Top 10 Ways to Promote Your Business Today
The old ways of advertising are just not enough anymore. What’s left? The vast world of digital advertising is complex but has the possibility of being extremely effective. While some ways are free or nearly free and others are more expensive, all are viable options and worth considering. And once you begin, you may find it is not as complicated as you originally thought.
1. Create a Google Business Account
Every business needs a Google Business Account no matter what the type - and it’s free. A Google Business Profile is mandatory to show up on Google Map results as well as the local section of Google Search results. The most important part of setting up your Google Business Profile? Verifying ownership which allows you to begin to optimize your listing and gives your business footing in search results.
2. Invest in an Effective Website
Every business needs a central hub that summarizes your services or products while making your business stand out from the rest. Your brand should be distinct and memorable. Your website should tell your potential customers how your business can resolve their problem.
Most importantly, your website is essential in being the basis of all of your marketing and provides the means to measure all of your marketing efforts. When you run online ads, you need a place for customers to link to learn more information. This also allows you to use analytics to see how truly effective your ad is.
Websites are also a great vehicle for starting an email list for future email campaigns. Email marketing remains one of the best and free ways to reach people who have already expressed on interest in your product or service.
Consider 5-star Google rated Charlotte’s Web Designs to design your professional, custom website with experience working with over 100 businesses,
3. Use Multiple Approaches to SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is actually a whole series of tactics that work together to help your business move up in search rankings. Google’s ranking algorithm changes constantly to handle the ever increasing amount of online business but basically it relies on user behavior.
Some of the top ways to ensure your SEO is working for you:
Research and strategically place keywords in certain areas of your website
Publish high quality, keyword-rich content with tagged images and strategically placed keyword on your website on a regular basis
Ensure your website has security (SSL), works well on all devices, maintains high load speeds and all links are working correctly.
Get backlinks and local citations.
When everything is working correctly, Google helps to promote your business by placing you higher in search results.
4. Publish a Business Blog
A business blog is not an online journal of your daily life. It is actually one of the strongest marketing tools out there to establish authority both with your customers and with Google. The best business blogs reflects your brand while offering educational content about your business. Here are some examples of great blog themes:
Instructional or How-Tos
Give access to a list of helpful resources
A thorough explanation of an industry related topic
Guest or expert posts
A case study or customer testimonial
While the content is important, using appropriate keywords in the correct ways is equally as important to ensure your post is being seen by customers and google search bots.
The most important piece? Share your content! Promote them on social media, email blasts, or make them a downloadable guide through your website. Offering to be a guest blogger on someone else’s site reaches more potential readers exponentially.
Need help with your blog? Read out to Charlotte’s Web Designs. We are content specialists!
5. Utilize Online Directories and Local Listings
Customers often visit large online directories to vet businesses. These directories tend to show up near the top of most searches offering you a way to take advantage of their location. Yelp, Angie’s List, Better Business Bureau, Glassdoor, Bing, and Yellow Pages are just a few. The trick is to find the ones most likely to promote your business effectively without having to pay large commissions for leads.
Optimizing your listing on multiple local directories may be more cost effective in the long run. This process ensures that your business and contact information is consistent everywhere online letting Google know you are a trustworthy business and should be promoted as such. There are several companies out there that provide this service but be careful that you choose one that allows you to permanently own the listing. With some companies, the listing will disappear once you stop subscribing.
6. Collect Online Reviews
One of the best ways to attract and build customer trust is to gain positive reviews on official platforms like Google, Facebook and Yelp. While reviews on your website are fine, those on trusted sites definitely hold more weight because there are measures in place to prevent fake reviews. As an added bonus, reviews are a major way to increase search results.
Get a negative review? This, too, is an opportunity to shine by offering thoughtful responses ad resolutions. After all, no business is perfect and the way you respond to criticism shows potential customers that you are responsive and willing to go that extra mile.
