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Digital Marketing for Small Business

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Why your small business needs to be on Facebook

Why your small business needs to be on Facebook

  1. Facebook is still King
  2. It reaches billions worldwide
  3. It has highly targeted advertising
  4. Facebook has community-focused features
  5. It is not super expensive to advertise
  6. Facebook has Events feature you can use

There are many reasons why your small business needs to be on Facebook.

For one, as of the third quarter of 2018, Facebook had 2.27 billion monthly active users. But you’re only a small business, you don’t need that many people, surely.

That’s true, you don’t have to reach all of them. Still, there are many benefits to having a Facebook presence.

Facebook is King

If you’re not into social media or find it too confusing, that’s understandable. But if you’re going to do just one social media profile, it is best for it to be Facebook. Your small business needs a community around you because these days, it is so much more than just selling your product/service. You can build your community using Facebook. Your audience is in there, and your competitors are as well. Having no Facebook page means you don’t have the same advantages as your competitor. Customers these days go to Facebook pages before the website. You need to be in there too.

Why your small business needs to be on FacebookIt has highly targeted advertising

Because of the number of people using Facebook, you can target your advertising. How targeted exactly? Well, down to the last detail. You can look for a specific age, sex, location, hobby, favourite movie and more. Plus, it is affordable. You can specify your budget (even $7 a day) and how long the ad is going to run, so that you’re not spending too much money on the ad. Because it is affordable, you can play around with ads so you know which ones work well and which ones don’t.

It has “community-focused” features

Facebook has features that other social media channels don’t have. It is immediate, and puts your products/services directly in front of your customers. Features like Events allow you to organise your business’s events and share it with your audience. Then there’s Facebook Live, which is a great tool to share updates in a fun way. You can interact with your customers directly and create a discussion on your page. Sharing about your small business using Facebook will show a human side to your establishment.

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Be the subject matter expert

Be the subject matter expert

Small business owners are the best subject matter experts. You don’t believe us? Keep reading below as to why we think so.

Running your own small business isn’t a small feat. There are learning curves so steep it sometimes seem insurmountable. But you figure it out, and you use your skills to run your business.

In the process of doing so, you learn a thing or two on top of the things you already know. The knowledge you have makes you an expert. Here are some steps to help you figure out what you’re an expert of.

What have you learned?

Think about the business you’re running. The fact that you have a business means there is a skill there that you can talk about. Now add to that the things you learned while researching how to set up your own business. That’s another thing you can talk about with authority. No one else went through that same exact journey as you. But what you went through will help others who are thinking of doing the same thing as you.

Be the subject matter expertWhat were your mistakes?

Yes, your mistakes. You can either be embarrassed by it or you can use it to your advantage. With every mistake comes a lesson learned. Your issues with permits, financial advise, picking a location, so on and so forth are great experiences that can become even better subject matters. You’d be amazed just how much information you know that are important to other businesses or aspiring business owners. How did you solve the problems? What could you have done better? Think about all the hardships you’ve gone through and the lessons you learned along the way.

What were your questions?

Think of all the questions you asked before you set up your business. The answers you accumulated over time through your own research and personal experiences are great resources for others. Write them down and think of what you went through to figure out the answers. Did anyone help you? Did you seek professional advice? Were there free events you went to that helped you? Share the external resources you have learned over time.

 

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Why your small business needs a blog

If you are a small business owner you might have wondered why your business needs a blog. What is a blog anyway? A blog can be part of your website that’s written in an informal tone, aimed to give you more credibility while providing free helpful information to your readers and customers at the same time. In this post, we will discuss why your small business blog will help you.

A blog gives you street cred

You know that you know what you’re doing but aside from family and friends, others might not know that. Writing blog posts on topics related to your business will show to your customers (and potential customers) that you know what you are talking about. You are the expert of your business. That expertise will show when you share knowledge that others find helpful. You might think you have very little to share or talk about but if you sat down and thought about it, you’ll find that there’s more than you initially thought.

small business blogIt helps people find your site

A well written, helpful and SEO-healthy blog post is a big boost for your website’s online presence. Without making it too complicated, it basically means when people Google certain topics ones that you’ve written about on your blog will pop up on the search. But you need to make sure that your blog posts are SEO healthy. Stuff like featured image, internal and external links as well as keywords will help boost your online presence.

A blog helps convert readers into customers

Your blog posts will show readers you know your business and your products/services inside and out. This gives them confidence that you are there for the long haul. It also shows them that you can help them with whatever it is that they need because you have the capability to do it. The confidence they have on you will convert them into new customers. Once they become customers, and they love you, they will then share your site and blog posts on their social media sites, bringing new readers to your website. It’s an evergreen process.

