Most startup businesses have limited marketing budgets, so their campaigns are most likely handled by their owners. However, most entrepreneurs find it difficult to market their businesses through digital channels, mainly because of their lack of experience with digital marketing and public relations. The struggle may be real but there are ways to conquer it, starting with these three things that every small business owner needs to know about how they can be competitive within their target niche:
Learn the Basics of SEO
Your business can gain a lot from search engine optimization or SEO strategies. If you’re not tech savvy, don’t worry. SEO may sound a bit overwhelming, but if you do a little research online about it, you’ll find that it is really not that complicated. There are a lot of online resources out there that are really easy to understand, such as Search Engine Land’s video which provides basic introduction to SEO and how you can position your business’ website to rank for relevant search terms.
Learning the basics of SEO allows you to understand what your target audience is looking for, so you are able to customize your online marketing strategies so that your target niche finds these more relevant and engaging.
Allocate Budget for Social Media Marketing
Contrary to what a lot of small business owners think about social media marketing, getting noticed on popular social channels, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram requires much more than posting an update or a self-made video on a daily basis. More sophisticated techniques are needed, such as designing compelling images and videos that will motivate your target audience to like your post and follow your account.
If you are able to produce quality images and videos for your social media accounts, congratulations! You’ve just saved a few dollars for graphic design. But that does not mean that your engagement will always be zero cost. If you want to attract your target market into following your business, you will require greater exposure and this can be made possible through paid ads, like the Facebook ad campaigns that increases your visibility to your target demographics. Once you’ve started engaging more followers, make sure to present a positive and ethical impression of your business so they will gain confidence in your brand and be converted into actual, loyal customers.
Now posting all those updates and videos should also be measured, to see if your efforts are giving you the results you want. Do some research on how each social media campaign can be analyzed and make sure to allot some time to check out the stats. These numbers will tell you what’s working and what needs to be tweaked.
Familiarize Yourself with PR Pitches
Nowadays, the lines between public relations and marketing have almost broken down since the birth of social media and digital marketing. Before you reach out to a journalist, do some research and learn how the PR process works. Write some interesting stories about what’s new about your offerings, and if there are any events you are involved in. A great press release about your business should create a strong impact that would move a journalist into pushing your story to their readers. Good PR is not just about having the right contacts, it is also about having the right context.
