Today’s market is fiercely competitive, and it’s often a challenge for local businesses to make themselves heard and noticed especially when they’re just starting out and budget is tight. Fortunately, the Internet offers local and small businesses a cheap yet effective solution for their marketing needs — often costing them nothing but their time and effort.
Here are a few tips on how to effectively promote your local business online:
1. Go social
Social media has become deeply ingrained into our lives in today’s digital times, therefore making it an obvious option for businesses to use as a marketing tool. While there are myriads of social media platforms to choose from, it’s best to focus on those that make sense and works best with your marketing goals.
Additionally, having a good and solid content marketing strategy in place goes hand in hand with social media marketing. It’s also important to ensure consistency in your aesthetics, brand messaging, offerings, and perspective; brand consistency is key in establishing a good and lasting online presence.
2. Utilize local SEO
For small businesses, local SEO is crucial in getting yourself organically discoverable online. Having your business listed in online business directories such as Google My Business, Yellow Pages, and Yelp is a good way to start.
A key takeaway here is to ensure that all your business information is consistent across each directory: your company name, address, and phone number (NAP) at the very least, as well as your business website.
3. Start a business blog
A business blog is often an overlooked digital marketing strategy, yet it is one of the most potent. Blogging can help your business in a number of ways: driving traffic to your website and therefore boosting SEO, connecting with your audiences, and establishing your brand as a thought leader.
In business blogging, it’s important to update your blog as frequently as you can; a dormant or erratically handled blog is worth less than one that’s consistent. SEO and content relevancy also play a key role in having a successful blog.
4. Write press releases
Whenever your business does something noteworthy, such as spearheading a local event or partnering with a new venture, write a press release and distribute it online. A press release is a powerful tool for generating publicity, and it also helps in boosting your online reputation, as well as your SEO ranking.
Aside from using your business blog, there are a number of websites that offer free distribution of press releases such as PR.com, PR Log, and Press Release Point.
5. Participate in online communities
Networking is also an essential skill for successful business owners, and the Internet offers a wealth of options to network and connect with other entrepreneurs and potential clients. For every niche, you can find relevant communities online, such as on Facebook, LinkedIn, and online forums.
Simply promoting your business in online communities will most likely annoy some audiences; subtly promoting your business by putting your website link on your signature or mentioning it only when the context is appropriate is a more effective approach. It’s also important to actively participate, contribute, and build rapport with the community.
For more information about local SEO and digital marketing, Contact us at: indicusinfotech.com/contact-us
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