In today’s world, there is no such thing as ‘real life’. What you see on social media or even in real life isn’t always what you get. This is especially true when it comes to traditional advertising. There are so many tricks and tactics that big businesses use to get your attention. However, once you become aware of them, you can work around them and use them to your advantage.
Now is a perfect time to explore the various tools available to you for online marketing. Not only will this allow you to take advantage of the current climate but give you a head start for the future.
Remember: this is all theoretical until you actually start measuring the results of your campaigns. After all, you can’t measure something you never tried. So, here are the best online marketing tools available to small businesses today.
1. Lead Generation Software
The first thing you need to consider is lead generation software. As the name would suggest, this is software that helps you generate leads (i.e. prospective customers). There are numerous options to choose from when it comes to lead generation, so you don’t need to worry about finding one that suites your needs. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: you need to find a software that suits your needs and then adapt it to do its job.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Once you have your lead generation software, you can turn your attention to search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is all about getting your website to show up on the first page of search results when someone types in a search query. The better your SEO, the more likely you are to show up on the first page. That is, unless your competition has invested a lot of money in pay-per-click ads or has a whole team of people working on SEO, in which case, you are definitely going to struggle to outrank them.
3. Content Marketing
With your SEO in place, you can consider content marketing. As the name suggests, this is all about creating content (e.g. articles, videos, etc.) to attract and inform prospective customers. The content can be about anything, but you should have some underlying theme that connects everything you do. For example, all the content on your blog should connect to each other and the overall theme of the blog. This helps your audience understand the context of what they are reading or watching.
4. Email Marketing
You can also use your blog to send out email news blasts. With email marketing, you are not limited to just sending out bulk emails to your subscribers. You can, instead, send personalized emails based on what they have typed into the search bar or what article they have read. The nice thing about email marketing is that you can run automated campaigns where you can click a button and have new subscribers email added to your list on a regular basis. You aren’t going to get this kind of functionality with a CRM database, but it is nice to have everything in one place.
5. Social Media Marketing
Once you have your blog and email list, you can start to consider social media marketing. With social media marketing, you are not only promoting your products but you can also engage with potential customers via posts, videos, and even competitions. This type of marketing can be very effective if you use the right tools. When it comes to social media, you have a broad spectrum of options: there are free platforms like Twitter and Instagram, as well as paid ones like Facebook and Google+. As a small business owner, it is important to remember that any platform that you are not paying for is free, so you are essentially profiting from others’ hard work. However, if you want to take advantage of the various features that these platforms offer, you will need to pay for them.
6. Online Advertising
You can also use your blog to conduct online advertising. The nice thing about online advertising is that you can target your audience based on a variety of criteria. For example, you can display ads on social media platforms, in blogs, and even in forums and online groups. The downside is that this is very costly and it is very difficult to measure the results of your online advertising efforts. That being said, if you have the money to spare and you want to take advantage of the various tools available to you, this is the best option.
Remember: everything you need to grow your business can be found online. The key is to find the right tools for the job. Thanks for reading! We hope this article helps you find the best online marketing tools for your small business.