Ten years ago it may have been a choice to jump on the online bandwagon, but now it’s an absolute must to survive and thrive as a small business. With over 85% of searches for products and services happening online, it’s just a “duh” at this point,” shares Jenny Servis, Vice President of Marketing for marketing solutions company SnapRetail. Expanding on this, Servis adds that “being online means having a responsive, search optimized website as well as an engaging and growing following on social media plus using email as part of your marketing mix.”Having a site that is inquiry upgraded, being via web-based networking media that you really draw in with and fusing email into your promoting procedure may appear like a weighty load to convey, however actually it is too simple for private ventures to do these days. Robotized advertising arrangements help make steady, visit updates to every one of these channels almost turn-key, and the information that is followed from web-based social networking, email promoting and other online techniques offers all that anyone could need of motivation to make it a need. The watchword here is information – something private companies can truly pick up from while looking into it and responding to it reliably.
Online or Offline Marketing… Do You Have to Make a Choice?
Many businesses, particularly those that don’t actually sell anything online, often complain that there’s not enough time in the day to “do it all” and as a result, online marketing gets shoved to the side. Unfortunately, this isn’t how customers make decisions. The reality is consumers – likely even you – turn to the internet to discover what to do, where to go, who to buy things from and more. Keeping this in mind, shopping online isn’t the only reason people go online. Instead, being online leverages multiple avenues for small businesses to gain visibility among consumers. As Servis explains, “leveraging your online and offline marketing together can more than double your efforts.”Some examples Servis offers includes the following:- Promote your social media presence on your print collateral in your physical business location
- Remind your customers to “Like us on Facebook” with signage displayed within your business location
- Use hashtags in your offline ads, helping your customers connect with you online via an offline channel
- Connect an in-store event with an online tweet, post or blog post – helping to connect your online and offline worlds
When considering marketing online – as well as selling online – it is important for small businesses to look for partners that offer best-of-breed products, solutions and services that provide the most convenience to the businesses and their customers,” shares O’Malley. Expanding on this, O’Malley notes that for small businesses, “what used to take weeks to set up now takes only minutes.”Minutes. That’s what it takes to get things up and running for much of the online marketing solutions available for small businesses to implement into their businesses. Additionally, it’s valuable to consider investing some of your hard earned dollars into online marketing so that you can gain easy to use, automated online marketing solutions – allowing you to spend more time doing what you (hopefully) do best… run your business and make money. The Single Most Important Reason You Need to Be Online
Consumers have too many choices these days and they have to be constantly reminded that you exist. The best way to reach them is where they spend a good bit of time… which is online,” Servis, a VP of Marketing with SnapRetail, firmly states.
Jon Crain has written hundreds of website design and marketing article blog posts.
He is the sole owner of Pittsburgh SEO Services LLC which is a small business in Pittsburgh PA that specializes in affordable wordpress websites and digital marketing campaigns. Jon Crain has a marketing degree specializing in digital marketing and holds multiple internet marketing certifications. Jon Crain has over 25 years of experience along with managing hundreds of website projects and marketing campaigns. He also has won a variety of awards over the years from Tribune Review, Post Gazette and other publications.