Blog > 11 Awesome Digital Marketing Tips For Small Businesses

As a small business owner, Digital Marketing is ESSENTIAL to your success!
You need to stay competitive, especially during lockdown, but with limited time and limited marketing budget, it can be hard to know where to start.

Following are 11 simple, cost-effective Digital Marketing strategies that you can start using TODAY to grow your business and get more customers.

1. Research your competitors and BE DIFFERENT

You want to offer additional value to the market, to stand out and be different to (better than!) your competitors.
So think hard about your USP (Unique Selling Point) and use this to differentiate yourself from others in your industry.
This will be the cornerstone of your marketing endeavours and will help you to rise above the ‘digital noise’.
Also, take note of what they're doing right and wrong and use this information to boost your own campaigns.

2. Make your website SHINE!

Your website is basically an awesome digital business card, working its magic for you 24/7.
Without it, you’re pretty-much invisible online.
So it’s essential that your website is up-to-date, with rich, impactful content and images, and that it contains all the relevant contact information.
Make sure it’s uncluttered too; when it comes to web copy, ‘less is definitely more’!
Also be aware that large images will affect your page load time so keep image size down.

Most people prefer watching video to reading so ensure that you have great video content.
A Corporate Video highlighting your business, services/products and USP will work wonders for brand awareness and conversions.
Watch our awesome Digiboyz corporate video!

Lastly, since most people use their mobile phones to browse the internet, it’s essential that your website is mobile-friendly.

3. List on a local search directory

Regardless of your business size or niche, listing on a local search directory makes your business more visible to online searchers in your area.
Google My Business not only increases your chances of appearing on the first page of local Google searches and Map enquiries, it makes your address, contact info and website readily available to people looking for your products and services.
It provides a great first impression with customizable content and info, and encourages reviews.
And it’s FREE!

4. Leverage the power of SOCIAL MEDIA!

Not using social media for your business? Well you should be!
Social Media Marketing one of the best ways to engage your customers and to get more!
So create your business social media accounts asap.
The most commonly used platforms include:

● Facebook
● Instagram
● linkedIn
● Google+
● Twitter
● Pinterest

However, when it comes to social media marketing, remember a few basics:

● Be CONSISTENT (post at least once a week)
● Decide on your BRAND TONE AND STYLE, and stick to it!
● ENGAGE with your audience
● RESPOND to messages.

5. Use Content Marketing

Social Media Marketing is not simply about continuously posting adverts and promotions.
In fact, this is a huge turnoff and will likely annoy your target market.
This is why Content Marketing is an industry in its own right.
“Content is King!”
This means that in order to successfully leverage social media, you must create content that provides value for your target market.
So you need to consistently creating content that:

● Entertains
● Educates
● Inspires
● Or creates some sort of emotive response in the viewer/reader

And always have a CALL TO ACTION i.e. tell the reader what to do after consuming your content:

● Follow
● Share
● Like
● Sign up
● Subscribe
● Contact
● Click
● BUY
● Find out more

In the end, a good mix of interesting, valuable content along with promotions/specials is ideal and helps to build trust and brand loyalty.

6. Pay for advertising

Just having great content and good organic reach simply isn’t enough – you NEED to invest in paid-for advertising or risk being drowned out in the digital void. But don’t worry – you don’t have to spend a small fortune in order to get some significant results.
For example, Facebook provides some great ROI and an unmatched ability to target users based on location, demographics and a host of other segmentation criteria.
You also have full control over ad creation, budget, duration and a host of other factors including dynamic reporting analytics, making Facebook advertising relatively slick and easy to do.
When it comes to PPC (pay-per-click) online ads, you simply can’t beat Google Adwords. Advertisers bid on certain industry-specific keywords in order for their clickable ads to appear in Google’s search results.
This can really help to boost your brand and because you only pay when someone clicks your ad, the ROI can be amazing!

7. Create Digital Video Content!

If content is King…then video is the KING OF KINGS!
It’s more popular, more engaging, more persuasive and gets more conversions than any other form of content on the web!
The fact that over 1.9 BILLION users are logging onto YouTube every month speaks for itself.

Watch this Hilarious Marketing Video we did for Big Chick, that garnered almost 70 000 views on Facebook alone!

We covered the awesomeness of video in a previous Blog Post: 5 Reasons Video Marketing is Rocket Fuel For Business

8. Encourage online reviews and ratings

Many people feel that reviews are key when judging a business.
So it’s important that you claim your listings on ratings and review sites such as Hello Peter and encourage customers to provide feedback/reviews on your products and services.
Many studies have shown that we tend to trust what our friends and contacts say about a brand far more than the brand itself (Duh!).
This means that positive reviews can do wonders for your brand image and greatly influence purchase behaviour.
And remember – while negative reviews can be disheartening and potentially damaging to one’s brand, they also offer a unique opportunity to connect with people, turn an unhappy customer into a customer-for-life, and learn exactly where you can improve your products/services.

9. Partner with local influencers

Seek out people online who exert influence in your particular industry.
By partnering with them, you can leverage their following and reputation to expand your own digital reach and grow more customers.
Take note however, you will have to offer something valuable in return – either money or some other commodity such as product.

10. Connect with your customers via email

Email is one of the MOST POWERFUL digital marketing strategies you could use – just about everyone has email and reads it!
For this reason it’s essential to grow an email database and then provide VALUE to those who have subscribed.
A good option is to send out a monthly newsletter for regular marketing messages, specials and promotions, industry news etc.
Mailchimp a simple, all-in-one, integrated email marketing platform for small businesses.

11. Develop a Customer Referral Program

Because we tend to trust people (especially friends/contacts) more than businesses, developing a customer referral program is a must if you want to grow your digital brand! Offer existing customers an incentive for referring their friends and contacts. It doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg either – discounts, special rates and product hampers will go a long way to helping you reach out to new customers.

An interesting case study shows how Dropbox achieved a phenomenal 3900% in growth largely due to a very successful referral program!

Similarly online competitions and giveaways will often gain you massive exposure.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how responsive people are to the chance to win something awesome.
Check Rafflecopter for an easy-to-use, automated platform to run your next big Giveaway!

So what are you waiting for? You’ve got some Digital Marketing work to do…
Get online and take your business to new heights TODAY!

At Digiboyz, we specialize in powerful marketing video ads to boost YOUR business!
Get in touch for a FREE quote!
And FOLLOW us on Facebook for funny video ads, tips and discounted rates.