So you’re a new business owner, entrepreneur, or whatever title you decided upon when opening your business. You’ve been through most of the transitions of getting your business up and running, but now you’ve discovered that just having your doors open might not be enough. What do you do? There might be a print option or two that might boost your sales a bit, but it’s costly, and you aren’t sure if it’s really helping since there isn’t a good way to track your ROI. So what’s next. As an experienced online marketer and designer, let me give you a few easy ideas on where to start.

1) Start a Google My Business Account (GMB)

Starting a GMB is a super easy place to start so you can get found on search engines. All you need is a physical address (a P.O. Box works as well if you’re working from home), some general but specific information about your business, a phone number, and your hours of operation. Google will send you a verification code via mail to your physical address and give you advice and steps to improve your GMB.

Note: your GMB is free to start, but there are paid options that can help boost your rankings if you so choose. If you decide you want to venture into Google Ads or their Shopping Network, I would recommend connecting with an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) company to assist you.

2) Take ownership of your Social Media

To prevent your competition from taking over your brand name and make it easier for your audience to find you online, it’s important that you take control of your social media identity on all platforms. I know social media can be confusing and taxing world to delve into, but it’s still a world you should have at least a basic knowledge of. I’m not saying you have to post on every platform every day, or even that you have to use them all, all I would suggest is logging in, create a business account, and plugin your general information and contact details. If you want to take your social identity further, great, if not, that’s fine too; just having your basic info available is an easy way for current and potential clients to find you.

Note: if you want to excel at social media, I would recommend taking a brand awareness course. Doing so will help you to discover what your brand voice should be to reach your intended audience.

3) Have a website

Having a website is HUGE! In today’s world of online marketing where everyone is searching for places to go, things to do, and what to buy, it’s vital to have an easy to use and mobile responsive website. A website doesn’t and shouldn’t be complicated for your audience to use and understand. However, a lot more goes into creating a functional website with a good user experience than just 100 words of text and a few photos.

  1. Your website should have at least five pages: Home, Products/Services, About, Contact, and Privacy Policy.
  2. Each page should have approximately 5,000 words with keywords (other words your audience might use when searching online for similar products or services).
  3. Another critical aspect of a website is high-quality images with what is called “Alt Text” applied. Alt-text is essential for Google to know what your pictures are, and having high-quality images is vital to show off your product or services in action to your audience. Having high-resolution images is a subtle way to show your customers that you care about your product and brand.
  4. Lastly, make regular updates to your site; this can be done by adding blogs with relevant content, editing your hours of operation, products, or services. Updating your content tells search engines that your website is up-to-date, which in turn increases your ranking, making you easier to find online.

Note: websites can be challenging to get started and keep up-to-date on your own, especially if you don’t have any experience with building a website. To get the most out of your website, keep it secure, and up-to-date, it would be wise to look into a website development company to help you manage the work as well as provide their expertise.

I hope this information helps you get started, and I wish you luck with your future business endeavors! If you’re looking for assistance with your online marketing, please feel free to reach out. I may not be available to help you directly, but I certainly have references and referrals if you should need them for any of your online marketing needs.