Web marketing strategies for SMEs: What are the Web Marketing Opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses?
Web marketing for small businesses how to do it?
Enjoy the reading!
Guide to web marketing strategies for SMEs
First of all, I think it is important to clarify that when it comes to web marketing, there are no magic recipes or pre-packaged potions or ” gurus ” that can give you some kind of miraculous recipes in 3 lessons. Surely, in order to achieve results, it is necessary to invest in skills both within the company (to understand what the consultant or agency offers) and external ones, this is the first point that, given the “target” of this site, I would like to face.
Not only that, the topic is really vast, I do not presume to exhaust it in this “interview” I hope only to give useful ideas for those entrepreneurs who maybe want to ” launch ” on the web (or already have an e-commerce that at the moment it is not giving too much results). I hope this reading (not short) will be useful.
This guide is mainly addressed to entrepreneurs and professionals (or those who want to launch their own business exploiting the potential of web marketing).
The basics of an SEO and web marketing strategy
Before making a web marketing strategy or doing SEO (but also BEFORE designing a website I add) it is necessary that your company be able to:
Having a differentiating message .
Why among the many competitors available should I choose yours? (I think it is almost impossible that you offer a product or service that only makes your business).
How does your offer differ (is it better, more complete, different) from that of your competitors?
It is essential that you reflect on this fundamental rule of marketing, otherwise you will find yourself making a “website” or an “e-commerce” where you will only have to lower the price (and therefore risk ending up soon out of the market) if you do not have thought of a strategy that differentiates your business from others.
Why buy from your company? For example, for assistance? Why is your product “packaged” differently? Why can you boast an always available customer service? Find one (or more) characteristics of your company and always communicate! Differentiate yourself !
Who do you turn to?
Often the entrepreneurs tell me “I want to sell to everyone!”
Well, if you’re not Amazon ( maybe I worked as a consultant or web designer for Amazon ) you can afford it if you’re an SME, absolutely NO. You would end up crushed by competitors who have more budget, more resources, more stock, etc.
So you have to think about your target, the profile of your customer, who you want to sell your product or service!
Web marketing allows you to do “experimentations” to better understand this aspect, but it is essential that you do an analysis on this. On which parameters? For example on the history ( who do you sell? And how much does a sale cost you?) on what types of customers that make you earn (so as to “skim” those contacts that are not functional to the growth of your company), on the characteristics of your product and your company.
On this basis, you can then think, with your web agency or your consultant, on an effective web marketing strategy (or create an e-commerce that works or an SEO campaign, etc.).
Does the best CMS for SEO and web marketing exist?
There is no CMS ( for CMS we mean a website designed to allow even “non-webmasters” to manage all or part of the site ) best side seo (or web marketing side) you can choose to use one of the CMS “open source” most famous and used: WordPress , Joomla , Drupal (or PrestaShop for e-commerce just to make a name) or even rely on ” personalized ” solutions ( then developed ad-hoc for you by the web agency or from your developer if there are special requirements that the “open” CMS can not make up for, this is a rare but always possible experience).
What is important is NOT the tool you choose, but how it is used.
Unfortunately, often entrepreneurs but also many colleagues, focus instead on the tools while the focus must ALWAYS be on the objectives of the web project , based on these your consultant or web agency MUST build your online presence. In this guide I hope to give you some useful tools to be able to “dialogue” with your web agency in order to understand GOOD what SEO means, what web marketing means and above all how to always start with CONCRETE objectives. In this free guide I hope to give you operational tools to better understand the “world of the web”.
The site must work and bring increases in revenue to the company not be “cute”. For example WordPress and Joomla (just to mention the two most used CMS at the time) are both excellent for SEO and web marketing the important thing is how they are used
Where to start? Better SEO, Facebook marketing, Adwords, E-mail Marketing?
Another “typical” question that comes to me when I work as a consultant is: What is better to do? Let’s start with SEO? Facebook Marketing? Or do we have to add the blog on our website?
The absolute answer is NOT unfortunately. Those indicated are NOT goals (the purpose of your company must be to increase margins and turnover) are TOOLS, all web marketing tools can be useful, should be known to optimize the resources and planning a medium-term strategy. Yes, we do not do web marketing in 2 weeks or even in 1 month.
It depends on too many factors to give you a “magic recipe” in a guide like this. But I can give you useful and valuable information in order to avoid errors or being teased by the web agency or the consultant on duty .
1 Web marketing strategies for SMEs: What are the Web Marketing Opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses?
- Guide to web marketing strategies
- The basics of an SEO and web marketing strategy
- Is the best CMS for doing SEO and web marketing exists?
