You have a small business and you need new customers. What do you do? You turn to digital marketing, of course. What’s that? You’re already posting a million times a day and you’re small business still isn’t growing. Well, you’re probably doing digital marketing wrong then. What follows is a list of things that small business owners get wrong when it comes to digital marketing, why it’s wrong, and how to fix it. Behold, The Ultimate Guide to Small Business Digital Marketing. And when you’re done reading, head on over to our main page to get started with all of your digital marketing needs.

The Beginning

If you're familiar with the power of digital marketing and want to get to the good stuff you can skip this section. If not, keep reading. If you don’t have a website, or even as little as a Facebook page dedicated to your business, what does that say about your business? I’ll tell you. It says you don’t care, it says you’re not serious, it says you’re cheap. Seriously, take the time and money to invest in digital marketing. Almost 90% of marketers say their social marketing efforts have increased exposure for their business. Now that I've got your attention, you're going to want to read the rest.  

Now you’re ready

Where do you start? Start with a website. (This is old news by the way, but i’m just including this in case you live under a rock.) Remember the phrase never judge a book by it’s cover? Well, your customers are still gonna judge. 72% of people judge a company or person based on the quality of their business cards. Think about this, If your customers are judging your business cards, they are most definitely judging your website, or lack thereof. Studies show that between 70-80% of people research a company online before visiting the small business or making a purchase with them. In conclusion, your online presence is just as import as your physical store.

Update the Website Often

If you already have a website, consider updating it. Improving your website- or even just changing it up a bit- can be good for your business. To returning users of your website, an update or a change is like saying that not only are you in business, but you're thriving and growing. And while we’re talking about updates, make sure your website is mobile friendly. Nearly 50% of non-mobile-friendly websites dropped in rank after an update. 3 in 4 smartphone owners turn to mobile search first to address their immediate needs. If your business’s website isn’t mobile friendly, you might as well not have a website.

The Way of the Blog

Now that you have a user-friendly, mobile-friendly website, all you have to do is consistently create content for your blog. Keeping a blog is the best way to advertise your website. Blog posts are how your customers find you through search engines. Google receives over 63,000 searches per second on any given day. You want your website to pop up on these search results, and the best way to do so is by creating a blog and updating it often. Another reason you should make a blog is because it humanizes your brand.t creates trust and likability with your customers.  

Social Media for Newbies

61% of small businesses invest in social media marketing. I don’t know about the other 39% of small businesses (I probably haven’t heard of them either because they’re not on social media) but I’d rather side with the majority. Communication is so important these days, and social media is the best way to communicate with your current and potential customers. The best way to manage a small business’s social media is to post a balance of promotional content and educational about your brand. Here’s what you don’t want to do : post too much or too little, not reply to customers’ comments, or post about something that isn’t relevant to your business.

You've Got Mail

2 words, my friend: email marketing. I’ll follow that last sentence up with this: for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $44.25. If somebody is willing to give their email address to you in exchange for information about your business, you better believe they are going to spend money on your product or service. I rarely give out my email address to a business but when I do, it’s because I really like them and want to receive updates on their business. But, just like social media, don’t send too many emails or your customers will just end up clicking on the unsubscribe link.

Keep Track of What Works

Did you know you can keep track of every single user who clicks on your website, where they’re from, what device they are using, and how old they are? Did you know that you can do all of that for free? It’s called Google Analytics, and it’s great. Google Analytics allows you to see what works and what doesn’t. This way you can optimize and refine your marketing techniques, improving your online presence. A recent estimate puts 48 million websites using Google Analytics. Yeah, you really need Google Analytics in your marketing tool belt.

The End

Congratulations! You've made it to the end. Now all you have to do is apply all of the things you’ve learned in this guide. I promise, If you do these things, your business will thrive. It will continue to gain new customers, and put you ahead of the competition. As I said before, digital marketing is a must, it’s as important as the quality of the product or service you’re selling. So get out there and market like your business depends on it- because it does!