Being a small business owner means that you have to take charge of a million things at once. As tempting as it might be pay someone to take care of the busy work, sometimes the company budget won’t stretch that far. But, if you can take control of your digital marketing, you can see a big change in your profit margins. So, how can you use digital marketing to grow your small business? Here are some ideas to get you going.
Because we live in a world where money is needed to survive, Latte Lindsay runs a number of affiliate programmes and offers contributed or partnered content. If you choose to click the links and read the posts, the site may earn a commission or receives a payment. All of the opinions are my own. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any partner brands/company(s), beauty & lifestyle brands, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities unless specified.
What is digital marketing?
In a nutshell, this is marketing (i.e. the promotion of your business) which takes place online. There are many different types of digital marketing, but as a general rule, if a business is doing something online to promote their business, then it is digital marketing. Some examples include-
- Pay per click
- Content marketing
- Mobile marketing
- Marketing analytics
- Affiliate marketing
- Social media marketing
- SEO
- Email marketing
If you are reading those and don’t have a clue what they all are, don’t worry! Digital marketing is a complex beast and at times can require an expert or two. For example, seo agencies can help with a number of different marketing avenues, especially if you have no idea where to start. Or, if you have started and it’s not going in the direction that you want it to go, they can step in and help. However, the type of marketing that you use will depend on the type of business that you have. Some types might not be suitable for your business. But there are a few ways you can use digital marketing to grow your small business regardless of the nature of your business.
Social media
One of the best ways to drive people to your business is using social media. You can’t swing an intern by the clipboard without slapping into a business social media account. When it comes to social media, it pays to be present. This means posting regularly and keeping the content fresh. A lot of the people and businesses I follow on social media are interesting and I like them for the content. Maybe one post you have spotted has made an impact and made you follow them for more. One example of this is Reby Hardy, AKA Gothic Baby’s mother and wife of professional wrestler Matt Hardy. Gothic Baby popped up on my TikTok feed and I had to find out more. The end result was me following her and losing 2 days of my life to watching all of her content on TikTok. Create real content that is true to you and your business, and people will follow you for more.
Your own website
Anyone and any business can have a website, but the great ones drive sales. I want you to take this website that you are on as any example. Although this site is free to read, you are always being sold something. From the Google ads that pop up (and I have no control over other than switching them off) to the businesses that advertise in the sidebar. It might not seem as if I am selling anything but my goal is to get people interested in my writing style so that they will buy my book(s). However, none of this would be possible without good SEO practices. Having your site set up and designed to be discovered by search engines, such as Google, will help your customers find you. If you are a small business that caters to the local community, use digital marketing to grow your small business by optimising your site for Local SEO traffic.
Email lists
One of the most underrated items of digital marketing is the email list. Having a list can help you to contact customers for special deals and information that you can’t share on social media (or you have and the algorithm has swallowed it whole). Having an email list of customers is a great way to let customers know when you have new products or services. There are a few businesses that have my details for their email list because I need to know when they have new stuff. These are brands that I love and will spend a lot of money on. Creating and growing your email list can be tough but the return rate and click through rate from emails can be a lot higher than other digital marketing methods. However, many small businesses don’t think to set up an email list in the first place. Put it in place and give people the option to sign up. And don’t forget to send the odd email to your subscribers too.
As you can see, there are a few ways that you can get started with your digital marketing and use it to grow your small business. Don’t be afraid to have a play with these methods and let me know in the comments how you get on with them.