Many small businesses have faced the most difficult times in the past couple of months. The changes and adjustments caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are very scary for most professionals, but the unexpected turn of events could be seen as a great chance to adapt and rethink your business strategy. Working with current limitations can help your business not only survive this period but potentially grow as you look to adapt to today’s world.
This article lists all the amazing but often overlooked digital marketing strategies for small and medium businesses that will help you lift your spirits and potentially influence the success of your business in the future.
Invest in authentic and trendy visuals
Visuals are the most important part of social media marketing as they make a great first impression and make you memorable. Posts with photos and videos get 94% more views than posts that are text-only, so it’s crucial to use this as a tool to engage more people. Many companies find visuals for their design projects, Instagram posts and stories, and social media ad campaigns on stock photography websites like Depositphotos.
A small business can’t afford to break copyright laws just using any picture from Google since copyright infringements will potentially cost a lot of money. Using stock websites as your source for visuals is super inexpensive, so it’s a good solution for any small and medium business. Although there is a common stereotype that stock photography is dull and outdated, today the market is quite different from 10 years ago. Most stock photography websites nowadays have a great collection of artistic, appealing, and authentic photos for any topic and theme.
Form a solid presence on social media platforms
Nowadays more than 3.5 billion people are social media users, and with time, this number will only grow. The COVID-19 pandemic and consequential self-isolation forced many to spend more hours on their social media feeds. With the world changing rapidly, social media is one of the most effective modes of communication with your target audience and clients.
A good social media strategy allows you to build your brand image, easily target your perfect clients, and communicate with them in an informal and more personal way. And focusing on social media is also very cost-effective since you can achieve a lot with small investments (and sometimes without them if you handle social media on your own).
Work with influencers for your ad campaigns on Instagram
Instagram influencer marketing is estimated to be a $2 billion industry. Social media users look up to influencers, adore them, and trust them. That’s why your business should consider working with an influencer to boost your brand’s image and establish a better reputation amongst your followers.
It doesn’t have to be someone like Kim Kardashian with million followers. Even if you have a small business, you can find a micro-influencer with tens of thousands of subscribers who will be happy to take part in your project and social media ad campaigns. It’s a win-win situation both for an influencer and your company since you will get more followers and potential customers, and they will get paid.
Don’t overlook LinkedIn
Linkedin is the most professional platform out therewith many using it as a powerful marketing tool for their brands. Many professionals use LinkedIn to reach potential clients, find new business partners, and simply network.
Investing some time and effort into your presence on Linkedin can boost your business in an unexpected way. It’s the perfect platform to share your business insights, tell stories about your entrepreneurial experience, and share your success stories.
Use blogging for more traffic
Another great tool to form your business image and share your professional expertise is starting a blog. But not just any random blog, of course. Pay attention to platforms like Medium if you want to start blogging right away without investing into a customized blog. Medium is a very popular platform to share business insights where many professionals write about their experience, ups and downs, and create other useful content sharing their insights.
With time, you can explore different options with starting a WordPress blog to have access to more advanced tracking tools. With both options, you can quickly spread the word about your business which can sometimes prove to be invaluable. If your publications have value in them, readers will flock to your business in curiosity.
Basic SEO will boost your business
Search engine optimization is a must for any small and medium business. This is true for your brand’s website and blog. Aim for keywords that are realistic to rank for if you want to acquire clients online. Finding your niche and knowing exactly what makes you different from others is beneficial for business planning, setting goals, and using SEO to acquire new customers.
Although SEO is more important than ever in a competitive online space, don’t forget that your clients are humans, not artificial intelligence. Make sure that the content of your website is not a pool of important keywords for Google, and that your content marketing efforts add value for your readers.
