The online world is your oyster as a small business. Instead of hoping people drive by and see your office or putting ads in a local newspaper, you can establish and control your online presence, all while tracking your results.
But, as exciting as it is to have endless opportunities, it can get overwhelming quickly. In this article, we’ve put together a few places where you can start to grow your presence and gain visibility for your business.
1. Create a Website
You might have been running your business by word of mouth or through your Facebook page, but for long-term success a website is a must-have. Websites enhance your credibility as a legitimate business, and they provide the opportunity for you to present your vision, services, culture, and team in one place.
Your website is your homebase and hub for resources. Most importantly, it’s where customers decide to work with you. Plus, you can optimize your website for search engines so customers looking for your services can find you with ease.Â
2. Utilize Social Media
Social media provides tons of opportunities for your business to reach a wide audience and drive traffic to your website. While there are plenty of options to choose from, it’s a good idea to assess where your target market is spending their time and what type of content is most sustainable for your business and of interest to your audience.
For example, for widely searched or “how-to” topics, YouTube is a great place to thoroughly explain concepts or processes. When you equip your audience with helpful information, you establish trust. As a result, they’ll likely come to you again for help in the future. But take into consideration if creating videos is something you can do long-term, not just a couple times.
If your business is primarily local, you may choose to spend more time creating content on Facebook or Instagram, using a strategy focused on local hashtags or online groups.
LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter, and Reddit are also popular social media sites you can use to promote your business. If you find you’re getting customers from one platform specifically, spend more time creating content there, even if you still use other platforms, too.
It can be exhausting to be everywhere at once in the beginning, and we’re not saying you have to. However, you may want to consider creating accounts with each platform so you can have ownership of your business name’s handle.
3. List in Local Directories
Having a business listing in local directories improves your chances of ranking higher in search results, and helps customers find you that wouldn’t have searched for your business name directly.
Directories are often organized by location and category, so including your business address in the listing (which is often required) will increase your rankings for searches “near me” or in your location.
Be sure your information is always up to date, though, because outdated information can confuse the customer or send them to the wrong business.
4. Chamber of Commerce Sites
Your town’s chamber of commerce website is a wonderful place to list your small business because they’re known for supporting small, trustworthy local businesses.
It’s crucial to establish your business as legitimate and reliable, and being associated with organizations that are trusted is a great way to do that. Some chamber of commerce organizations also rate businesses, so getting a favorable rating will improve your reputation.
Being involved with your local chamber of commerce is also an opportunity to network with other business owners, and potentially collaborate in the future.
5. Partnerships and Collaborations
Once you’ve established your online presence with a website and social media, you can increase your visibility with partnerships and collaborations. Partner with others that share your target audience so you both have a mutually beneficial experience.
Here are a few to consider so you can get in front of more people:
- Do giveaways with other local businesses
- Partner with local influencers
- Get featured in online magazines, blogs, or newspapers
- Host online trainings with other businesses
- Provide affiliate marketing or ambassador opportunities
Seeing the Results
The biggest benefit to being online is the ability to track your results, so be sure to look at your website’s built-in analytics or use analytics software like Google Analytics to see where you’re getting the most views and clicks.
By following this guide, your online presence will have a firm foundation to grow from. While there are a lot of places you can be on the internet, being in the right place (the right channels) in front of the right people (your audience) should be your main focus. As you track your results and refine your marketing strategy accordingly, you’ll be top of mind when your audience is ready to buy.
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What about you? Where are you online? What advice and suggestions would you pass along to other business owners trying to figure out where they should be promoting themselves online? Please comment below!