How to market your business online
Setting up your business is a fun and exciting time as you start the next chapter in your business journey. You’ve decided on the products or services that you will be offering. The research is done on your target market and now you’re getting ready to open your doors and offer your product or service. But wait… How do you actually get them there?
The world’s current situation has shed light on the importance of having an online strategy for your business in 2020. Whether you are just getting started, or looking to reach more clients, there’s never been a better time to look at your online marketing strategy.
I hope to provide a little guidance in helping you get set-up with an effective online marketing strategy. In addition, I’ll also touch on some of the different approaches you can take to be effective for your business.
How to get a website online
The first and arguably most important thing you can do for your business is to get a website online. Why? Without a website how and where will your clients/customers find out about you!? It’s so important to treat your website as the informational marketing/sales tool that your other channels funnel into.
You can set up your website by yourself, or you can hire a web designer/developer to do it for you. There are a lot of different tools you can use to build a website yourself including WordPress, SquareSpace, Wix, and Weebly among others.
These website builders are great and effective if you don’t have much of a budget, or no experience building websites. However, a website is far more than just a neat and pretty design! The effectiveness of your website will have a direct link to your sales and goals.
For example, a website with a beautiful design but copywriting that isn’t fluid or persuasive will fail to convert any of your website visitors. What good is a pretty design if it doesn’t get you any clients!? Another example is if you haven’t set up a good customer journey for your user. If the website is frustrating for them to use, or they have a hard time finding the answer they’re looking for, they will be quick to leave the site.
A website is a sales funnel for your business and a place where you will drive the majority of your internet traffic in order to convert your business goals. Don’t try and go cheap or put in minimal effort into your website, or you will be costing yourself sales down the line.
Do some research to learn how to build an effective website then try your hand at one of the website builders. If that isn’t for you, hire and consult a web professional that understands your website is not just a website, but a marketing and sales tool to convert your visitors and drive your sales.
Set up Fundamental SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO is the holy grail for businesses and driving visitors to your website. If you have an optimized website for conversions, you will stand head and shoulders above your competition in earning sales. Here are some basic things you can do when you’re starting your SEO journey.
Your website will establish some of your technical and on-page SEO. It can be a lot of work upfront, but it is well worth it in the end. Also, most of it won’t require a lot of changes once it’s done. How great is that!?
First things first, make sure that your website has a proper site title and meta description. These are the two things that show up on Google and within your social sharing cards when people find your website. These are important because it helps to tell Google what your website is about so it can understand your site correctly.
You can also set up your robots.txt, sitemap.xml, and your schema files on your website. These once again are for the Google bots so they can read what your website is all about. The more Google knows about your business, the better… that is if you are following the rules!
This is easy to do if you have a WordPress site as they offer different plugins that you can install that will make this easy for you.
You can also do some keyword research so you know what keywords you want to rank for. Choosing one primary keyword for each main page with around 20 ancillary keywords is a good target to shoot for. Make sure you add these to the headers of your content. Also, don’t forget to add keywords to some alt tags for your images!
The above is just a quick overview of how you can implement SEO to your website. This is just to emphasize that I think doing this early when you’re getting set up is your best bet. That way it is done and over with and you can focus on your off-page SEO campaigns and plans.
Make sure that you go over these things with your web developer if you are working with one. If you want more information about on-page and technical SEO, check out this article on website and SEO.
How to set up your Google MyBusiness and Yelp Pages
You can also help your business get some exposure by setting up a Google MyBusiness and a Yelp business page. Of course, this doesn’t apply to all businesses but if you have a physical location or serve a specific area then this is a great option.
Setting up these pages can go a long way in helping your business earn authority online. By having authority it allows Google to rank you higher in search rankings. Also, it is great for asking clients and customers to leave you reviews.
Human beings are inherently dependent on the word of others, thus, having high reviews plays a big role in helping with your conversions. You will be certain to get some future clients after they have read your reviews on Google and Yelp.
In the case for Google MyBusiness, there is even more of a perk for taking the time to create a page. Having a Google MyBusiness page will also give you an easier chance to rank higher in the search results when starting out.
This works very well if you have a physical location for your business. Your website and Google MyBusiness page will now show up in the maps portion at the top of the search results. This type of perk is perfect for local businesses looking to attract customers. A nice easy way to up your chances of being found by new customers.
As you can see, this is a simple process and would take no longer than a couple hours to set up. The results may not be seen at the start, but over time it will be a sure fire way to rank higher and get more customers to trust your business.
Set-up and pick your social media pages
Another big thing to cross off the checklist will be to create social media pages for your business. The best way to do this is to do some research to find out where your customers are the most active. Rank the social media sites where they are the most active and then create your social media pages from there.
Starting with the top two social media pages is a good place to start. For example, if you notice a big community on Twitter and Facebook, then focus your efforts on building up your Facebook and Twitter pages. The more you have the better for Google and SEO. However, you don’t want to give yourself too much work and not be active on some of the pages. That will be a bad look!
Pick the top two and spend your time creating great content that your target customers will find valuable. This will help your company gain trust amongst your target audience. It also is a great place to interact and learn from your customers what parts of your business are working and what parts can be worked on.
Customer service is a crucial part to gaining trust and making happy customers. When you have happy customers then that can create a powerful marketing tool. Referrals! Word of mouth and positive online posts are still some of the most powerful ways to gain new business.
Conclusion
Getting your business set-up online is so important in today’s world. More so because of the current state we are in where remote work continues to grow and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. These few steps are a great start to make sure you are on the right path to grow your business.
A website can be your most powerful tool as a marketing and sales funnel to capture new leads, generate more clients, and create awareness around your brand. Make sure that you do the proper research to build your website, or hire a professional to consult or build one for you.
Within the website be sure to set up proper SEO practices. The upfront work will be well worth it in the long term and lots of web designers offer this service. You can also do some research and do this yourself.
Google MyBusiness, Yelp, and the social media pages are all a great way to start giving your customers a chance to rate your business highly. High ratings will boost your SEO, establish credibility, and grow trust among the new on the fence customers.
It can be a bit of a challenge to get everything set up online but it will be well worth it in the end! All the up front work can lead to big sales down the line for your business. Don’t try to rush through it or you might be costing yourself money in the long run.
If you have any more questions about this process, you can shoot me an email and I will get back to you as soon as I can!
Let’s get that business set up online and make you more money!
