A concrete marketing strategy is essential to your bottom line. With so many online marketing options available now, formulating an effective marketing plan for your business shouldn’t be difficult.
While that is certainly true, for many small businesses the multitude of options is also the root of the problem. There are so many different ways to market your business online that many business owners don’t know where to start.
They become wrapped up in online advertising, Facebook and all the many social media platforms, and forget the basic marketing ideas that are the foundation of a strategic marketing plan. This is particularly true for small businesses who rely on the local community for most of their business.
So at GO Creative, we have put together a few simple steps to help you build a local marketing plan, because as a small business, ranking well in local search engines is vital to your continuing growth.
Local business listings
- Make sure that your contact information (phone number and address are vital) is accurate on all business listings. A great time saver is to use a local listing service such as Localeze or Universal Business Listing, who do this for you. These types of services ensure that your business information is consistent across all local search platforms.
- Help consumers by including additional information in these business listings. For example, you can add photos, menus, opening hours, a list of services, product information and your website address. Leveraging your business listings will help increase traffic and conversions.
Optimise your website
- Your website is an essential component of your local marketing plan so it needs to up to date, mobile friendly and easy to navigate. If consumers can’t find the information they are looking for on your website, because your website is too cluttered, the navigation is too confusing and it is does not display well on their smart phone, they will leave.
- Make your website search engine friendly (SEO). Use appropriate keywords and Meta tags and clarify the layout of your site. Create individual pages for each service offering, so that search engines can easily match your services with the consumer’s search requests. An extra tip is to include your contact information on every page, as this increases SEO and makes it easier for customers to contact you.
- Adding new content frequently to your website is good SEO. So add a blog and engage your customers and Include photos and videos. All of which builds trust and authority with your customers and is visually stimulating. Consider using Instagram and Pinterest as well as including reviews and testimonials on your website, then share these through your social media.
Making sure that your business ranks well in local search engines is the foundation of a well-designed marketing strategy. If you want help marketing your business, call GO Creative web design in Brisbane on 07 3333 2932 or complete our free quote form.
