If I build it they will come?
When starting a local business the first thing many people do is to create a website or have one built for them. The thinking behind this is that “If I build it they will come”. Unfortunately this is not the case and so many local businesses forget that there are so many more ways to do your Local online marketing without having to spend a fortune on websites that nobody visits.
With this in mind here are my top 6 Local online marketing tips.
1: Start a facebook page.
One of the easiest ways to gain a presence online and actually start a relationship with your customers is to start a facebook page for your business. With a little bit of photo editing experience you can create great looking pages with good graphics. This is a great place to start your local online marketing. Start to build your audience and eventually use the promotion methods that are available to you to find new customers and engage with them. check out my “how to start a facebook business page” here
2: Youtube channel + Google +
Like Facebook, Google also has a social media platform which in my opinion offers a great deal of value to new local businesses. When you sign up to youtube you also get a google+ account created for you. The one thing I like a lot about Youtube is that for a very small budget small businesses can promote videos to customers targeted to their area.
3: Start a blog
Starting a blog in today’s day and age is so easy to do and can be set up in around 15 mins. Take a look at my article here on starting a blog website very easily with Wealthy Affiliate. You can also start one for free with Blogger or tumblr and get an online presence straight away.
4: Network with other small businesses.
ok so this is not strictly online but….It is a great idea to get out there and start building up a great relationship with other local businesses. You can even do some cross promotion and sometimes you may find another business that compliments your own. If they have a blog or website they may also be interested in you writing an article for them.
5: Fivver
I hate to say it but Fivver offers some great little services if you are on a budget. They have anything from video promotions to 3d logo creation all for the price of a beer. Another tip for Fivver is to check out some of the gigs on offer and see if you can recreate them with software found online. This is how I found some of my online software programs that I use in my business.
6: Create an eBay shop
Creating an eBay shop is so easy that if you have a product to sell this is the simplest way of getting thins going. Check out my article here on other ways to start an online store.
Once you have a website set up, facebook page,blogger or whatever your choice of platform, a great way to spend a bit of advertising money is with google adwords. You can target specific areas, interests and keywords to gain some incredible results for very little budget. I would also suggest checking out facebook advertising as again you can gain some real results in today’s social network environment.
Local marketing online doesn’t have to cost a fortune and with a little bit of time and a small budget you can grab a presence online.
I hope you have enjoyed these few tips on local marketing online and as always why not drop me a comment below.
Pete.
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