Small Business Center

How SMBs Can Get Started with Online Marketing

May 27th, 2009 by Alex McArthur

Small business owners don’t have the resources that larger businesses have, but in most cases they can move much more quickly.  SMBs need to take advantage of their ability to move quickly especially in regards to online marketing, but where do they start? 

The first step is to get educated or find someone you trust to help you along the way (subliminal message -> think OrangeSoda).  Find a blog or two, like this one, to follow and pay attention to industry trends.  Making uneducated decisions can lead to money in the hole and waisted efforts.

Next, it’s important to setup a strategy that works for your business.  Do you run a service business, e-commerce website, or retail store?  Do you need seo, ppc, or both to get targeted leads?  Get your campaigns going and enjoy the process of refining and optimizing.

One of the easiest steps to success that provides lasting results is to setup a blog on your website.  Try WordPress if you need a starting point.  Even if you only update your industry specific blog once a month and you don’t get hundreds of comments it’s still providing great seo value.  There are lots of great sites that allow you to submit your blog to their directory.  By doing this you gain a link to your website and set yourself up to get noticed.  More importantly, blogging helps show your passion for your business and allows you to express your expertise.

Another method that works well for some and waists time for others is social media.  Twitter, Facebook, and community websites can be valuable ways to find prospects as long as you stay focused and don’t let the hours go by as you explore.  Setup accounts specific to your business and provide meaningful information about what you do best, your business.

Finally, plan on revisiting your campaigns regularly.  Dig into the numbers to see what’s working, what’s not and where you need to put more money.

And if you want to go the extra mile try podcasting or creating a video to put on youtube.

By putting time into all of these different methods you can spread a wide net and capture a larger client base.  And don’t forget, while you’re getting things done the big competitor down the street is still working it’s way through all the corporate red tape.

 

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