Digital Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses - In-depth Analysis

Small businesses can gain traction very quickly by implementing an online marketing strategy; however, they need to employ the strategies that are best suited to their needs, as they are not large enough to implement the same strategies as larger competitors.

One thing most small businesses overlook is this, and it costs them both growth and sales.

What are the best digital marketing strategies for SMEs?

Small businesses need to bring their best game to the table if they want to succeed.

One of the best ways to do this is by employing an effective digital marketing strategy.

Digital marketing can help small businesses establish themselves in the market and reach new customers, in addition to keeping existing customers happy and engaged.

But with so many options out there, it can seem intimidating to know where to start!

The good news? You have plenty of options—and we're here to recommend which ones will work best for your company.

Below are 6 of the best digital marketing strategies for small businesses.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization or SEO is one of the best free strategies a business can use to increase the visibility of their website when a customer searches for their product or services.

It works by aligning your web page with the right keywords and phrases that your customers are searching for.

The higher the quality and quantity of your content, the more likely it will show up among the top results on search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and others which means more people will be able to find your business and learn what you have to offer.

The great thing about SEO is that it provides long-term results; once you've optimized your site, it's much easier to maintain than other forms of marketing.

When your page is displayed as a result of a search query, your click-through rate (CTR) will increase and more people will visit your website. This is especially important for small businesses because their website may not appear in the top results without quality SEO.

There are several ways you can improve your ranking through simple changes to your website such as:

• Keyword research: Keywords are words or phrases that are used by a user when searching for a product or service. For example, if you own an electronics store, you may want to use “electronics” as one of your keywords. You should include keywords on every page of your website and in the meta title and meta description of each page.

• Optimize page titles and descriptions: Page titles are used by Google to display results on search pages and should be kept under 60 characters in length. Meta descriptions provide a summary of what is on the webpage and should be kept under 160 characters in length.

Would you like to improve your website SEO? Check out these 11 free SEO Tools.

Content Marketing

Content Marketing is a strategy that revolves around giving prospective customers information about your product or service, as well as information in general. Everyone is trying to sell, but those that can inform are more likely to get sales.

This strategy revolves around the creation of top-notch content that your audience will find truly helpful and informative.

The types of content you can create include blog posts, social media content, videos, "how-to" guides, infographics, and even physical products like books or other types of content that will help bring new people to your website.

There are many benefits to taking this approach:

• It improves your website's SEO - Search engines love new and updated content because it means your site is still active and relevant. When you constantly create new content for your site, it gives search engines something to index and rank every time they crawl your site.

• It establishes your company as an authority figure - By providing potential customers with helpful and valuable information related to their industry or business needs, you are positioning yourself as an expert in the field and establishing trust with them before they even buy from you

As a small business owner, you should be able to answer the following questions:

• What's your USP?

USP stands for Unique Selling Proposition, and it's what makes your business different from your competitors. It's usually one word or phrase that explains the benefit of using your product or service.

For example: "Selling toys for children under the age of 5" is not a USP—it's a description of your market, but there's no reason someone would come to you over another toy seller unless they specifically know what you're selling.

But "selling toys for children under 5 that help develop motor skills" gives a reason why they should do business with you.

• Who are your competitors?

Who sells something similar to what you're selling? If they sell the same thing as you, they are direct competitors; if they don't exactly sell the same thing but do offer an alternative solution to the same problem that yours solves, then they are indirect competitors.

It's important to note that Content Marketing does not always have to be about your product or service. Keep the focus on your area of expertise and include valuable information for readers rather than just pushing sales.

Content marketing is one of the best ways to inform your prospective customers about your products and services. Most companies focus on the hard sell, but the companies that can provide information before the sale are much more likely to close those sales.

Social Media Marketing (SMM)

Social media management is the act of building a social media presence for your business on various online platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Even though it has become such a mainstay of modern-day marketing, the truth is that it can be difficult to implement: you have to be an expert on social media marketing to make this type of marketing work for your small business.

First, small businesses should understand that their customers want to feel like they're already connected with the brand—so creating an account on a social network isn't just a one-time thing.

So if you're new to social media, it's important to make sure you have an idea of which platforms work best for your business as some people may think that Facebook is the only platform that matters.

But in reality, other social networks such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Tik Tok, and Instagram can also be very helpful for businesses in reaching potential customers.

Taking the time to make a customer feel like they've already been part of your company is important, so keep the connection going by following them on other networks and engaging with them through comments or messages.

You have to use social media strategically to create the right kind of response from your customers.

That said, small businesses should take caution when it comes to integrating social media into their marketing strategies.

