Promoting a small business is more difficult today than it was a decade ago. With more and more enterprises building an online presence, you need to stand out from the crowd to succeed. But online marketing isn’t as simple as running a few ads and calling it a day. You’ll need to consider factors such as social media and search engine optimization if you want to build an online brand.
If you’re a small business, it’s easy to feel like you’re lagging behind your more prominent rivals. After all, you don’t have a team of digital marketing experts at your beck and call. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t compete against them.
Online tools have leveled the playing field, allowing even niche stores to take on e-commerce giants. You can build your own web store with just a few clicks. And if you don’t know how to design a store, you can always look for a Shopify web design company. The Internet offers many tools that can lead you to success.
1. Target the right people
One of the first things you should learn is how to target the right people for your store. Even if you’ve built a proper website, you can’t effectively market your brand if you don’t know who your target market is.
Start by writing down the personas of your customers. A comprehensive profile should consist of your target customer’s gender, age, financial status, location, and socioeconomic status. Once you have a few personas, you can start online campaigns that target your desired customer.
2. Define key metrics
Once you have a demographic profile of your customer base, you need to start thinking about specific goals. You probably already have financial data such as revenues, profits, and overhead costs. The next step is to integrate business data with your marketing data.
For instance, you can probably expect an uptick in sales after an online promotion. But you need to set measurable goals to ensure that your campaigns are working. Start by reaching for low-hanging fruit such as increasing site visits or lowering your bounce rate.
3. Utilize social media
It’s not enough to have an online store. You also need to have a social media presence if you want to reach the broadest possible audience. Social media goes both ways: You can target more people compared to search engine ads, and many people rely on social media for information and recommendations.
But that doesn’t mean you need to have a profile on every social media platform. With your limited time and resources, you possibly can’t give every platform the attention it deserves. Start by focusing on one or two social media platforms that best serve your brand. For instance, if you’re a visually driven brand, you can use Instagram to highlight your products.
These pointers will help you market your online store more effectively. If you want to stay ahead of the game, you need to utilize your marketing to its fullest potential. That means using tried-and-tested digital marketing strategies to increase your brand’s profile.
