Today more than ever, businesses of all sizes must take advantage of online communications in order to thrive. This challenge may seem daunting for small businesses without a hefty budget to launch multiple marketing campaigns. If that’s your case, don’t worry: below you will find four affordable ideas to grow your business using online marketing.
Create a Website
If you don’t have already a website for your business, consider creating one as soon as possible. Think of a website as your storefront on the internet. This is a must-have even if you already take advantage of social media channels like Facebook or Twitter. Keep in mind that those platforms may change their terms of service at any time and without previous notice, while you have total control over your website.
Consider Blogging
Once you have a website, you can consider blogging. This is a cost-effective option to increase your authority online and improve the placement of your website on the listings of search engines like Google or Bing. Once you have written a substantial number of blogs you can even get creative and assemble the entries in innovative ways like:
- Knowledge hubs
- Guides or manuals
- E-books
Take Care of Your Social Media Presence
Make sure to open social media accounts for your business in the platforms that are relevant to your industry:
- Facebook: With over 2.7 billion monthly active users, this is the world’s biggest social media platform.
- Twitter: Focused on brief messages (the limit is 280 characters), but you can also add photos and video
- Instagram: More visual than other options, it’s based on pictures and videos
- LinkedIn: Its aim is to connect professionals and foster networking, therefore is the ideal option if your business is B2B
If you can’t afford to hire a social media manager but are already proficient with social media, then you can take care of your online communications yourself. Just remember to keep your messages simple and professional, and to engage frequently and respectfully with your followers.
Use Email Marketing
Did you know that in 2019 the number of email users was 3.9 billion? That’s more than the monthly active users on Facebook (see above)! To be sure, they are different platforms with different applications. But that doesn’t change the fact that email marketing can be a very powerful marketing tool. In fact, email marketing ticks all the boxes to become a darling of small business owners:
- Inexpensive
- Easy to implement
- GREAT Return on Investment: $38 for every $1 spent
- Allows you to reach your customers on any device
If you want to dip your toe in the waters of email marketing, you can do it at no cost. Companies like Mailchimp, Hubspot, and Sendinblue offer free plans designed with the needs of small business owners in mind.
About the Greater Riverside Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
At the Greater Riverside Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, our core mission is supporting small businesses and economic development with advocacy, business referrals, marketing opportunities, training programs, student internships, and scholarships.
Contact us today by email at info@grhcc.com, telephone (951-965-9115), through our social media accounts, or click here to join and start enjoying the benefits of membership today!