Learning How to Market Your Small Business

Learning How to Market Your Small Business

You've done all the initial steps when it comes to getting your business online. You've got a website, signed up with a hosting account, and maybe even learned how to accept money.
But what about marketing? Have you figured out exactly how you can begin marketing your small business effectively and affordably? Often this is left for last, and unfortunately it's probably the most important piece.
When you're first starting out, you need to watch your pennies! Let's look at some first steps when it comes to starting to market your business online.

5 First steps to small business online marketing

Begin with a Blog - A blog is an excellent way to start building an online following for your small business. You can go a long way toward branding yourself and gaining the trust of people by being both available and knowledgeable.

Learn how to use social media - This is where your audience is spending time these days. If you wish to connect with them, you'll have to learn how to use it effectively.

Keep a watchful eye on your online reputation - It's wise to set up Google alerts so that you're notified anytime there is a mention of your name or company online. This makes it a lot easier to reply to issues or problems, resolving them before they become large.

Begin building an email list - The top thing successful online marketers say when asked if they could do one thing differently, is that they wished they'd started building an email list from Day One. Don't be one of those guys.

Make use of online directories - Get your business listed in all the major online directories for small businesses, such as Yelp, Google My Business, Merchant Circle and others. One very important must-do on this is to make sure that your NAP info, (name, address, phone) is consistent over all of these sites. Make it easy for people to find you!

Don't forget November 29