There are many successful businesses that were created with little or no marketing budget. Many of these companies went on to create thriving online communities, becoming influential brands in their industries. The secret to their success? They learned how to market their businesses online without blatantly advertising their products or services. In this article, you’ll discover 4 tips that will help you do the same – and grow your business with less worry. 

1. Create niche communities.

It’s well-established that the key to online marketing is putting in the effort to create engaging content that will keep your audience coming back for more. As tempting as it may be to simply advertise your products or services on social media, paying for ads that grab attention and encourage clicks won’t deliver the results you’re looking for. Instead, you want to build a community of niche subscribers who value your content and have a distinct interest in what you have to say. Once you have that, you can continue to provide valuable information as you grow your business.

2. Use keywords responsibly.

When you’re trying to market your business online, you won’t find success without some knowledge of SEO. SEO stands for “search engine optimization” and is the art of using keywords, paired with relevant content, to gain higher search rankings on search engines like Google.

There are four basic steps you need to follow to ensure you choose the right keywords for your content:

• Identify the terms your target audience uses when searching for content related to your business.
• Choose one or two keywords for each piece of content you create.
• Measure the search volume for your chosen keywords.
• Adjust your content and keywords as needed, based on your analysis of the previous steps.

With these four steps you’ll be able to choose the right keywords, set the right expectations with your target audience, and boost your SEO rankings, resulting in more people discovering your business.

3. Craft an engaging persona.

If someone clicks on your product or service listing on Google, they’ll arrive at your website. However, beyond the initial click, what happens next?

When that person lands on your website, they expect to engage with you – and keep engaging with you throughout your experience. To create an immersive, engaging experience for your visitors, you must understand what makes them click on your product or service in the first place. To do this, you need to craft a persona – a unique character representing the ideal customer, or the person or group of people you’re trying to target with your website. A persona is like a person, but it’s based on your industry, your audience, and what they value – in other words, their interests.

For example, if you’re in the sports industry and your audience value authenticity, you might want to create a persona that’s a successful, athletic, male, between the ages of 18 and 24. If you manage a grocery store and your audience values convenience, you might want to create a persona that’s a busy parent who wants to avoid having to search for specific items while shopping – the list goes on! Once you have this basic information, you can use it to craft stories, content, and web pages that are relevant to your target audience. 

4. Use social media strategically.

The final step in the SEO process is using social media to continue marketing your business and gaining more web traffic. When someone clicks on a company’s social media links, they’re taken to a webpage showing the company’s latest content and news – often with a call to action at the end, encouraging them to click through to the company’s website. If someone reads your blog post, likes your photos, and follows you on social media, they’re more likely to visit your website as well – and maybe even make a purchase, based on what they find there.

To gain the most benefit from social media, you need to use it in combination with email marketing and text messaging. With these channels, you can connect with your audience, provide them with valuable information, and invite them to become part of your community – all without having to pay for ads.

No matter what industry you’re in, or what stage you’re at in your business – whether you have a one-person show or a multinational corporation – there’s an online marketing strategy that can help you succeed.