One great advantage of digital marketing for small businesses is that this type of marketing can be very cost-effective. Return on investment is often much higher than with more traditional forms of marketing.
This means even a small company with limited resources can launch a successful digital marketing campaign using the tips below.
Furthermore, small businesses actually have some advantages over large businesses in crafting a digital marketing strategy.
Create Powerful Digital Content
You can create great content no matter what size your company is. Great content can mean weekly blog posts that are roundups of relevant news and information within your industry; tweeting interesting links; or videos, photos and text that you produce. Content should focus primarily on quality information rather than your product.
Big companies may be able to spend a lot of money on multimedia and expensive copywriters, but your advantage as a small business is bringing a personal touch that no large company can match. You also have a local advantage and the opportunity to position yourself as part of your community.
Talk to and Engage with your Customers
Pick one to three social media sites that your customers frequent and start talking to them. Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus are good places to start. As a local business, you can take suggestions from customers and implement them immediately in a way that big companies can’t.
If you’re running a restaurant, what are your customers’ favorite daily specials? What magazines do customers want to see stocked in your bookstore? You can also become a local expert who answers potential customers’ questions over social media whether your business is a tyre store, a financial consultancy or a museum.
Measure Your Results
Even if you’re a one-person operation, when you embark upon a digital marketing plan, you need to set goals and track results. What types of posts and promotions do people respond to? What brings people to your website or brick-and-mortar location? Adaptability is the small business advantage here. If something isn’t working, you can drop it and try a new tactic immediately.
Small businesses cannot afford to neglect digital marketing these days. Identifying where your customers are socially and what digital devices and media they use to communicate, can have a profound impact on your success in achieving your business goals. With a carefully managed strategy, small businesses can see huge returns on their efforts.
If you are a small business and are considering a fresh campaign for 2014, why not leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you. There are many small business owners who have yet to embrace social media or adopt any structured content strategy, so perhaps these 3 ‘key‘ tips will encourage you to bring in the New Year with a 2014 plan of action.
Steve Minks has over 25 years of IT & Digital expertise with a background in Property Development, Telecoms and as an accredited Health & Fitness professional. As a Digital consultant with test.icesugarmedia.com, Steve also enjoys writing on a range of subjects, functional exercise, visiting historical places and spending time with his family.
This article was first published on Business 2 Community