Email Marketing

This form of marketing has always been an important way for small businesses to connect with customers, and this is especially true in today's digital world.

Essentially, email marketing is promoting products and services electronically—through newsletters, updates, promotions, or general messaging —and is reliant on building a list of existing and prospective customers.

So why is this so important for your company to know about? Because email marketing provides the opportunity for you to communicate directly with potential clients without being held back by time or distance.

It also allows you to personalize your message in ways that a TV commercial simply cannot. Additionally, email marketing can help reduce costs and enhance customer loyalty.

For example, if you want to promote an upcoming event or sale, sending an email will cost less than printing out flyers and distributing them door-to-door.

Building your email list can take time and effort, but it can be well worth it in the end. And once the list of email addresses you have collected has been established, you can foster long-term relationships with those customers by giving them regular updates about your company.

A successful list can lead to more sales, brand awareness and recognition, customer loyalty, repeat business, new business opportunities, and even word-of-mouth advertising.

I know you're probably tired of hearing that email marketing is crucial to a small business's online or offline success. I know what you're thinking: "I get these emails all the time, and I ignore them, so why should I bother with sending them?"

The truth is, you're right. People do ignore many marketing emails. But they don't ignore them all. And if only 10 out of 100 people are opening your marketing email, that's 10 more people than would have opened it if you hadn't sent it at all!

In fact, on average, roughly 1/3 of marketing emails are opened—regardless of who they come from. That's just the baseline. Think about how much better your engagement rate could be if you tailored your message to a specific audience and wrote copy that was intriguing and actionable...

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)

Pay-per-click advertising is another option available to small businesses who want their website to appear prominently on search engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing but don't necessarily have the budget or resources required for SEO optimization efforts (and/or don't want to wait for those results).

PPC advertising is shown above organic results, so they'll always be seen first by potential customers searching for products.

Businesses can target their campaigns to specific audiences, locations, and other variables. They can also set a daily budget for their PPC campaigns and only pay for what they need.

For a small business, pay-per-click (PPC) marketing can be a very effective way to boost brand awareness, promote products or services online, or increase website traffic. This is because PPC advertising allows you to be seen at the top of search results and get instant traffic.

When a small business invests in PPC advertising, it will only pay for the clicks that its advertisement receives.

This means that if no one clicks on the ad, then the small business does not pay anything. However, when someone does click on the ad, then the business is charged a fee for each click.

The key to PPC is finding the right audience. Start by creating a target customer based on characteristics such as age, income, location, and interests.

Then you can use platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads to reach your target audience with more precision than traditional marketing mediums like billboards, TV, or print.

Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing is an important and highly effective way to advertise your small business online as they are targeted toward people who are more likely to be interested in what your small business has to offer.

Many small businesses are now using PPC ads as they allow smaller companies to compete with larger ones and provide a better return on investment than traditional forms of advertising.

If you're a business looking to run an online ad, you should consider pay-per-click (PPC) marketing.                         

Google My Business (Google Business Profile)

When it comes to digital marketing strategies, few options are better for small businesses than Google Business Profile.

This strategy involves the use of Google's free marketing tool to advertise your business location on Google Maps and search when customers are searching for a business near them.

In addition to advertising your location on Google Maps and search, you can also use this tool to manage your business profile page, which includes your company bio, contact information, hours of operation, customer reviews, and photos.....

You can post news about sales or new products/services that you're offering and respond directly to reviews from customers, which helps potential customers see that you care about their opinions and value their feedback.

This type of strategy is especially effective for businesses that operate locally because it targets specific geographical locations and can be used to reach local customers.

For example, if you're a barber in the CBD, you could use this tool to promote your business listing on Google Maps whenever someone searches for " barbers near me" or "where to cut a haircut."

You can also take advantage of paid advertising with AdWords Express or Smart ads. 

Doing so enables you to target customers in a specific area who are searching for what your business offers.

It has so many benefits for small businesses because it puts your location on the map in a way that's easy and natural for consumers to find on a platform they use every day—all for free!

It's no wonder that companies all over the world have turned to Google Business Profile for their digital marketing needs!

Having your business listed on Google can help you stand out in local searches and build trust with customers.

Conclusion

There's no question that digital and social channels have played an increasingly important role in business over the past several years and it's unlikely that this will change anytime soon, either.

More and more businesses of all sizes are making digital marketing a priority for their companies.

As long as this remains true, there will be an increasing number of people looking for good information.

We hope our article will help you get started—and reach the success you deserve. If you need help with digital marketing, contact us here, we are one of the leading Digital Marketing agencies in Kenya.