http://socialmediatoday.com/node/1418256, 10sept 35 Ways to Market o!r "mall #!

siness $%%ecti&ely: 'art 1

How to market effectively is one of the biggest challenges faced by small businesses and entrepreneurs today. There are many marketing techniques that can be used, and choosing the right approach for your business is not easy. Small businesses also have limited budget to use on marketing which makes it even more challenging. A good marketing strategy is a very valuable tool for any business. In order for your business to be successful, it is essential for people know about your brand as well as the products and services you offer. This is where a good online marketing strategy can help. In this two part article, we will take a look at some of the most effective strategies to market your small business. These will help to increase your reach and improve the visibility of your business in front of your targeted audience. Here is the first part of !"# effective strategies to market your small business effectively$. The remaining points will be covered in part two of the article.

1. Make Sure Your Website Can Deliver Results

An attractive website can make your business look professional. %ut the real benefits will depend on functionality and ability to acquire customers for your business. If your website is outdated, consider a redesign. If you cannot afford bespoke web design, you can take advantage of other affordable website services to get your business online fast and cost effectively. &ne such service that I have used before and recommend is smallbusinessecommerce.co.uk. They offer ready made website templates with lead generation features, free logo, web hosting and set up.

2. Make Blogging a High Priority

%log is an e'cellent marketing tool for businesses. It takes time to establish your blog but the results are well worth the effort. To get most out of your blog, you will need to set aside some time every week to write quality content. The benefits of a blog increase manifold as you increase your publishing frequency. Studies show that businesses that blog regularly are more than two times as likely to generate leads via their website as businesses that don(t. It also builds trust in your business.

3. Start Buil ing Your !"ail #ist $ro" Day %ne

)ost businesses are aware of the benefits of email marketing. However, many small businesses fail to leverage their website or blog to build their email list. This is best done from the start. A simple email sign up form on your website can produce great results. *iving users an incentive to sign up to your list is also very important. This can be anything from a newsletter to a freebie such as an e%ook or +hitepaper that is relevant to your audience.

&. Distribute Press Release %n'e ( Month

,ress releases are easy to create and can be promotional in nature. The editorial guidelines are straightforward and it is easy to get your releases accepted on ma-or press release distribution sites. It is an easy way to market your business and boost your online visibility. .or best results, contact local media including newspapers and maga/ines to see if they will publish your press release. 0ou may be surprised with the result.

). *ake Ste+s to Boost Conversions

There are many small businesses that get a lot of traffic on their website but fail to convert them into leads. 0our website traffic is of little use if you cannot convert them into customers for your business. There are many ways to do this. Here are some e'amples1

2se good call to action on website 2se call to action in all other marketing material )ake sure call to action are prominently displayed throughout your website

,. #earn $ro" %ther Businesses

0ou can learn a lot from other successful businesses in your niche. Simply looking at their website and social profiles can tell you a lot. There are also many competitive analysis tools that your business can take advantage of. 3esearch your competition to get inspiration and learn new ways to market your business.

-. %..er Dis'ounts an Deals

4very consumer loves a discount. &ffering discounts and deals are a great way to market your business and reward customers. )ake sure to promote your offers on your social media

profiles and through articles and blog posts. There are also many deal websites that you can take advantage of. This is a great way to ge e'tra coverage for your business.

/. Run Co"+etitions
3unning a competition is another very effective way to market your business. 2se a good pri/e or reward to entice customers. It also gets people talking about your brand. Social media sites like .acebook can be great for promoting your competitions and can also attract new followers for your business.

0. Start 1sing 2i eos *o Market Your Business

5ideos are very popular with consumers today and offer an e'cellent way to market your business. There are many ways a small business can use videos as part of their marketing strategy. 6isplaying product videos on website is a very effective way to increase sales. Studies show that customers are much more likely to buy if they see a video on your product or service landing pages.

%eing active on 0ouTube is another effective way to market your small business. 0ouTube is one of the most widely used channels by consumers today and building your company(s presence on the site can get e'tra coverage for your business and help to attract new customers. 0ou can also start your own 0ouTube channel to post your videos as well as share videos of other users that are relevant to your target market. 7ommenting on videos relevant to your niche is another way to engage with users and increase your brand visibility. If you are creating your own videos, don(t limit yourself to promotional videos about your products or services only. 7reating instructional videos that can help your targeted audience to solve common problems will get far more coverage than promotional videos.

13. Have an %ngoing %+ti"isation Strategy

0our website will be of little use if no one can find it on search engines. Simply optimi/ing your website at the start is not enough. To get good coverage on search engines, you will need to work on your website continuously, monitoring your statistics closely and refining your website accordingly. 0ou will also need to update your site frequently with keyword rich content and work on building quality back links to your site.

11. #ist Your Business %n Po+ular #o'al Dire'tories

&ther local business directories such as *oogle ,lus 8ocal, %ing 8ocal and 0ahoo 8ocal are equally important. )ake sure to include a good description about your business and a link to your website.

12. #ist Your Business on #o'ation Base Servi'es an (++s

8ocation based services such as 0elp and .oursquare are very popular among consumers. 8isting your business on these services is a great way to market your business and attract new customers.

13. Be ('tive on So'ial Me ia

A ma-ority of small business already have a profile on the main social networks such as .acebook and Twitter. %ut this initself will not offer much marketing benefits for your business. To ma'imi/e the benefits of social media, you must do more. Here are some tips1

9eep your profiles up to date and fresh with new information ,ost few times per week Add value for users by sharing content that is of value to them 4ngage actively with users : follow, share, retweet, like content of other users 6on(t -ust share content from your website

1&. *ry 4oogle ( 5or s

*oogle Adwords, *oogle(s pid advertising program, is a very effective way to get your website listed on search engines for your desired search terms. It can be very effective particularly in the short term while you work on improving your organic rank in the free listings. 6ue to increasing competition, the cost per click can be high but you can set a ma'imum monthly budget to keep your costs in control. +ith the right targeting, the 3&I can be easily noticeable. 0ou can also use free advertising vouchers to try it out and get some advertising for your business for free.

1). Consi er Pai ( vertising on So'ial Me ia

If you are new and do not yet have a large enough following on social media, you can consider paid advertising on social media. Social networks like Twitter, .acebook and 0ouTube offer cost effective advertising options for businesses.

1,. Make Sure Your Site is (''essible to Mobile 1sers

Having a mobile optimi/ed website is one of the simplest ways to reach mobile users. In spite of increase in mobile internet use, only about a third of businesses have got around to making sure their website is accessible seamlessly to mobile users. Having a responsive website that automatically scales to fit all screen si/es is a popular method. Alternatively, you can use free mobile website builders to create a mobile version of your website and redirect mobile traffic to this site.

1-. #everage Content Marketing

7ontent marketing i.e. producing and distributing quality content that is relevant to your audience is one of the most effective ways to market your business and attract customers. This form of marketing is also highly targeted. If done correctly, content marketing can prove a very valuable asset to your marketing strategy. .or best results, product a variety content types such as articles, infographics, videos, or webinars and distribute them on several channels.

1/. Have an ! itorial Calen ar

+e have already discussed the importance of producing quality content. However, this takes time and effort. A hapha/ard approach will lead to a waste of valuable resources and not produce the e'pected results. This is where a publishing schedule or editorial calendar can help.

Con'lusion
A good marketing strategy is critical to the success of your small business. +hether you(re -ust starting out or have been in business for years, the proven marketing strategies above can help to grow your business and find new customers. This is the first part of !"# effective strategies to market your small business effectively$. The remaining points will be covered in part two of the article.