This guest post comes to us from Jolina Pettice at TopRank Online Marketing.
Today’s small business owners face endless choices of how to market their products. The task can seem overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. Follow these five easy tips to create an online marketing mix guaranteed to kick-start your business:
Find your Customers: Once you know the profile of the people you are trying to reach, you need a good idea of where they are hanging out on the internet. Research shows –
- Twitter currently has 190 million users who tweet around 65 million times each day
- Facebook currently has over 500 million users, 40% of whom follow a brand
- 73% of all online activity is related to local content (Google)
Create a Presence on the Web: Put your business on social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. Check out mobile and local Internet advertising opportunities. Visit and comment on blogs and forums that cover your industry.
Complement your Advertising with Public Relations: Know the difference between PR and advertising. PR releases are newsworthy items. Find creative ways to give your audience information they can trust (there are loads of great websites that can help you write news releases to do just that).
Manage the Media: Media relations is all about knowing which outlets specialize in your product area. If you sell housing supplies for example, get acquainted with newspapers, magazines, blogs and radio/TV programming that discuss home improvement ideas. You’ll be surprised at how often journalists, editors and writers are looking for new information. Supply them with helpful hints featuring your products and you’ll be amazed to see where word of your business pops up.
Write all about it: Whether tweets on Twitter, status updates on Facebook, posts on websites (your own or others’) or press releases to the appropriate media outlets, the written word is crucial to spreading your message. Remember —
GOOD WRITING + ONLINE READERSHIP = MARKET SATURATION
Don’t be afraid to constantly tweak your efforts. Just like the internet, successful small business marketing strategies are ever changing and easily adaptable. Locate and bookmark marketing resources and thought leader blogs to stay informed and keep your marketing mix fresh and profitable. When you create an a la carte menu of tools, tactics, and resources you’re bound to get the perfect marketing mix for your small business.