If you need ideas for blog topics, try Googling ‘blog ideas generator’ – there are plenty of sites out there that can help you.

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3 Ways to start building your community

Ways to start building your community

  1. Know your people
  2. Focus on your audience
  3. Be a good source of info
  4. Respond to their inquiries online
  5. Participate in your local community

Building a community around your small business will not only attract new customers but also encourage long-time followers to your brand. There is something to be said about wanting a community, especially when the biggest of brands are doing it too.

The hard part, however, is starting. Here are three ways to help you start building your community today.

Know your people

No one else knows your business and what you can provide more than you. Have a think about what you stand for, what your business stands for and what kind of people you want to attract. Having a specific focus of audience will help you reach them more, instead of trying to reach too wide and ending up with the wrong type of followers. It is worth having a sit down with someone you can bounce ideas with to narrow down that target audience.

building your communityMake it worth their while

You are an expert in your small business, and because of this you are a great source of information for your area of expertise. Share this knowledge with your community via your blog and social media sites. Engage with your customers online or offline and make sure you respond to their queries in a reasonable timeframe. Reward your followers by giving them up-to-date information on your latest events, giveaways and promos. This will encourage them to share with their friends and invite more people into your brand.

Participate in your local community

Your small business belongs in a community so it’s good to be visible when it matters. Sponsor a sports team in your area, or maybe your local school fete. Have a booth when there’s an event, or reach out to your local council to see if you can be a resource speaker about a topic that would help other people. Investing in some community goodwill is always good. Your brand will be associated with the spirit of community, which will encourage long-term supporters of your business.

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3 Things to remember when setting up your website

Things to remember when setting up your website

  1. Pick a good copywriter
  2. Make sure your copy is compelling
  3. Use professional photos
  4. Ask for a quote and what’s included
  5. Set a timeline on when it’ll be finished

For some, creating a website can be quite daunting. Seeing codes and management systems that are unfamiliar can be enough to give you a headache. But in this day and age, having an online presence is important for small businesses. Here are some things to consider when setting up your website.

It’s not as expensive as you think

Gone are the days when your website will cost over $15,000 to create. The truth is that you only need to pay that much money if you want a complicated site that requires a lot of things (i.e., ecommerce, donations etc). If you just want something beautiful and/or professional but pretty straightforward, your annual cost for hosting and domain registration can be as low as $50 a year. All you’ll have to do is pick a ready-made template from the thousands of website designers out there who sell their templates from $69 up.

Pick a good copywriter

The design of your site is as good as the words written on it. There are a lot of copywriters out there who can express what you want to your clients in the best possible way. Go through their previous work and decide the best one that suits you. It is best to pick copywriters who have previous experience with writing copy for a small business website, that way they can also help you with things like the best way to present your business.

Get a good photo

Don’t use a selfie for your About page. This doesn’t mean that you need to hire an expensive professional photographer. These days, smartphones have great resolutions for photos. All you need to do is make sure you have a great background, great lighting and a great flattering pose. It’s a matter of knowing how to take a good photo more than buying expensive equipment. We all know that budget is tight but it doesn’t have to mean you have an amateur photo.

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3 Things you can do for your small business in the New Year

3 Things you can do for your small business in the New Year

It’s the new year soon so naturally resolutions come to mind. This is the right time for you to do the same for your business. Here are three things you can do for your small business in the New Year.

No matter how small, these things can make a huge difference in the long run. So give them a try. You can measure the difference they make each quarter.

Be more social

Have you been putting off doing your social media calendar and strategy? This is the best time to start fresh. Social media isn’t going anywhere. Like we said in our post, you need to be on Facebook. And you can’t be just on it once a month. You need a regular social media presence. But to do this, you need to have a plan. Start planning now. You need to be more engaged with your customers.

Work with your accountant

Accountants are not just for end of financial year tax requirements anymore. You want better cash flow and less headache during tax season? A strategy for the future of your business or a plan for when you retire? Find an accountant who can do these things for you. It is best to plan ahead instead of just putting out the fire when it comes. Better to be prepared.

Reassess your methods

Go through the results of your strategies the year before. Figure out which promos worked and which ones didn’t. Find out what was your most popular social media post and keep doing it. Go through the ‘suggestion box’ and see what you can do better. Businesses that keep changing with the times have more chances of surviving the future, and surviving well.