Having a small company doesn’t mean that you can’t compete with bigger businesses; you just need to be aware of the ways to promote your small business online. There are many resources and online tools that you can use to achieve this – including this guide!
On this list, we’ll cover the main points that you need to focus on if you’re looking to promote your services online. So, grab a pen and paper and get ready to make some notes!
Key strategies to promote your small business online:
- Website
- SEO
- Local listing services
- Branded email signature
- Social media
- Online communities
- Blog
- Multimedia networks
- Press Releases
- Email marketing
- Online advertising
Conquering the world with a great website
Your business site is how you present your company to the world. Think of it as your business card. Every time someone accesses your site, they assess your company’s credibility and professionalism based on what they see.
Thus, if you want to make sure your website leaves a good impression, these are a few of the things that you need to take into account.
Promoting your small business online via website design:
Many studies have shown that the quality of a website directly influences customer satisfaction. From the colours that you pick, to the font you use and the images that you upload, your website’s design is a key part of how you promote your business. Ultimately, a good design can be the difference between a customer making a purchase or not. As such, it’s important not to overlook the importance of a website design when it comes to promoting your business online.
Promoting your small business online via a responsive design:
However, having a good design doesn’t guarantee success. Your website design also needs to be responsive. This means making sure that your website displays and functions just as well on mobile as on desktop.
Did you know that in 2018, over half of all online traffic in the world came from mobile phones? Crucially, if visitors can’t access your site on different types of devices, you could miss out on a lot of online traffic and even customers.
At UENI, we’re specialists in creating a layout that adapts to any screen size. In other words, we can help you ensure that customers are able to access your site using phones, tablets, laptops, and computers.
Promoting your business through great user experience
User Experience (UX) is another factor that can help you achieve your goals and better promote your business online. If your website is easy to navigate, this increases the chance that visitors will return to your site and sets you apart from the competition.
That’s why all UENI sites are structured to help clients find the information they need quickly and effectively. Take a look at these UENI website examples to learn more about how we design a great user experience.
Promoting your business online through conversion optimisation
Every time someone visits your site, you are encouraging them to take a particular action – be that making a purchase, filling out the contact form, or calling your business. If you succeed, you’ll increase your customer base. This is where conversion rate optimization comes in.
To improve this, you’ll need to measure and track your visitors’ behaviour on your site. Are they clicking where you want them to click? Are they making purchases?
Thinking about this will help you work out which areas of your site might need to be improved and which ones are working effectively.
Securing your site
HyperText Protocol Secure, most commonly known as HTTPS, is a communication protocol that helps ensure that you are protecting the data that is being exchanged between a visitor and your site.
It’s crucial that you secure your site to protect it from any malicious activities. Otherwise, you may find that an intruder has blocked your site or that they have stolen sensitive data from it.
At UENI, we guarantee you an encrypted website that is secured with HTTPS.
Using SEO to promote your small business online
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a process through which a website can increase its traffic. Essentially, it’s an internet marketing strategy that takes into account what people search and the words that they use to find things online.
Implementing an SEO strategy is a key way to improve your site’s ranking and better promote your business online. By working on this, you can ensure that your website stands out from the competition with a better position on Google searches.
Optimizing your website for SEO can take time. You’ll need to write specific content, edit it, test it, and edit it again. I know that this seems like a long process, but I promise that the results are worth it!
Please, read this article about how to rank higher on Google and understand the main strategies that work for SEO.
Promoting your small business online through local listing services
Online local business directories can help improve your site’s online visibility. They gather all of your important business details and make it easy for anyone looking for a particular service to contact you.
There are tons of local listing services that you can choose from. However, don’t assume that all listings are equally effective. Some can genuinely benefit your business by driving real traffic to your site, but some might not really make a difference.
Google My Business, LinkedIn Company Directory, and Yelp are three of the most powerful listing services to look out for. Be sure to register in one that operates in your country.
Look more professional and boost your business’s profile with a branded email signature
A branded email signature may sound trivial, but you need one to take your business to the next level.
A professional email signature may not promote your business in the traditional sense. However, it will demonstrate that your company is professional and reliable. When clients see a branded signature, they immediately know they can trust your services/products.
You must use a well-designed one to make the most of an email signature. Here are some tips that you can follow to ensure you have an impressive professional signature:
- Make sure that you only include relevant information about your company. You can add your contact details and a link to your website.
- As we’ve mentioned before, the design is also important. Use your brand colours to unify the layout. A clean and polished design will do wonders for your email.
- Try to use the same font that you’re using in your email. This will trick the eye into thinking that the signature is part of the email – rather than being two separate things.
Using your social media savvy to promote your small business online
Currently, there are 2.77 billion social media users worldwide and this number shows no sign of slowing down. When it comes to promoting your business, having a social media is a definite must. If you do it right, you’ll be able to reach millions of people at once.