- Where to start? Better SEO, Facebook marketing, Adwords, E-mail Marketing?
- To do Web marketing resources and experience are required
- How to choose an SEO consultant?
- Moment of truth zero (ZMOT acronym that stands for Zero Momento of Truth): intercept the visitor when he is looking for YOUR product
- What are the opportunities and potential of Web Marketing for SMEs
- Web marketing allows you to precisely identify the perfect target for your business
- SEO as a vehicle of popularity and notoriety of the BRAND even if you are a craftsman or you are a small business
- Social Media Marketing: promoting small businesses in the era of Facebook
- To retain and keep alive the attention by using a Newsletter and an email marketing strategy
- SMS Marketing: the power of immediacy
- Video: visibility, reputation, trust and content marketing
- Online and offline the importance of synergies
2 Digital coaching to increase the digital skills of the company?
Web marketing for small businesses how to do it?
Enjoy the reading!
I decided to update this guide constantly (as long as I have time) and make it more and more a guide to web marketing strategies and channels for SMEs . This post will soon become a book and an E-book, so come back to visit this post, add it to your favorites and share it !
Guide to web marketing strategies for SMEs
Guide to Web Marketing for SMEsFirst of all, I think it is important to clarify that when it comes to web marketing, there are no magic recipes or pre-packaged potions or ” gurus ” that can give you some kind of miraculous recipes in 3 lessons. Surely, in order to achieve results, it is necessary to invest in skills both within the company (to understand what the consultant or agency offers) and external ones, this is the first point that, given the “target” of this site, I would like to face.
Not only that, the topic is really vast, I do not presume to exhaust it in this “interview” I hope only to give useful ideas for those entrepreneurs who maybe want to ” launch ” on the web (or already have an e-commerce that at the moment it is not giving too much results). I hope this reading (not short) will be useful.
This guide is mainly addressed to entrepreneurs and professionals (or those who want to launch their own business exploiting the potential of web marketing).
The basics of an SEO and web marketing strategy
Before making a web marketing strategy or doing SEO (but also BEFORE designing a website I add) it is necessary that your company be able to:
Having a differentiating message .
Why among the many competitors available should I choose yours? (I think it is almost impossible that you offer a product or service that only makes your business).
How does your offer differ (is it better, more complete, different) from that of your competitors?
It is essential that you reflect on this fundamental rule of marketing, otherwise you will find yourself making a “website” or an “e-commerce” where you will only have to lower the price (and therefore risk ending up soon out of the market) if you do not have thought of a strategy that differentiates your business from others.
Why buy from your company? For example, for assistance? Why is your product “packaged” differently? Why can you boast an always available customer service? Find one (or more) characteristics of your company and always communicate! Differentiate yourself !
Who do you turn to?
Often the entrepreneurs tell me “I want to sell to everyone!”
Well, if you’re not Amazon ( maybe I worked as a consultant or web designer for Amazon ) you can afford it if you’re an SME, absolutely NO. You would end up crushed by competitors who have more budget, more resources, more stock, etc.
So you have to think about your target, the profile of your customer, who you want to sell your product or service!
Web marketing allows you to do “experimentations” to better understand this aspect, but it is essential that you do an analysis on this. On which parameters? For example on the history ( who do you sell? And how much does a sale cost you?) on what types of customers that make you earn (so as to “skim” those contacts that are not functional to the growth of your company), on the characteristics of your product and your company.
On this basis, you can then think, with your web agency or your consultant, on an effective web marketing strategy (or create an e-commerce that works or an SEO campaign, etc.).
Does the best CMS for SEO and web marketing exist?
There is no CMS ( for CMS we mean a website designed to allow even “non-webmasters” to manage all or part of the site ) best side seo (or web marketing side) you can choose to use one of the CMS “open source” most famous and used: WordPress , Joomla , Drupal (or PrestaShop for e-commerce just to make a name) or even rely on ” personalized ” solutions ( then developed ad-hoc for you by the web agency or from your developer if there are special requirements that the “open” CMS can not make up for, this is a rare but always possible experience).
What is important is NOT the tool you choose, but how it is used.
The important thing is that BEFORE creating the website or before making a “graphic restyling” or rethinking the web presence of your company (because maybe you’re not getting the desired results) PIANIFICHI carefully what are the OBJECTIVES of your website and around these goals build your site (or your e-commerce).
