In today’s ultra-competitive environment, your small business needs
an online presence just to be found. Showing up in a prospective
customer’s search results can provide a significant advantage over
competitors in your niche and, let’s face it, a significant portion of
the market you serve is made of up consumers who begin their quest for
products and services online.
The question is: where to begin? If you’re anything like most small
business owners, you probably don’t have much of a marketing budget, or a
dedicated marketing staff. And what business owner do you know who has
time to research and master the finer points of SEO, SEM, or paid
advertising? Not to mention, the web is jam-packed with the listings of
all the other competitors in your niche. How can your business
differentiate itself from all the rest?
Fortunately, there are some steps you can take. You don’t even need
to be a marketing expert to pull them off. Just put the following five
tips into practice and you’ll soon increase your business’ online
footprint and begin attracting new customers.
1. Respect the Power of Keywords
By now you should know that having a website that can be found easily
on search engines is a core requirement for the modern small business.
You can ensure that your site is easily found by including relevant
keywords in your site’s text. These would be the keywords that you want
to appear when your customer is searching for the goods or services you
sell.
For example, if you’re in the business of repairing bowling balls and
you’re located in Phoenix, Arizona, you may want to include “Phoenix
bowling ball repair” or “Phoenix bowling ball service” on your website.
Ideally, these terms should be sprinkled within the actual text on your
web pages, in the meta descriptions, page titles, image alt tags, and in
any blog posts. See also: Why Is It Important To Engage Your Audience?
2. Make the Most of Google
If most of your customer base is local, and you’re not looking to
expand beyond the local marketplace, make sure that your listing is
linked to Google maps. Doing so ensures that, when a customer or
prospect types your city and business description in the search field
(e.g.- “Phoenix bowling ball repair”), your business’ name and location
should appear on the map. Prospective customers also may find you by
performing a “Search Nearby” on Google maps for bowling ball repair
businesses in the area.
Beyond getting found, being listed on Google maps is helpful to
customers who rely on GPS devices to navigate their driving. Small
businesses not listed on Google Maps run the risk of seeming out-of
touch.
Getting a listing on Google Maps is as easy as can be. Just sign up with Google My Business,
where you’ll be able to edit your listing’s details, track where
customers are coming from, and read any reviews that customers post
about you.
3. Leverage Online Directories
There are far more online directories than you might imagine. You may
not use them yourself, but you never know where your next customer may
find you—so, choose several and submit your information. Make sure you
keep track of them on a spreadsheet, so you can accurately update
information as your business grows.
Look for directories that are specific to your niche, as well as
broad-based directories such as: Local.com, AngiesList.com, Yahoo!Local,
BingPlaces, Yelp, YellowPages.com, CitySearch, Manta, Kudzu.com, etc.
The value of online directories varies, but having these listings should
boost both your website traffic and your search engine ranking.
4. Know What Your Customers Are Saying
For better or worse, just about every business is being reviewed
online by customers. Some reviews are justified, some aren’t. Last year,
Yodle, a leader in local online marketing, conducted its first-ever
“Small Business and Online Reviews Survey,” which polled 300 small
business owners across a large array of service industries to get their
perspective on online reviews.
What they found was that only half of small business owners think
positive online reviews are important. Most aren’t receiving or asking
for online reviews; and, a significant number of small business owners
aren’t responding to or monitoring online reviews.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the survey also found that small
business owners don’t effectively leverage customers’ online reviews,
and many of them believe that the online reviews system is unfair.
Fair or unfair, you need to know what your customers are thinking and
saying to others. Google “(your business’ name) reviews” to find out
where most of your customers are posting feedback. Plug-in to these
discussions and, when appropriate, respond in a helpful, respectful
manner that demonstrates how much you care about your customer’s
experiences. Never, ever post a knee-jerk response.
5. Get a Facebook Page
Although there are many social media sites to consider—and there are
good reasons for you to be using Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and
others—Facebook is a solid choice for both small businesses that are
just venturing into the social realm and local small businesses that
want to bring in foot traffic.
Facebook is one of the most popular sites for small businesses
because it provides a great way to showcase locations, hours of
operation, photos, web addresses, and relevant content. Updating your
Facebook page at least once a month will keep your business top-of-mind
for customers, and hopefully catch the attention of prospects who are on
the fence about doing business with you. You can also encourage
followers to share your page, which would increase your following. The
platform even empowers you to distribute targeted advertising to
Facebook users who may not know about your business yet.
By gradually implementing these five tips, you will grow—and better
manage—your small business’ online presence. You’ll reap the rewards,
and your customers just might thank you for putting their needs first.
