Marketing A Small Business In The 21st Century - Part 2

The arrival of the Internet and its acceptance by the public over the last twenty-plus years has given businesses a variety of new and exciting marketing tools with which to promote their companies. The rise of the Internet and the associated technology has resulted in brand’s having the ability to put up their own company websites featuring whatever information they choose to present to the public. Currently, the web is going through a second evolution, which is putting all the information of the web at people’s fingertips through mobile technology.

 

Website 

According to Google, a small business that has its own website will grow 40 percent faster than one without a site. Yet despite this, Google states that almost 60 percent of small businesses have no web presence at all, making them completely invisible to the digital world. Unfortunately, many small firms believe websites are too costly and will dominate their time. However, Google offers free help and there are web tools available to simplify the process. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a critical factor in creating a successful company website so that it can be easily found by customers and prospects searching the web within your niche. Industry keywords must be employed within your company’s website. Social media presence and engagement also play a vital role.

 

Mobile

There has been a massive eruption in the number of mobile devices and smartphones around the world in the last few years and seems like it will outdistance conventional desktop computers in the near future. For a business, this means that just having a website isn’t good enough anymore. Your company’s website must be optimized for mobile at the very least and at best have a mobile app created specifically for smartphone and tablet users.

 

This technology presents several unique marketing opportunities to businesses that will embrace it. Location-based marketing is a growing trend with the rise mobile devices. Using local listing websites to list your business will steer customers, who are already looking to make a purchase, to your business while being helpful at the same time.

Mobile marketing can also be much more than local. If your company sells products, create a mobile friendly online catalog. Make sure it is easy to use, looks good on mobile, and maybe even give the customer the option of paying via their device.

These technologies and others should not be looked upon as a burden by marketers, but as new and exciting platforms to showcase products and services. In part three of this series, we will at the new possibilities offered by video marketing and take a look at some old stand-by marketing tools.

 

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

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