Unfortunately, often entrepreneurs but also many colleagues, focus instead on the tools while the focus must ALWAYS be on the objectives of the web project , based on these your consultant or web agency MUST build your online presence. In this guide I hope to give you some useful tools to be able to “dialogue” with your web agency in order to understand GOOD what SEO means, what web marketing means and above all how to always start with CONCRETE objectives. In this free guide I hope to give you operational tools to better understand the “world of the web”.
The site must work and bring increases in revenue to the company not be “cute”. For example WordPress and Joomla (just to mention the two most used CMS at the time) are both excellent for SEO and web marketing the important thing is how they are used.
Where to start? Better SEO, Facebook marketing, Adwords, E-mail Marketing?
Another “typical” question that comes to me when I work as a consultant is: What is better to do? Let’s start with SEO? Facebook Marketing? Or do we have to add the blog on our website?
The absolute answer is NOT unfortunately. Those indicated are NOT goals (the purpose of your company must be to increase margins and turnover) are TOOLS, all web marketing tools can be useful, should be known to optimize the resources and planning a medium-term strategy. Yes, we do not do web marketing in 2 weeks or even in 1 month.
It depends on too many factors to give you a “magic recipe” in a guide like this. But I can give you useful and valuable information in order to avoid errors or being teased by the web agency or the consultant on duty.
Often web agencies or consultants VOGLIONO sell you NOT the best marketing tool for your company but what they want to sell because they do that service and then they “pack” it as the best ever. Or send generic emails with high-sounding objects and texts:
Maybe you will become FIRST on google but for a completely useless search key and that you do not need anything, so you’re first on Google for a keyword that does NOT increase your results by 1 euro, it was better if you went out for dinner that money.
One of the first points of a web marketing strategy in particular if you are an SME (which therefore does NOT have the budgets of large companies) is to focus on your target (your potential customers) you have to talk to them and not aim to increase the fans on the page just to do something and then say ” web marketing or seo do not work “!
The best thing is that you analyze the data (parts from your product, differentiation and your target) .
If you sell a service located in a territory (whether you are a restaurant or you are an electrician) you will have a LOCAL visibility here that you probably will not need the SEO “throughout Italy” but a local visibility ( Google my business, local seo , adwords targheted, facebook marketing on your city ).
The other FUNDAMENTAL advice: DO NOT rely on a single promotion channel (for example only to SEO or only to ADWORDS or only to FACEBOOK ADS) because if this channel at a certain point “crashes” or the costs increase your business will be in great difficulty, it therefore aims at marketing as multi-channel as possible : seo consulting, quality content, facebook marketing, email marketing for example, mixing as much as possible to diversify the sources of traffic (and sales) optimizing your resources.
Plan over time: some web marketing strategies need time , for example, making a BLOG with quality content can be a central aspect in your strategy both on the seo and to intercept users INTERESTED to your products / services, but you have to give the time to the strategy to work.
Analysis, analysis and even analysis! It is often not convenient to ” throw ” yourself on an instrument, but it is better to do an accurate analysis first, certainly this analysis will cost, but a consultancy of this kind allows you to understand what you need and start off on the right foot.
For example, it is useless to do SEO if your site is still NOT responsive or if the site is responsive but not designed for those who read and enjoy content from mobile devices (that is NOT seen well on mobile devices or it is slow and difficult to navigate if the website is viewed by a mobile phone).
If your site is slow or if the news section has not been updated for three years, you have more serious problems to solve before you think about search engines ! Before the SEO you will need a redesign of the website!
In the same way if the Facebook page has not been edited for years and years (worse) if you bought fans and then you have a follow-up TARGET, or you have a cover page completely grainy or out of line graphic and corporate communication, before Facebook ADS will need a period (maybe short) in which the page is “re-populated” and the graphics arranged.
To do Web marketing resources and experience are needed
Like all jobs, and the artisans are the first to know what is true, even for those who do web marketing requires experience and resources (training and years of experience in web consulting), otherwise you just have to rely on the ” cousin ” on duty that with a few steps you can make the website, the Facebook page and maybe even get you 1000 visits to the blog by users of Vietnam, but little are interested in your products.
Joking aside, the first rule of “web marketing” is to put in your head that you need hard work and an initial in-depth analysis to understand what to say on the web, how to say it and why to say it (with what goals).
You can not reduce ” web marketing for small businesses ” to a post on a blog, but I will try to give you some indication and some ideas to deepen, even with some useful links that you will find directly in this post (in addition to my personal blog where I love dealing with topics related to web marketing , SEO and the creation of effective websites.
