of marketers are actively investing in their content marketing. Whether on your social media platform, or on your website, high-quality content creation is crucial to the success of your digital marketing strategy – and here’s why.

1. Content Educates: Whether in the form of a blog, a website page, or a social media post, educates your audience. It educates them on what you can provide, who you are, and why they should choose you over your competition.
2. Content Fuels SEO: Ah, there it is again. S.E.O. Search engines are the go-to for basically everyone who is faced with a question, a concern, or a need. High-quality content helps you rank higher on those search engines so you can get in front of more people who are looking for what you can give them.
3. Content Drives Your Social Media: Social media is one of the best ways small businesses can connect with their customers. It gives businesses an easy way to engage with people, answer questions, get feedback, and have conversation.

 

6. Hire Someone To Handle The Digital Stuff

If you have the budget for it, hand this stuff off! As a small business owner, you truly have so much more to worry about than your digital marketing strategy. We get that. And that’s why digital marketing agencies exist all around the world. There are many reasons why you should hire a digital marketing agency, including:

1. Focus on your day-to-day and running your business
2. Work with experts who you can learn from
3. Stay relevant to your industry
4. Get new, fresh ideas for your business operations
5. The results are measurable
6. They have the tools, skills and resources