When a local bakery was struggling to bring in foot traffic, it turned to social media marketing—both paid ads and free organic posts. More people engaged online, then visited the bakery and grew into loyal customers, boosting sales. A small retail clothing store knew they were missing out on online sales. After they beefed up their search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, they not only welcomed more online visitors but also gained a significant new revenue stream, increasing overall sales. Finally, a local restaurant’s online presence was severely lacking. Once it took advantage of SEO and content marketing, the restaurant saw a 336% increase in online orders within six months, increasing their overall revenue by a whopping 339%.
What do these small business success stories have in common? They are case studies in the power of digital marketing strategy. Whether your small business runs from a brick-and-mortar location, operates purely online or a mix of the two, a strong digital marketing strategy is essential to long-term success.
1. Developing a Strong Online Presence
Simply publishing a website isn’t enough to elevate your brand online. To build a strong online presence that improves your business outcomes, experiment with a mix of digital marketing tactics. Online marketing for small business can include social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, digital advertising, SEO, and customer reviews and ratings—all of which perform best with a strong small business website as the hub.
A digital marketing strategy can be a lot to manage. If you’re not sure where to start, consider working with a digital marketing agency for small businesses or hiring a marketing consultant.
2. Building Relationships With Email Marketing
Email marketing is an efficient way to stay in contact with prospects and customers who opt to receive your emails. The first step is deciding where you’ll house customer data, including email addresses. Often your website platform, customer relationship management (CRM) platform, or automated marketing platform will be the best places to house your email list.
Once you have that squared away, provide several ways for customers to subscribe or opt in to emails, including:
- An optional checkbox during online check out
- Within your in-store point-of-sale system
- A link to subscribe at the bottom of every blog post
- A link to subscribe on your website home page
- A physical guest book within your storefront
Get more email marketing tips to create impactful email campaigns, keep your brand top of mind for customers and update subscribers on news, special events and promotions.
3. Driving Engagement Through Video Marketing
The possibilities for video marketing content are endless. Social media platforms and sites like YouTube have enabled brands to publish both short- and long-form videos before embedding them in sales presentations, blog posts, emails and more. Social media videos on Instagram’s reels, for example, also offer a way to drive awareness and engagement.
Businesses of all types and sizes have taken note: 91% used video as a marketing tool in both 2023 and 2024, according to a 2024 video marketing study which highlighted the following benefits of video marketing:
- 90% of marketers report improved brand awareness
- 88% of marketers report increased understanding of their product or service
- 87% of marketers report increased leads
- 87% of marketers report a direct increase in sales
- 86% of marketers report increased web traffic
Keep those benefits in mind as you define your video goals. Then track performance metrics such as views, comments, shares and click-through rates, and consider creating and sharing different types of video content.
Experiment with explainer videos that share product benefits; how-to videos of your products; behind-the-scenes videos that tell your brand story; live or recorded Q&A videos; customer testimonials; and more. Pay attention to what performs best related to your goals.
4. Leveraging Customer Reviews and Testimonials
An important part of small business digital marketing is managing your online reputation. In a local consumer survey by BrightLocal, more than three-quarters of consumers said they read reviews on multiple sites before deciding whether to buy from a local business; in the same survey, 88% said they’re highly likely to use a business that responds to public reviews.
In fact, when you respond to negative reviews, you may even convert the original poster into a brand ambassador. Nearly 8 in 10 people say they will forgive a company’s mistake after receiving excellent follow up service.
So pay attention to what people are saying about your business, especially in online reviews and ratings. Add to the virtual conversation by asking customers to rate your business online and by responding to customer reviews. According to Brightlocal’s consumer survey, the top five sites for online reviews are Google, Facebook, Yelp, Tripadvisor and Better Business Bureau.
Reading your online reviews can also help you improve your business and gain valuable customer feedback. You can learn what you can do better, what you do best, and even get ideas for new offerings. Plus, you can take excerpts from positive reviews and share them in your marketing materials. Use customer quotes in graphics on social media, in your email marketing and on your website.
5. Targeted Advertising to Capture New Customers
There are a couple great things about digital advertising for small business. One is that you have control over how your budget gets spent, especially with targeted advertising on social media platforms. You can target your audience by location, demographics, and sometimes even interest to reach niche markets.
Try experimenting with pay-per-click (PPC) Google Ads, which show up within search results, and display ads, which show branded graphics to capture prospects’ attention. You also have several options for social media advertising, such as paid display ads or boosted social media posts that reach people beyond your existing network.
When planning your digital advertising campaigns, consider your goals, such as brand awareness, lead generation and sales.
6. Discovering Cost-Effective Marketing Solutions and Services
For small businesses on a tight budget, look to low-cost marketing tools. Many premium tools also offer free versions.
Here’s a list of of useful ones you may like to try:
- Canva is an easy-to-learn design template editor. Use it to create graphics for social media posts, emails, ads, merchandise and more.
- Google Trends is a free tool that shows what’s trending across the internet. You can use it to find relevant social media conversations and select SEO keywords for targeted digital advertising.
- Google Analytics is a free website analytics tool that you can use to measure website traffic and track visitor behavior and interest.
- Buffer is a social media management tool that streamlines your efforts. Schedule posts across multiple platforms in one place and analyze their performance.
- HubSpot helps you manage your email list and email marketing. You can use the included CRM to personalize emails and track email campaign performance.
- Bitly helps you create and track short URLs and QR codes to use in your marketing materials.
- Wistia offers both video editing and video hosting. It also has options for automated captions, in-video lead capturing and analytics.
Digital marketing tactics exist in an interconnected web. Together, they strengthen your company’s online presence, help you reach more people, and allow you to grow your customer base and sustain your business.
By covering the digital marketing bases—including content marketing, social media and online reviews—you naturally improve your SEO and elevate your brand’s digital presence.
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