I’m not saying that a craftsman or an entrepreneur must become a web marketer or an expert on search engine visibility (to each his work) or who must learn how to make a website on WordPress or an e-commerce on PrestaShop ( just to name some platforms that you may have already heard or use for your company), but it is important to have some knowledge of how a web marketing campaign works so as to understand what to ask the consultant or the web agency that follows you the website (or the blog) or the marketing campaign on Facebook or Google (google Adwords).
Understanding what you are talking about is always fundamental, it helps both the consultant and the agency to better clarify the strategy that will be adopted and how the budget will be invested.
The strategy is in fact a fundamental element that must be offered by the consultant or the agency but must be shared with the company.
For example, in an SEO campaign , the key words (with which the company wants to emerge on google) are a central and fundamental element, making mistakes may mean bringing traffic on the website useless to the company.
Do you come back? These are the words with which users (potential customers) find you on search engines, so they are very important!
For example , if your SME has an e-commerce SEO becomes crucial (along with many other factors for charity) because it allows you to intercept the user when he is looking for your product (is therefore a user already “ready” “For purchase) or allows you to intercept when the” starts “to inquire about a specific purchase, in this case the user / consumer is not yet ready to” add the item to the cart “but is” starting ” an “informative path that will bring it in the near future to make a purchase (probably) is therefore a different intention but it is equally important that your SEO strategy takes into account these different research intentions and that your e-commerce meets both !
So both “optimized” and for the consumer who wants to easily buy an article, both for that consumer who is still undecided and who uses internet and google to “clear their ideas”!
Careful choices must therefore be made, an analysis of the competitors, the sector and user research should be carried out. As an SEO consultant I can not fully assume this analysis alone, I can not know all the sectors for which I work, I have the duty to support the company with my experience, my advice and my analysis on the search keys most used by competitors (the other sites) and by Internet users but it is essential that there are inputs from the company and that it is also a shared work!
Then there are beautiful software ( SimilarWeb and SEMrush, SEOZoom just to name two) that help in this process of analysis, but it is essential that the inputs are shared with the company! I could give other examples (for example the analysis related to the “audience to intercept” on Facebook), but I hope I have clarified the concept !
Do not rely on chance or cousin! You may think that as an SEO consultant and a member of a Florentine web agency you are talking about interest, but it is not (and this guide I hope to show you) if you really want to do it yourself STUDY, READ and FORM your staff or your web manager! !!
How to choose an SEO consultant?
If you do not have a SEO expert inside the company you have to rely on external SEO consultancy and if you are an SME you do not have it, I repeat, do not rely on the “cousin” or the technician who “fiddles with computers”, an incorrect strategy it can cost you a lot!
These are the elements that, in my opinion, you have to consider when looking for quality SEO consultancy , let’s see them together:
AUDIT SEO : the first step is analysis. If a consultant (or an SEO agency) does not start from the analysis of your project, you are wary. It is not true that all projects are the same. SEO (like all web marketing activities) follow similar rules but they must be CONTEXTED and dropped into the reality of your company!
RESEARCH KEYS : one of the ploys that use professional POCO consultants is to propose keywords NOT used for which you may arrive first on Google but if NOBODY SEARCH those keywords what do you care about being first? They are metrics of vanity (just like the likes on Facebook) DO NOT serve your business.
MEASURING RESULTS : web marketing activities (and therefore also SEO) are MEASURABLE, you have to agree with the professional that follows you as the results will be monitored, perhaps scheduling a monthly call (even on Skype for example) in which to check together with the whole group of work is how the SEO activity is going. The objectives must be clear from the beginning to the whole team and must be realistic (therefore commensurate with the resources put in place) and clear! Do not be forced to impose by the external consultant otherwise you are spending money unnecessarily.
TIMES : always consider the medium-long term, mistrust of simple solutions (the so-called black seo) that maybe can give you good results immediately but in the long run will penalize you. GOOD activities are those that allow you to grow over time!
TRUST and WORK OF GROUP : the seo consultant must be dropped in your reality, working with your team (graphic, web master, commercial, social media manager etc.) can not be detached from the structure of your company! Teaming is essential, always! Not only that, only with a group work the staff of your company (or the person who in your company takes care of the management of the website) will grow in skills and therefore will give further added value to your team!
As you can see are not “technical” elements are common sense notes, if, as I hope, you will continue reading this guide dedicated to web marketing for SMEs , I hope you will have other useful indications in choosing the best collaborators and consultants to grow the your company.
Moment of truth zero (ZMOT acronym that stands for Zero Momento of Truth): intercept the visitor when he is looking for YOUR product
How is the search engine used by your customers? It is essential to ask yourself about HOW THE USERS search your products or services online! What do they expect to find? Satisfy the user search intent is one of the secrets to be rewarded by Google!
