6 Brilliant Online Marketing and Advertising Methods for Small Businesses

Whether you are just beginning an e-commerce adventure or you already have an online store, you cannot succeed if you cannot lure in customers. This seems easier said than done because it can be immensely time-consuming and difficult for businesses to acquire customers. There is a horde of online marketing and advertising methods at the disposal of companies these days, thanks to digital media. There are numerous techniques and tricks that can be used for acquiring web traffic at a budgeted cost.

Here are just some of the best advertising and marketing techniques that businesses can implement to attract their target audience and develop long-term relationships.

1. A beautiful website

The very first thing that your business needs is a beautiful website. Remember that the first impression is the last impression, and your visitors will not stay on your website if it doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It is essential to understand that it takes just 2 to 3 seconds for users to decide if they are interested in the business and its products. Therefore, your website has to be one that is appealing and gets them to view you as a trustworthy and reliable source.

2. Social media activities

One channel that allows you to promote and advertise your brand and products free of cost is social media. Sure, you may eventually have to pay for ads, but your presence on these social media networks isn’t going to cost you a dime. The key to succeeding on social media is to ensure you are offering quality and relevant content. You want to make people come to you, which means you need to be outstanding and interesting. If you are successful, you will have an excellent marketing channel at your disposal that will not incur financial difficulties. The following tips can help you get started:

• Post regularly: Develop a routine of posting regularly to keep yourself on the minds of your customers. However, do not post unnecessarily often because you’ll end up annoying your audience and this is the last thing you want.
• User engagement: In order to catch the attention of your users, ask them questions, respond to their comments, request their feedback and engage them in conversations pertaining to any hot topic and not just your business.
• Channel selection: There are a plethora of social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest etc. and you should opt for those that can work well for your business. Rather than trying to maintain a presence on all, stick to the top few that cater to your target audience.
• Use graphics: Statistics show that if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retain 65% of the information three days later. Incorporate images in your post for better results.

3. Customer service

Outstanding customer service is another great weapon to lure in more customers. You have to remember that satisfied clients can offer you the best possible promotion. Hence, offer a remarkable experience to your users, which will convince them to come back. Research shows that about 78% of customers abandon transactions due to poor customer service. This means that you must be present at all times to answer customer inquiries and concerns. Regardless if you are responding to customers on social media or on the phone, you have to be helpful, informed and friendly because your goal is to build a rapport with them. The power of word of mouth marketing cannot be, and should not be, underestimated.

4. Email marketing

This is an effective and cheap solution for attracting customers. Sending emails will create a positive attitude amongst customers because you keep them apprised of your activities. Customers remember the emails you send them, as long as they have the right content. Here are some tips for effective email marketing:

• Send emails about discounts and promotions.
• Send emails to inform about upcoming events or new products.
• Send some tips or information concerning your products that have been purchased by the customer.
• Send emails containing a list of products related to those they have already purchased.

Emails can also serve as a reminder to customers about your brand name in case they have forgotten. You can send customers special deals and packages via email as well. Let them know when you are organizing a sale or something similar.

5. Announcing promos and discounts

Who doesn’t love discounts and promos? Even if someone isn’t in the mood to shop, these words alone are enough to get their juices moving. As a matter of fact, the word ‘free’ is known to cause excitement amongst people, which is usually associated with positive emotion. How can you tempt clients to shop with you? Offer discount coupons. These can be provided to new clients to encourage them to make a first purchase and to loyal clients as a reward for their faithfulness. Giving special treatment can also go a long way in keeping clients happy.

Furthermore, offer cross promotions, which means teaming up with other firms and businesses to expand your audience. You can offer package deals with that company and get access to their customer base as well. This can work out quite well.

6. Article marketing

With a successful marketing strategy, you will be able to get the right traffic to your website and also optimize your web pages for search engines. As long as the articles are well-crafted and submitted in major directories, you will see a large increase in visitors on your website and it will also get you better rankings in search engines.