The internet has opened up a world of possibilities for small businesses. Gone are the days where you could only market your products in person, or via print magazines and newspapers. Now, you can put a marketing campaign online and reach countless potential customers. The question is, “How do I do this?”

It’s not as easy as you might think. Sure, you can always use free tools like Google Ads, but if you want to truly understand the art of digital marketing, you need to learn from experts. Thankfully, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a beginner’s guide to marketing your small business on the internet.

Get A Domain Name

You’ll need a domain name for your website. For example, mckeez.com

If you’re not sure what a domain name is, it’s basically a web address that’s easy for people to remember (hence the name). Hotels.com and airbnbs.com are some examples of popular domain names. Don’t worry, we won’t make you choose between the M’s and the K’s. You can choose any string of letters you want for your domain name as long as you don’t use the.com extension. To get the perfect domain name, use a tool like GetDomain to find the best fitting name for your business.

Establish A Website

Now that you have a domain name for your business, you can establish a website. It’s important to note here that not all domain names will work for your website. For example, mckeez.com is actually a.gov address that’s assigned to the United States Department of the Treasury. You can’t establish a website for that domain name because you don’t own it. You can’t establish a website with a.edu address either, as those are usually reserved for educational institutions.

To establish a website for your business, you need to choose a web hosting company, purchase a domain name, and install WordPress (the most popular blogging platform). Once you have WordPress installed, you can start blogging about your business. To earn an income online, you’ll need to focus on getting visitors to your site, and then converting those visitors into paying customers. Don’t worry, learning how to do that is something that’s covered in detail below.

Market Your Site

Once you have a website up and running, it’s time to market it. First, you’ll want to ensure that your site is discoverable. To do this, you can use any free tool from Google. Type in your domain name followed by site:mckeez.com and you’ll see a list of all the resources available on the site, such as articles, videos, and events.

From here, you can either choose to continue using Google’s tools to market your site or opt for a more traditional method. If you decide to go with the more traditional method, you can create a simple landing page, and then use a free tool like Clicktale to track down and record specific actions people take on your site. For example, if someone clicks on an image or video on your site, you’ll receive a notification via email.

Blogging Is Key

If you’re new to the world of internet marketing, you might wonder what the heck a blog is. A blog is a type of website where you can write and post articles that are linked to each other. The articles can cover anything from product reviews and tips and tricks on how to market a business online, to in-depth looks into specific technologies and how they can be harnessed for business purposes.

One of the most beneficial aspects of a blog is that it’s constantly evolving. Chances are, you’ll never run out of content to share. Plus, customers can and will come back time and time again to read your latest blog posts.

Social Media Is Key

If you want to find and connect with potential customers, you can’t ignore the massive growth of social media. In particular, you’ll want to focus on the three most prominent and effective platforms; Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Each of these platforms has its perks and its drawbacks. If you’re just getting started, it might be hard to know which one is right for your business. That’s why it’s important to do your research before committing. For example, Facebook allows you to connect to and communicate with potential customers, but it also keeps a record of all your activity, so it’s a bit like a diary in that way.

On the other hand, Twitter is best used for short, 140 character messages, and LinkedIn is best used for connecting with and gaining insight from people you know. If you’re not sure which one is right for you, you might want to test them out and see which one brings in the most organic, long-term traffic. Having a blog alongside one of these platforms is also a good idea because it gives you somewhere to post new content regularly, and it ensures that your content is always available for customers to read.

Create A Facebook Page

As mentioned above, Facebook is one of the most prominent and effective digital marketing platforms used by small businesses around the world. If you’re not already on Facebook, you can create a business page for your company. You can also use Facebook to find and connect with potential customers. When someone clicks on a business’ page photo or name in their Facebook news feed, they’re more apt to be interested in what that business has to offer.

To create and market a business on Facebook, you’ll need to do the following:

• Set up a business page
• Post regularly
• Consistent engagement
• Measure Results

If you’re looking for a free resource to help you get started, head over to Facebook and create a business page for yourself. From there, you can choose to take a quick tour of the platform to get a feel for how it works, or you can dive in and start creating content. To keep things simple, just create a blog post about your industry and how you can help customers, then share that blog post on your Facebook page.

Create A Twitter Account

Twitter is another huge player in the world of online marketing. With over 500 million monthly active users, it’s the second-most popular social networking platform, only behind Facebook. If you’re not already a Twitter user, you can create an account for your company; this can be useful for connecting with customers and potential employees.

With Twitter, you’ll need to do the following:

• Set up a profile
• Monitor and engage with your audience
• Measure Results

As with Facebook, you can take a quick tour of the Twitter platform or you can dive in and start using it. Just remember that Twitter is fairly limited in terms of what you can do with it, so make sure that you have a blog already set up where you can publish content.

Create A LinkedIn Account

If none of the above seem like a fit, then perhaps linkedin is the right place for your business. LinkedIn is a business-oriented social media platform whose main purpose is to help professionals, such as marketing and sales professionals, find and connect with other users in their network. If you’re not already on LinkedIn, you can create an account for your business. It’s free, so there’s no harm in trying out the service.

To create and market a business on LinkedIn, you’ll need to do the following:

• Set up a profile
• Post regularly
• Consistent engagement
• Measure Results

As with the other platforms mentioned above, you can take a quick tour of the LinkedIn platform or you can dive in and start using it. Just remember that LinkedIn is most effective when used in combination with a blog or a social media platform like Twitter. Having a LinkedIn account, even if you don’t use the platform, will be a great way to show your expertise in your industry and connect with potential customers and employees.