When we start the new year and seriously think about 2008, one of the activities that we usually do as small business owners is to evaluate our goals and successes in the previous year. If you find yourself thinking: "My business really could benefit from having more customers last year" or "I wish my business to be more profitable," then we recommend that you read to learn how you can Be more successful and get 2008 started!
The area in which most small businesses neglect is marketing their business on the Internet. After creating a website, many business owners believe that having an “online presence” on the website is all they need. But few companies experience success on the Internet, simply “building it.” Consumers are constantly growing to find local suppliers and businesses to meet their needs. In fact, recent Nielsen research shows that 73% of consumers use search engines as their primary means of finding businesses like yours. But if you already have a website, then why isn't your business growing rapidly? Why don't these consumers find you on the Internet? As our new year for you, we have developed the following 8 tips for planning your online marketing strategies. We will be sure that these active online users will find you!
Quick story:
Three women decide to meet in the park so that their three-year-old children play together. On the way, one woman notices that one of her car tires is low and sees a nail in her. The second responds to radio advertising on the way to the park, describing a new spa that has just opened in the city. She decides it's time to relax a little. The third is reminded in the park that she volunteered to make a dinner order for three women and their husbands to go to dinner together next weekend.
All 3 of these women are likely to use search engines to help. The first is likely to be a search for a local tire dealer or the type of tire it has on its car. The second one may not remember the name of the resort, so he will search the Internet to try to find a spa (or competitor) to heal itself. The third will use a search engine to find a hip restaurant and impress their friends with reservations there. All three of these examples are everyday consumer situations and the opportunity for you to add new customers to your business when the situation is related to your type of business.
1. Do some surveillance. When you make your own purchases, use search engines to find local businesses. See what happens and use your shopping behavior as an indication of what the consumer can do when they are looking for a business like yours. Put on the hat of the consumer who may be inclined to contact you or talk to you. What attractive sites led you to visit or name your business and make a purchase? Do you know the keywords that your customers use to search the Internet?
2. View online catalog listings. If you provide services in your local community as an accountant, chiropractor, dentist, travel agent, insurance agent, doctor, florist, limousine service, cleaning, plumbing, car repair shop or moving company, and you think that all you need is listing online and that, as customers will find you, you can do much better. In online ads, customers will also find your competitors, because online listings are categorized by business. You have very little control over the content and how you show potential customers. Since most of the traffic to online directories comes from search engines, you also have at least one extra step removed from your potential customers. Invest in online search advertising to get as close as possible to potential customers. Make sure they find you, not your competitor.
3. Pay attention to your competition. If you think that you sell only what you sell or provide the services you provide, think again. We all have competition. Otherwise, you won’t be interested in where all your customers are. Your competition may not be known to you, and the Internet has destroyed many geographic competitive barriers, but there are other companies that sell the same potential customers as you do. Why they do not find and do not come to you? What is your competition that is different from you? Some of your competitors are investing in search engine marketing to attract customers to their sites, and you too should be.
4. Make your site compelling and effective. First impressions are crucial, and even more so in the online world. Ask five people to give you feedback on your website, especially with regard to their first impressions of reaching your site, your credibility, content about what you do and what you need to handle, and if you are easy to contact. Ask your customers to evaluate the usefulness of your website and if it provides what they are looking for. Is this convincing? Use your website not only to display your qualifications, but also to attract the visitor’s attention. Put yourself in your customers. footwear. What need are they trying to solve, and what would they like to see when they reached your site? Sites that are more relevant to visitors. needs will be more efficient. Think about solutions, tips, discounts, offers ... get their attention. Contact you easily - display your phone number, hours of operation, etc. Reliably.
5. Believe me, marketing is an investment. Internet marketing should be an investment, not an expense. When deciding how you will sell your business in 2008, first go to the Internet. Search engines are probably the best way to get the most return on investment (ROI) for your marketing dollar. Ask how your return on investment will reflect when you talk to potential online marketing service providers. Get the biggest bang for your hard-earned dollar!
6. Do the math. What a good example? What should mathematics look like? With search engine marketing, math should be easy to calculate. For example, let your time cost $ 50 an hour, a customer cost you $ 200, and every time someone clicks on your ad, it costs you $ 3.00. If you invested in search engine advertisements and received 1000 targeted visitors to your site, and 2% of them became customers (20 new customers), this would mean that the new income for your business would be $ 4,000. Your cost will be $ 3,000 (based on $ 3.00 for each visitor), and if you had a partner implementing this strategy for you, your time savings will cost at least $ 5,000 (you will need at least 100 hours to settings and manage it yourself). You would have made at least a refund of $ 1,000 for an investment of $ 3,000 ($ 4,000 - $ 3,000). This is equivalent to a return on investment of 33% (which, by the way, is much higher than the stock or bond market). Do not forget that you would also save $ 5,000 in your time so that you can devote yourself to these new customers, or your family and personal well-being!
7. Let the experts help you. As a small business owner, how much free time do you have? Most of us admit that we wear dozens of different hats. And if you have extra time, are you going to spend it exploring the complexity of Internet marketing or maintaining the ever-changing formulas that search engines use to determine who will be displayed and when? Of the thousands of business owners with whom we met, the general theme is: “I will know this tomorrow.” How many different things are always “one fine day?” When it comes to acquiring new customers and growing your business, don't let your delay get in the way. Let the experts handle complex things. Do you know how to create the most effective advertisements to attract the right customers for your business? When planning your online marketing strategies in 2008, do not do it yourself. After all, you hire an architect to design a building or a house, so why not hire a search engine marketing expert to develop an online marketing strategy and acquire customers?
8. Talk to your trade association or local chamber of commerce. Ask your fellow merchants what they are doing to attract new customers to their businesses. Ask your trade association, congress / visitor bureau or your local cell what they do to help you “find” online. How do they search for you and provide programs and solutions to help you grow your business? Your peers are a great forum for interacting and sharing ideas, as well as raising awareness about business growth opportunities. Make a group of interest within your association and ask for educational resources. AdvancedLocal is one group that will offer free online or local educational sessions about the opportunities available to you for promoting your business on the Internet.
We sincerely hope that these tips will help you start 2008 with a bang and provide you with a constant trend in the field of Internet marketing, search engine marketing opportunities and consumer demands to find you (or your competitors) on the Internet. Make search engine marketing an important part of your business planning and investment strategy, and you will be more successful in 2008, as tens of thousands of other local companies have already discovered using these simple strategies.
Finally, make your site visible. Make sure your business is found, when and where consumers search online ... for you. Welcome to 2008!
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