The internet has changed every aspect of people’s lives. From the way that hungry diners order food from local restaurants to the impact that it has had on business, there are so many ways that the online generation differs from what went before. However, one of the ways that it has made a profound difference is in the marketing sphere. It’s now possible to reach many more customers than ever before, at scale – and also at low cost, which is especially ideal for the small businesses that make up 98% of Oregon firms. This post will look at some of the main ways that a new business can use the internet to help get itself off the ground.
Social media
When it comes to modern internet marketing, social media is in many ways the best option. Not only do sites such as Facebook still reward authentic content that has a local, community element (ideal for a small business), but they also offer relatively cheap paid adverts that have very precise targeting options. It’s possible to target an advert right down to a specific town or area, so you can ensure that you only pay to reach potential customers. Back in the day, it used to be the case that Google had something of a monopoly on this kind of ad – and while search engine marketing is definitely also something to explore, social media marketing is fast becoming a key place for businesses to congregate.
Content creation
Blogs are ideal ways to get your message out there or improve your position in search rankings – but if like many small firms, you don’t have an audience on your own blog yet, then it’s simply not worth it. A blog posting service can help bridge this gap, though. The service they provide is simple: they draft a blog for you and get it placed on websites that have lots of traffic (in exchange for a small fee), so you get the benefit of exposure without having to worry about building the audience yourself.
Free listings
While the pinpointed and targeted world of fine-tuned social media advertising may have pushed classified ads out of the crowd a little, it’s still worth considering the latter. Craigslist and Gumtree, for example, still receive a lot of traffic, and you can target your post right down to the city or town in which you operate. Posting on a modern neighborhood-based social network, such as Nextdoor, is also a great way to generate traffic. On the latter sort of site, however, it’s better to promote an event that you’re running or an experience that you can offer rather than a direct product or service as spammy promotion is not the prevailing user culture.
As a small business, there are all sorts of ways that you can maximize your internet marketing game. From the options available on social media sites to more traditional choices such as listings websites, the choice is endless – and given that the small business trajectory is one of high pressures but low income, it’s worth using a trial-and-error approach to see which method generates you the most revenue. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be well on your way to small business success.
