If you’re part of the 84% of Australian businesses that haven’t bothered to venture online well then you’re missing out on over $350 000 worth of revenue per year. That’s alot of money, and it should peak your interest and get you excited to join the many businesses who already know that the digital space is the future- and that includes Online Marketing.
Many small business owners and franchisees commonly face the same hurdles when trying to launch their businesses online. It can be especially daunting for New businesses and entrepreneurs who are strapped for cash and don’t know where to begin.
Well Let Me Break It Down For You
First off, you’re going to have to stop fearing the industry jargon such as ” SEM”, “Growth Hacking” and the various acronyms and phrases associated with taking your business online.
SEO means Search Engine Optimisation and is a term used to describe the strategies that increase your presence and ranking on search engines such as Google.
SEM refers to the marketing (the M means Marketing) efforts that help to boost your SEO.
Growth Hacking is a term used by digital marketers and refers to the process of generating lots of prospective buyers with no (or minimal) cost to company.
E-Commerce is the process of selling goods online namely running an online store.
There are so many phrases and buzzwords in the industry that it can only be fair to think a small business like yourself would be apprehensive, but don’t be.
All you need is a push in the right direction and you’re on your way to making real money online and seeing the rewards in your brick and mortar store.
Let’s Talk Online Strategies
For new businesses, entrepreneurs and small to medium businesses I suggest starting out small- your online strategies shouldn’t scare you or be above your level of understanding or capabilities. Start out doing the simple things, do them well and then move on to more advanced online endeavours.
These are the Steps to Get You Started
Step 1: Make the Most of Your Facebook Page
Most small businesses already have a Facebook page, the problem is they are badly managed and poorly executed. What a small business and franchise should do is focus on making the page beneficial for the clients they already have. So instead of thinking about it like “how will I get ALL those people on Facebook to notice me” think of it like “how will I get John, my regular customer, to interact with my business on Facebook”. That would make it simpler. If you get to John you get to his circle of friends and so on; you’ll instantly see the impact this sort of thinking will have on your Facebook page interactions.
Step 2: Start A Blog
Blogging is another way for you to maximise on the online space. Before you dive into blogging you need to know your limitations, your writing ability and your time constraints. Try posting once week and filter that post onto your Facebook Page to get it seen by the public and your target audience. Don’t worry about SEO keywords just yet. Instead focus on adding value to your customer and the viewer of your blog by creating content that is unique and is an extension of what you do as a business. More importantly ensure the content is helpful and don’t forget to link to it on your Facebook page!
Step 3: Get Your Business on YouTube
If you’ve ever used Google to find any how to’s I’m sure you’ve noticed that the first few suggestions are YouTube videos. I suggest you maximise on that by creating a YouTube channel for your business and posting videos on there at least once a month. The videos should be helpful and contain key words people are likely to use when searching for something online. If you’re a bakery for example you may want to upload videos about common how to’s such as “how to bake a chocolate cake” or “how to make birthday cupcakes” etc. A financial advisor could upload videos regarding personal finance tips. Just the keep the content unique to your business and true to yourself… don’t be pretentious. The videos you upload should be good quality, preferably HD and have high quality sound.
The steps should have you online in no time and seeing you reap the rewards many already have.