Since you’re reading this, you already know that we are very much living in the digital age. More and more business transactions are completed online every day. Brick and mortar stores have either failed or learned how to adapt to the changing times.
Now, whether you are a new business trying to navigate the vast oceans of the world-wide-web or an old business simply dipping your proverbial toes in, it has become very apparent that it is crucial to have and maintain an accessible online presence. Huge companies like Google, Facebook, and Netflix use the internet and its platforms to make business faster and more straightforward for themselves and consumers. Even if you’re a small business owner, it’s time to learn how to get the best for your business in these digitized times.
Website
The first cornerstone to web marketing success is to have a website. Developing and launching a website is not nearly as complicated as it used to be, but it’s not recommended to try running a business without one. Besides, there are plenty of resources for you to make this experience go much smoother.
If you’re looking for a basic website that tells customers about the services you offer, you may look at website builders like Squarespace or Wix. These platforms provide pre-made formats and customizable templates, so much of the graphic design and programming aspects are already worked out.
While these website building sites are designed for smaller businesses to house information for customers, they realistically aren’t going to have the customizability or functionality you probably want. If you are a big business looking to do transactions online, you’ll probably be looking at a WordPress-based website built by a professional.
Your site will need a great hosting service, too. The hosting service you choose is what determines how fast customers are able to access your website — and whether they are even able to access it at all! Dedicated WordPress website hosting from WPEngine is an excellent option; they handle hosting for large, well-established companies, such as Oakley. An excellent hosting company will also provide added benefits like speed and cyber-security.
But no matter the size of your business, you shouldn’t hesitate — log on and put your business out there.
Social Media
The second cornerstone for web marketing success is to build a social media presence. If you are hesitant to start using social media as a marketing avenue, you shouldn’t be. It can be a great way to spread the word about your business and get a lot of virtual eyes on it. Social media can seem like a daunting area to market your business.
Fortunately, there are many ways to ease the full brunt of creating and the content yourself. One option is to hire someone to make and manage all of the content that your business decides to post on any given social media platform. Such as Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Another option is to pay individuals that already have a large following to create posts endorsing your business. While you would be paying out of pocket for this option, it is far less work than building a following yourself. You can also pay to place ads on social media platforms, which is less personal but still garners attention. So go ahead and get on some socials. It is cheap, easy, and goes a long way.
Online Marketing
The third cornerstone ties everything together. Online marketing may seem like an obvious part of amping up your online presence, but it cannot be understated. As a collective, traditional platforms for marketing (T.V., radio, newspaper) are getting far less viewership, and therefore way less attention for your business. Some say you shouldn’t even bother with these marketing avenues unless you are specifically targeting an older demographic. So whether it is just a simple web ad on WebMD or a commercial on youtube, it will get a far bigger range of potential customers viewing it.
There is no shortage of space on the internet, and for this reason, marketing on the internet has become very inexpensive and easy to do. And, depending on the placement, your business has the potential to get MILLIONS of views.