7. Use Social Media Effectively
Facebook is still the largest social network and as such, offers many ways to promote your business including:
Creating a Facebook business page
Join like-minded groups that allow advertising
Use paid or “boosted” ads
Utilize Facebook Events to maximize attendance to events or online meetings
Run live sessions of tutorials or behind-the-scenes looks at your business in action
LinkedIn has a great business networking systems already in place. By promoting your business, you will immediately attract like-minded businesses and hopefully build some mutually beneficial relationships.
Uploading video marketing on Youtube is a very effective way to reach potential customers. Here are some ways to use this free feature:
Post a concise but informative video of your business then link to it from your website and/or social media accounts.
Create ever-popular how-tos, tutorials or other education content with links back to your website
Create a video that can be embedded in your blog posts which enhances your SEO quality
Choose one of Youtube’s paid ad including a video ad that plays before relevant content or text ads that appear in search results
Instagram is the one of the top ways to advertise almost anything for any audience. You can post an image, a story, live sessions, story highlights and more. Here are more ways to use Instagram effectively:
Use effective and relevant hashtag to enhance your content for better searching
Create positive buzz by running contents with free or discounted products or services
Be a go-to resource and get a bigger following by offer advice and/or tutorials related to your area of expertise
Gaining an audience on Twitter may take more time on your part that other social platforms, but if your business relies on the 18-24 demographic consider promoting your business or send out invitations to visit your brick-and-mortar or website.
Pinterest is the platform for sharing photos so if your business is image focused, consider using it especially if your business caters to females as Pinterest tends to attract more women than men.
While Tik-Tok is still relatively new, it has already surpassed Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat and Pinterest in active users. Tik-Tok offers a compelling video marketing platform. Like Youtube, if you are able to create a how-to, tutorial or behind-the-scenes video, Tik-Tok should also be in your repertoire.
8. Networking
All successful businesses network and one of the best ways to reach more customer is to offer help to other businesses that are relevant to your own business. Join as many online groups and communities as posstble and monitor them to see if you can offer advice when questions arise (with a link back to your own business if further help is needed). Even if the original person or business asking the question does not respond. you just created a free ad that shows your knowledge and capability. that is seen by many more.
Formal networking groups are a rich resource since everyone in them understands the concept and truly wants to help each other succeed. Local chambers, peer groups, and others are perfect breeding grounds for creating helpful relationships no matter what your business is. Some networking groups have stricter member rules only allowing one business type per group ensuring that you are not competing against anyone else in the group. With groups now meeting almost exclusively online through Zoom, it is a perfect time to visit several types and see where you fit in the best.
Forming partnerships with non-competitive business is a great way to help your own customers with referrals to reputable trustworthy companies. Likewise, these businesses can refer their customers to you. Consider sharing ads or even holding online or in-person events with each other, sharing ads.
9. Local Press and Publications
Local newspapers and online bloggers are always looking for fresh content so feel free to reach out to them. If you have a grand opening, won an industry-related award, or have any other newsworthy announcement, you can release a formal press release to both print and online publications fairly easily. Even if you just want to get your name out there, reach out and see if you can contribute an article based on your expertise on a subject.
10. Direct Mail and Other Print Marketing
While expensive, sometime direct mail is cost-effective depending on the type of business you have. If your market is well-defined and confined to a specific area, look into Every Day Direct Mail (EDDM) offered by the USPS. It allows you to send out large postcards or flyers to specific mail routes for roughly half of the normal cost.
While flyers, rack cards, and signs may not be as effective during the pandemic due to the loss in foot traffic, this type of marketing material should still be considered in certain circumstances. People are still going to essential businesses and if you can reach your intended audience there, you should still be try to be as visible as possible.
Helpful Links
Google Business Guide
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Brand
How to Pick the Right Web Designer
What Type of Content Should You Have in Your Website
5-star Google-rated Charlotte’s Web Design, LLC is a sole proprietor web design and digital marketing firm specializing in custom, professional websites, SEO, branding, logo design, digital marketing, content writing, and graphic design with over 35 years of technology experience currently working with over a hundred small businesses. Please contact me for a free consultation.