Digital marketing is anything you do online to try and generate sales. It’s a weird and wonderful world with lots of successes and failures. The key to digital marketing for small businesses is to try lots of things — in a controlled way — and find out what works. In this article, we’ll explore free and paid digital marketing and how it can impact your small business.
How to do digital marketing for free
In digital marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing are two ways to attract customers for free.
SEO marketing
If you want to pop up when people search for products like yours on the internet, then you need SEO. The idea is to make sure that search engines know what sorts of products or services you sell and where you are. There a couple ways you can start with SEO:
- Claim your Google My Business account so the search engine knows where you’re based — making locals find your products and services more easily
- Retailers can connect their ecommerce site to Google and Facebook carousels so pictures of your products appear at the top of the page when people search for products like yours.
Even though SEO sends free traffic your way, you can choose to spend money on it. An SEO consultant may have some extra tips and tricks to help you do well in searches.
Shareable content
Shareable content creates a positive exposure for your business. Identify your target audience, the platforms they frequent, and make content that resonates with them to increase the likelihood of your consumers sharing it. This not only amplifies your reach but also attracts potential customers to your business.
Paid digital marketing for small businesses
There are dozens of ways to spend money on digital marketing, but the three main approaches are pay per click (PPC), social advertising, and display advertising.
Pay per-click
You can pay to show up in results when people search for products or services like yours. It’s a way to get to the top of search results without world-beating SEO. You only pay a fee for your ad if someone clicks on it.
Paid social (ads or sponsored content)
You can also pay to have your ads appear in the newsfeed of target customers on social media. Most social platforms allow you to create a profile of the type of people you want to see your ads so you can hone in on your ideal customer.
Display ads
You can also have your ad displayed in banners on various websites, including social media sites. This isn’t often done by small businesses, except as part of a retargeting campaign. Retargeting can help you close a sale with someone who’s previously been to your site.
Targeting is the key to digital marketing, so know precisely who you want to talk to, use the language they speak, and send ads directly to them on social platforms. To read more on digital marketing, how much it costs, and whether to seek out a professional — visit the full guide here.
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