Utilizing the internet for your small business marketing

The internet is filled with a number of opportunities to reach out to your target market. With so many free marketing opportunities, you can easily find your target market and understand more about their needs. We have put together some great tips on how you can reach out to your target market and to start generating the leads you need to remain in business for many years to come.

Market to your existing customers
One piece of information you may not be aware of is that small businesses acquire 80% of their funds from existing customers. Find a way to show your existing customers you need them and that you truly appreciate their support. Thank-you mailers and emails are a great way to show support to your existing customers and to get them to continue supporting your business. The great thing about marketing to existing customers is that they already know your company, your products, and the type of service they can expect. They are an easier sale for your company to make than trying to convince a new person to give your business a shot. When marketing to your existing customers, you need to be prepared to send them special deals, offers, and incentives. This is the best way to get them to keep coming back for more. Referral deals are always appreciated by both parties. You as a business have a chance to acquire new leads that the customer feels would be interested in your business. The customer in return gets a discount or some type of incentive that poses value to them in some way.

Use social media
A great way to use the internet to market is by getting on the social media sites. This is where all of your customers are going to be and you have a great chance to reach out to them. Social media sites like Facebook give you the opportunity to research what your customers are doing, what their likes and dislikes are, along with industry trends. The more time you spend on social media sites, the easier it will be to generate the interest you need in your small business and to take your business to the next level.

Don't compete against the big boys
Since you are a small business owner, you are going to face challenges from larger companies but you shouldn't feel the need to engage in expensive banner ads and other marketing schemes that they use. Pay-per-click advertising is the best way to compete against them. You also need to work on building a quality website that is easy to navigate. Remember you are a smaller business and you don't have the money like the big boys do so quit spending your entire marketing budget trying to compete with them.

Blogs
A great way to market online is to create a blog. Blogs give you a chance to reach out to your target market without spending any money to do so. A blog is a place where you can show customers that you are human and not a business machine. People need to come here to learn more about your industry, service, and products. Use your blog as a way to educate your customers and build stronger relationships with them this way. The other great thing about blogging is that it allows you to generate internet traffic for your main website and boost your page rank. You need to be active on your blog, by posting weekly at least in order to generate the interest you are looking for from your online audience. Post engaging blogs and don't be afraid to post videos on your blog as well.