Digital Marketing Tips for Building Your Small Business

Starting a business can be an overwhelmingly mammoth task and starting can be the hardest part, as they say. But once you have started up, you’ll need to consider how you plan on maintaining your business, as well as the building and growth of it in order to ensure success.

Fortunately, modern technology offers many digital tools that you’ll need to leverage. Get things right and business can be booming. 

It’s surprising how many small businesses you see, such as takeaway restaurants, local cafes, and other services, that just aren’t properly or fully utilising the tools they have at their disposal…

…Sometimes this comes from unawareness of the tools, so they can’t be blamed, plus if they’re still making success, then good for them. It’s tough out there, even when leveraging things like social media. But just imagine how much that would be increased if they got everything right.

From having a good website and social media, to branding, networking, and other technical tips, here’s some advice on building and maintaining your small business.

SEO Strategies

One of the main things (at least digital wise) that will get your business seen is the utilisation of SEO. For those unfamiliar, SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is what will get your business ranking higher on search engines like Google, Bing, etc., when customers or potential customers search for something related to your service. Clever use of this will (hopefully, things are always changing) see your business near the top of the search results. 

Keep in mind that if you’re a small business, especially one that relies on selling or providing a physical service to customers nearby – such as a restaurant, etc. – your SEO (as well as the rest of your advertising and promotion) will need to have a local focus. 

For example, say you’ve got a digital marketing agency London or Essex based that helps local businesses…

They will use the key phrase SEO services Essex or SEO London in their content and marketing so that they will attract those local businesses that make their clientele. 

The right, relevant choice of keywords and key phrases for your business or service is the…key to using SEO correctly. If in doubt, you can always consult an expert at a digital marketing agency for extra assistance.

You should also make sure your business is listed properly on Google and Google maps to attract local custom.

Now that you know how SEO works, you’ll need to make sure that the business, web page, and social media that you are attracting customers to looks the part…

Website Tips

Besides your social media, your website is usually your main outlet that customers will end up on. This means that you’ll have to make sure it looks good.

A good website will:

• Be easy to navigate – so customers can easily find what they’re looking for. Ever visited a restaurant’s website to view the menu before going there and being frustrated at how awkward it is to find?
• The site should have clear and concise copy aka content or writing (this is where you can slide in some of those SEO keywords too). It should also list all the most relevant and most important information that customers need, such as price lists (if applicable) or, if running a clothing business – material, size, washing instructions where possible.
• Should look good, have an up to date design and not look like something from the early 2000s (unless that’s the look or business you’re going for). Smooth, streamline, and pick a wise palette of colours. Web developers and graphic designers can advise on this.
• One last thing, make sure your website is fully mobile optimised, as many people will use their phone’s browser to find you.

Getting Social Media Right

Depending on your business, your social media and website are on equal footing for importance. If your social media is there to lead traffic to your website, then make sure both are up to scratch. 

You can also sell, promote, and generally raise your brand’s awareness via social media. There are various ways to do this, you can sell directly using the store feature that is now found on some social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.

Advertising wise, you can use social media to set the tone of your brand. Do you want to be casual, funny, or more serious? It all depends on what is appropriate to your brand. You can promote yourself for free, but you can also invest in paid advertising.

There’s also the fact that you can personally engage with customers online, the right post could set of a conversation, or get your content and business shared. Other options include working with relevant social media influencers, networking both offline and online with other businesses and professionals – the possibilities can be endless.

Final Thoughts

Making the most of a combination of search engines, social media, and your personal website will see your business boom. So always be open and adaptable to the ever-changing digital landscape, and consult marketing professionals if needed.