Nevertheless, try not to use every social media channel out there. Select only the relevant ones that your clients frequent as this will help you connect with them more directly.
For example, you could open an Instagram account and share beautiful and eye-catching photos of your products. Alternatively, you could use a Twitter account to showcase your expertise and position your brand as a leader in the field. It all depends on the platforms that best fit your audience.
Connecting with potential clients through LinkedIn
Another great social media channel that you can use to promote your small business online is LinkedIn. It’s the perfect platform for growing your business. LinkedIn can help you connect with potential clients faster and expand your audience reach.
To make the most out of the platform, follow these useful tips:
Join Relevant LinkedIn Groups and Promote Your Business
LinkedIn lets its users create groups where they can share relevant information. What are you waiting for? Find the groups that are most compatible with your business and join them now to connect with your corner of the market.
Create Ads on LinkedIn to Reach a Broader Audience
Ads on LinkedIn are particularly effective because the platform allows its users to target specific audiences and segments. When you create an ad, you can even target particular audiences by narrowing industry, job title, or other relevant information.
Write and Share Meaningful Articles
Showcase your expertise by writing meaningful articles. This will position your company as a leader and an expert in your industry. It will also help you increase your LinkedIn engagement.
Building online communities to promote your business
Online communities can help you build a loyal customer base. The best part is, you can do all of this without having to pay a single penny! Just choose a free platform and get started to start growing your community. Twitter and Facebook are the most popular ones.
Promoting your company through writing and blogging
The easiest way to share exciting news about your business and relevant facts about the products or services you are offering is through a blog. Blogging can help you promote your small business online and improve your site’s ranking.
To launch a successful blog, you will first need to pick a topic – preferably one about your company. Try to publish a post on a particular category on the same day. This way, your readers will know that on Mondays they can read about the progress of your business – or any other topic you choose.
Building an online reputation and collaborating with other bloggers
A great tip for building an excellent online reputation is to connect with other bloggers that focus on the same niche as you. Collaborating with them will help you grow your audience and even pick up new knowledge about your industry.
Get creative with multimedia networks
Using YouTube might seem rather complicated for many small business owners, especially those who do not know how to record a good video or edit one. For those of you who are in this position, we’ll fill you in on a little secret. There is plenty of free animation software that you can use to create videos – like Powtoon.
Introducing your business
If you want to promote your small business online but you have a tight budget, use free animation software to record an introduction to your business. Follow these steps to ensure you make a good one:
1. Brainstorm different words that describe your company
2. Write how and why did you start your business
3. What is your main goal? What are you offering?
4. Create a script for the video
5. Select the images that you want to include
6. Start making a video with free software!
Positioning yourself as an expert
Besides creating a video where you introduce your business, you can also make tutorials and how-to guides to help your customers. These type of videos can also position your brand as an expert.
Spreading the word with press releases
To make the most out of press releases, try to share meaningful information for the readers. Don’t worry: this doesn’t mean sharing your business agenda. Instead, spread the word about an event you may be having, new employees joining your company, an award that you won, or the launch of a new product.
Write an article where you address this type of news and pitch it to journalists. Remember to contact only the ones who cover news within your industry, so your story has a higher chance of being published.
Making the most of email marketing
Email marketing allows you to promote your business by building trust, improving your brand awareness and increasing customer loyalty. It’s not too hard – you can even choose a prepared template to share your news and make your email more appealing.
As well as communicating information about your brand with customers, you can also use your emails to let them know about any promotions and offers you are currently running.
Don’t forget about email data
First things first! Before you start any emails, you’ll need to build an email subscriber list. As a small business, this is vital to growing your audience and reaching new markets. There are different ways to capture email data:
- Offer a discount or professional advice in exchange for their email
- Create online surveys through your social media channels
- By adding a signup form on your site
Catapulting your business with online advertising
Online advertising helps you promote your business on different online platforms. It’s an easy way to reach potential customers. They will be able to see your ads while commuting, scrolling down their Facebook or Instagram feeds, or when during searches on Google.
Facebook and Instagram Ads
Most people you know probably have a Facebook or Instagram account, or in all likelihood both. These are the two main social media platforms used around the world. According to Facebook, for every five minutes that people spend on their phones, one is spent on Facebook or Instagram.
Launching a campaign on Facebook and Instagram will help you boost your sales and increase your followers. Want to save time? Try running the same ad on both platforms!
Google Ads
With Google Ads, you can choose to reach a local or even global audience. Just tailor your campaign and let Google do its magic.
Running an ad on Google means that people will see it when they’ve actively been searching for services or products like yours. And, with this type of ad, you will only pay for results. This means that you only pay when someone actually clicks on your site or calls your company. That’s what we call a win-win!
Use these tips to promote your small business online and start creating a top-notch website for free!
