5 Online Marketing Tips for the Everyday Entrepreneur

Modern businesses have so many new ways to market themselves.  Deciding on a marketing strategy is important, especially if you’re the owner of a small to medium-size business.  Here are the best marketing tips to consider if you’re working on a tight budget. 

Take advantage of Facebook advertising

If you haven’t already, make a Facebook page for your brand.  A Facebook page is especially important for small businesses.  Facebook is the largest social media platform for a reason and is the best place to interact with your fans.  Create and share relevant content as well as encourage discussions.  Communicate with your fans by liking and commenting in discussions. 

Also, don’t be afraid to take advantage of Facebook advertising, which is relatively affordable and ideal for local businesses.  Facebook ads appear in peoples’ news feeds, making them difficult to miss.  They can also be targeted based on location, age, interest, and other categories.  There’s no long-term commitment involved.  If you’re not getting the most out of Facebook advertising, you can simply cancel any time. 

Focus on email marketing

Email marketing is great for engaging customers.  Integrate your email marketing campaigns with your blog and social media.  Make use of email as much as possible.  Remind customers of abandoned shopping carts, and notify subscribers of contests, giveaways, and special promos.  Don’t forget to use strong lead magnets to collect email addresses.  Good lead magnets can be anything from coupons to cheat sheets, to exclusive content.  People make checking their emails a part of their daily routine; you want to be a part of that routine. 

Blogging

Blogging is one of the best marketing strategies around.  Both large corporations and small businesses alike take advantage of blogging to connect with their audience and to reach new people.  Churning out new content on a weekly or even monthly basis will also do wonders for SEO. 

Not only are blogs a great source of information and insight into your company, but they also are a reliable means to make announcements, show off contests and giveaways, and promote your business socially.  Create enough viral, interesting content and your blog will reach new audiences on its own thanks to the power of social media.  Blogging is also highly cost effective.  You can write it yourself or hire a professional content creator to manage your blog for you. 

Use more social media

The power of social media is growing each year.  A Facebook page and a Twitter profile are a must for any type of business.  Both of these platforms can expose your brand to new audiences even if you’re not actively paying for ads.  Other platforms like Instagram or Pinterest are just as important for visual-heavy niches. 

Every entrepreneur needs to learn how to leverage the power of social media; find which platform works the best for your brand, and then focus your effort on building a strong presence there.  Create and share original content, share discussions, and try to reach as many new people as possible.  Don’t forget to take advantage of hashtags and trends. 

Pay-per-click advertising

You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on advertising.  Pay-per-click ads are a cost-efficient way of getting the most out of your marketing budget.  Knowing your way around Google’s AdWords can help you save money while getting the most leads possible.  AdWords can help you filter out irrelevant keywords, allowing you to get the most out of your campaign. 

All of these methods are important, for both newly launched brands and multi-million-dollar companies alike.  A good marketing strategy goes a long way to helping grow your business.  Find the method that works the best for you and keep up the pressure.  Build an audience, build connections, and create a strong online identity for your brand.  You can do all of these, even on a tight budget.