Any business that’s not already in the online space, is lagging behind the competition. But with so many ways to market yourself online, how do you know you’re choosing the right option for your success?
Below, we’ve outlined a few of the most common ways to promote your business online, take a look at the pros and cons of each so you can make the most informed decision that will see great results for your company.
A website
This may go without saying, but even if it’s just a simple landing page with your contact details on it, potential customers need to be able to find you before they can pay for your product or service. Some important aspects to remember for your website:
-Logo and company name clearly displayed on each landing page
-Obvious calls to action whether it be phone, email or web form
-A brief description about the products or services you are offering
Pros
-Potential customers can find and contact you online to purchase from you
-You can use PPC management agency to generate leads through your website.
-Google: Customers searching for your product or service will be exposed to your brand through organic search rankings
Cons
-Poorly designed websites can have a detrimental effect on your business.
-Maintaining a good organic search ranking can be difficult and time consuming whilst Google regularly changes the factors that determine this.
Daily Deal Sites
These sights are a dime a dozen but have gained popularity with consumers over recent years for their bargain basement prices and low cost shipping. With anything from half price frozen yogurt to thousands of dollars off an overseas holidays, you can find just about anything on a daily deal site.
Pros
-Strong consumer following who receive daily deal emails and browse the sites. These customers are already engaged so highly likely to buy.
– As it’s a volume game, this is a great way to fill capacity during a quiet period
Cons
-Customer loyalty is to the site, not your business. Because it’s price driven you will find that the only way you stay busy is through having your prices slashed.
– Because you’re heavily discounting, you’ve probably had to forfeit a significant portion of your revenue leaving you with much tighter margins
Social Media
Social media comes in many different forms, to target a range of different audiences. LinkedIn is crucial for B2B companies, whilstFacebook is a must have for any products targeting end use consumers. Many businesses are finding that they need to adjust their tone of voice for social media, especially consumer targeted channels which need to be more light hearted and fun. Transparency, trust and a willingness to engage with customers outside of a sales environment is also really important in this space.
Pros
-Great for brand awareness
-Allows you to interact directly with your customer
-Share content that relates to your industry whether it’s been created by you or someone else
Cons
-Social media is not a sales tool, most businesses don’t understand this
-Your product, brand and activity needs to be compelling and interesting enough for your audience to want to engage with
Online Directories
Remember the old phone books? Online directories are the web version. You can sign up to directories that are specific to certain industries or products as well directories that cover all businesses imaginable.
Pros
-Relatively cost effective
-You don’t necessarily need your own website to have your contact details listed
Cons
-Your business will be indistinguishable from the other thousand listed on the site
-Results aren’t measurable, meaning that once you sign up for your contract, you will likely not be approached again until it’s time to re-sign the agreement
-People searching for you will be sent to the online directory rather than your website
Search Marketing
Search marketing is all about putting your ad in front of people who are looking for your product across search engines and directing them to your website. Other known terms for this are Adwords or Google Marketing. PPC management agencies can help drive
Pros
-You know your budget is being spent on people who are actively searching for your product.
– You can set the budget, and you are only charged for people that click through to your site
-You gain exposure even when people people aren’t clicking on your ad
-Return on Investment, search marketing is the single most effective way to measure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
Cons
-Variance of industries means that some search areas may be more expensive than others or much more competitive.
-Some people still have some resistance to PPC as in the past they have been spammy and irrelevant
Where does Firefly Search fit into the picture?
Firefly Search is search marketing on a whole new level. Our ability to track and record your leads through phone calls, web forms and emails means that we can understand exactly what searches drive customers to your business. The ability to record phone calls is also a great training tool for your staff. Overall, Firefly Search can help you run the most effective campaign for your budget to get you a measurable return on investment.
The Punch Line:
In an ideal world, with an unlimited budget, a combination of all of the above would be the perfect online marketing mix. However, most small businesses just don’t have the resources for that so they need to know which area to focus on.
Search marketing is great for small and new businesses, it will get you customers much faster than organic search when it’s far too early to start offering a discounted product.
What’s Next?
–Contact us to see if we’re the right fit for your business.
-Take a look at our Solutions page for further information about the products we offer.