No matter what type of business you’re running, exploring digital marketing best practices can give you insights and strategies to keep it reaching higher. Ensuring you have an up-to-date online presence and engaging with your customers has never been more important. Adding a digital marketing component to your business strategy can help grow your small business, in good times and challenging periods.
In this overview, you’ll learn the five key digital marketing strategies to grow your small business and attract new customers.
1. Keep your customers in the loop
Today, digital communication is more important than ever. Many businesses are interacting directly with their customers online and deepening their relationship. Sharing community updates related to your business and proactively keeping your customers informed offers them valuable information while keeping your brand top of mind.
Whether you’re just beginning to sell your products or services online, or simply offering extra communication and engagement, you’ll be able to develop trust and awareness of your brand by continuing your digital communications.
Action Tips:
- Keep your website and landing pages up to date with any changes you make to your business.
- Ensure your information is correct on Google Business Profile and other channels, like your Facebook page. This could include your contact information, business hours and any changes to your services, such as take-out and delivery options.
- Share any relevant updates on your social media pages.
- Inform your customers of any changes and specials through email marketing. Email marketing is considered one of the most effective forms of digital marketing. In fact, over 50% of consumers say they make a purchase from a marketing email at least once a month.
2. Make sure your marketing is reaching the right people
Think about your target audience and what they really need. Actively consider their needs and concerns with empathy, and work on how to deliver value to them. Don’t be afraid to ask your customers what they want and be sure to respond accordingly.
Make sure you’re advertising your offerings for maximum impact. Depending on your industry, you’ll need to balance between focusing on your customers’ short-term needs while also keeping an eye towards your own long-term goals.
Action Tips:
- Develop a customer persona based on the preferences, behaviors, and pain points of your ideal customer. This persona can be used to better target your model customer and the people who are most likely to buy your product or service.
Decide how your products or services can meet demand remotely, like through an e-commerce website. - Create and share content that speaks to your customers’ current needs and concerns. Consider topics related to what you offer and common questions you receive from customers, then create blog posts, videos, and social media graphics to address them.
- Drive performance with retargeting campaigns. These offer focused and well-timed targeted ads to those who have interacted with your business online previously.
- Reach new customers through paid search marketing and social media advertising. This will allow for precise targeting to your key demographics.
3. Engage with your online community
If your business relies on your surrounding community, localized marketing and engagement efforts should be central to your strategy.
Your community (or virtual community) wants to support local businesses – whether it’s through take-out or delivery from neighborhood restaurants, online shopping from local stores, or using services virtually.
As your business is driven by the community, ensure your content strategy accounts for local intent, and then offer products or services targeted to your market.
Action Tips:
- Optimize your website with local search engine optimization (SEO) to capture web traffic that’s searching for localized terms. For example, if you own a beauty salon in New Haven, CT, you want to be sure you’re showing up in search results when someone is looking for “salons in New Haven.”
- Post community updates on your website and social media channels and renew your focus on quality customer service.
- Thank your customers and followers on your social media channels and share all the ways they can continue to support your business.
- Give shout-outs and support to any businesses you partner with.
4. Use new channels to innovate your business
Depending on your industry, consider all the ways you can creatively connect with your audience. How can you appropriately position your business and its products? If you have the resources, consider providing your products or services online, or adjusting your current e-commerce strategy.
Be sure that the content you’re sharing is relevant to your business and your brand. By doing so, you can educate or entertain your followers and give your business a human voice. Show why people should continue to support you, your employees and your business.
Action Tips:
- Set up an online store on your website or through social media sites, like Instagram Shopping or TikTok Shop, to offer your products or services online.
- Share educational tips about your products or services on your website’s blog and on social media channels.
- Create engaging video content, host a live stream, or try a new platform, such as TikTok.
- Promote what makes your business unique, including your most relevant and sought-after products or services, your hard-working employees, and any of your business’s specialties.
- Use new small business technologies, like artificial intelligence and machine learning. Whether it’s automated ads or assisted content creation, there’s many ways to automate and optimize your digital marketing practices to have a more streamlined approach.
5. Boost brand loyalty through thoughtful positivity
Align with your business’s values, be inspiring in a helpful, authentic way that connects with your audience and makes sense within your business situation. Showcase an upbeat, useful take on your products or offer extra services that are practical and necessary to your business purpose.
Complementing the local outreach strategy, look for ways to inspire and champion your community. If it’s possible for your business, find ways to donate your products or volunteer your services. Spread encouragement by supporting or giving back to the community, and then share with your online community how you are helping others!
Action Tips:
- Promote positivity with your content strategy by sharing encouraging news and relevant, inspiring content.
- Post visually appealing imagery and user-generated content to engage with your loyal customers.
- Share your business values and charitable acts on your website and social media channels.
- Partner with other organizations and businesses in your community to promote each other’s success online. By tapping into the network of your partners, you can reach new customers.
- Run a giveaway contest or sweepstakes with your products or services to generate excitement and leads for your business. For even more impact, team up with other brands for a shared giveaway.
Take advantage of this opportunity to boost your digital communications
Whether your business’s strategy right now is focused on short-term growth or long-term planning, digital marketing can be a much-needed boost for your business’s bottom line. These digital marketing tips can help you thoughtfully and innovatively adjust your business strategy and emphasize what your business offers.
Pursuit has financing available to help your business grow
Pursuit is a leading small business lender throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, and Washington. We have a line of credit and business loan options that can help you meet your business needs and support growth projects, such as website development, marketing solutions, and ecommerce.
Contact us to learn more about how we can help you grow your business.
