As a small business, you might reach a point where things seem to be at a bit of a plateau. You’ve been doing the same thing for a while and are no longer seeing much progression. You need an extra oomph in activity and sales. You’ve tried some traditional marketing, and the idea of online marketing has been brought up a couple of times. You’re hesitant in investing in something you may not be too familiar with. Some coworkers feel that since you’re just a small company, you may get lost in the sea of huge corporations investing online. They claim that there’s no point in trying to compete with the big guys.
In actuality, online marketing is a great way for small businesses to have their voices heard. Online, there’s more of a level playing field than in other forms of marketing. With a variety of approaches, there’s a chance for any business to benefit through online marketing. You’re also likely to see a stronger return on investment through online marketing than other forms.
So what sort of things can your small business do to see some results online? Within online marketing, there’s a number of different strategies you may want to consider exploring. By figuring out what strategies are best suited for your business, you can be on your way to seeing great results and getting out of your rut.
Search Engine Optimization
Spark is here to help generate a strategy that will allow your business to flourish. We may suggest some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work, which will allow for people to easily be able to find and connect with your business. For example, we here at Spark want to make sure we’re showing up in relevant Google searches, so you’ll see us appear with search terms like “online marketing Toronto”. SEO is a great way of improving your website for conversions and attracting a relevant audience to your brand.
Pay-Per-Click
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) often works hand-in-hand with SEO. With paid advertising, you can invest in certain keywords that will bring in an interested target audience. There’s a lot of great opportunities for small businesses here, as you can tailor the keywords to be relevant to your brand. Run a bakery in Oakville? Have ads appear when someone searches “Oakville bakery” or “Cakes GTA”. Like the name pay-per-click suggests, you only have to pay when these ads are clicked which means it’s a very powerful tool for money-conscious businesses.
Social Media Marketing
Perhaps social media marketing is the way to go for your business. Social media is the perfect opportunity to establish a voice for your brand. Your business is brought to life through fresh content and customer interaction. By promoting your business, you remain top of mind for potential customers and offer an easy way for them to convert.
Typically, there’s no “one size fits all” approach to online marketing. However, there’s definitely something for everyone to try and there are many great opportunity for small businesses to succeed. Usually, this involves some sort of combination of different campaigns. Though your budget may be less than that of a multimillion dollar corporation, by finding the right approach and knowing where to direct your efforts, your business can achieve invaluable online visibility to your appropriate target audience.
Spark is here to help you in all your online marketing needs and would love to assist in strategizing for your campaign. Reach out to us today and we’ll be more than happy to help you give your business that extra oomph.