You should ALWAYS bring this question!
Both in the analysis of your competitors on the web (other sites or e-commerce that offer your product / service) and in the search phase of the keywords (to understand how users search).
Very often before making a purchase (or asking for a quote) users use the internet to inquire, this happens, in general with these methods:
I have no idea of the product to buy, I have a problem to solve , I rely on Google.it looking for “my problem” and I look at the sites that go out. I’ll give an example, I want to look for information on how to clean a stained parquet floor, I could look for “how to clean the parquet”. So I’m trying to find a SOLUTION to my specific problem, only later I will be willing to buy
I read on Facebook of a company that sells a product or service that can do for me, I go looking on the internet what they say customers so I rate: website, social media, reviews, testimonies of other customers, etc.
I have no idea how much a certain product can cost, I look for Google on the price and the characteristics or the price range of similar products, maybe trying to compare different types of similar products
I have a fairly precise idea of what to buy (eg black sneakers) I’m looking for the product on google
Sometimes these types of searches can be performed several times, at different times of the day, from different devices.
In all these cases I have users who are not necessarily ready to buy and my goal will be to intercept these types of searches through content well positioned on Google.
I’m intercepting the so-called “moment of truth zero” or the FIRST impact of the visitor (potential customer) with my company or my e-commerce .
In these cases it is essential to always have valuable content on your site and not just offer a showcase of products but contents such as:
- guides;
- how to;
- FAQ / frequently asked questions;
- in-depth analysis “around the product or service marketed”;
- comparisons between similar products;
- customer reviews;
- testimonials …
contents that HELP the user to understand which product to choose, what the company offers different than the competitor, how to solve ( through a product or service ) a specific product!
THESE ARE CONTENT OF VALUE , content that solve a problem and give IMMEDIATE information (useful) to the reader that maybe tomorrow will turn into a customer for your website.
A content is not necessarily a blog post, it could also be a video, for example an interview with a client who talks about how a particular product (or service) has solved its specific problem!
The first moment of truth is therefore an element to ALWAYS keep in mind in your web marketing strategy!
The user before buying more and more online searches for information and solutions.
Remember also that after a possible purchase the user can review your product or service, this element to be encouraged because it improves the net reputation of your company!
Summarizing as much as possible, an online purchasing process, from this point of view, can be summarized as follows:
Moment of zero truth (ZMOT) : the user informs himself about a specific product BEFORE deciding whether to buy it or not! Maybe because stimulated by an advertising on Facebook, by an advertisement that stimulates the search for a specific product (facebook adv are excellent for stimulating this type of “latent” question) or because the potential buyer manifests a conscious question, knows what the serve and search for info on Google.
Purchase of the product (online) : the user must be on an internet site that is easy to navigate, usable, with a reliable and fast purchase process! And with certain delivery times and that are respected (this if you are an e-commerce), if you sell services, the quote request must always be available and clear to the customer and your answer must be quick and fast! The receipt of the product or advice if you are a professional is the first moment of truth, the user must find satisfaction with his expectations.
Second moment of truth (after purchase) : internet allows users to become authors of content, here are the reviews are a very important moment that can be used to strengthen your digital reputation (or net reputation)!
What are the opportunities and potential of Web Marketing for SMEs
At the height of the digital era, the success of small and medium-sized businesses can not be separated from a well-planned web marketing strategy .
Digital marketing for SMEs
If for years the entrepreneurs of small craft businesses have relied exclusively on word of mouth as the main technique of acquiring customers, the modern “communication technology” has introduced noteworthy opportunities in the field of acquisition and growth of the customer base.
Some ways of acquiring customers of the so-called Web 2.0 among other things work very similar to traditional word of mouth (which undoubtedly remains an important channel of acquisition of new customers, you know, a satisfied customer will probably bring other customers), the so called ” buzz marketing ” or the viralization of the message, the communication becomes “viral” (the term “buzz” is used to indicate that the message passes from mouth to mouth and is therefore spontaneously disclosed).
From this point of view, remember that, the principals (websites, blogs, forums, social) on which you can publish YOUR content can be distinguished in:
MEDIA OF OWNERSHIP OF THE COMPANY : your website, your Facebook page, your blog, your channel on youtube. They are your “media” on these you can publish everything that is related to your business and you have full control!
AVERAGE PAYMENT : paid advertising that is Adwords that is a radio advertisement, whether it is a banner or Facebook ADS. All the operations that bring visibility to the company but that have a cost.
MEDIA “GAINED” without incurring any expense : every time that spontaneously network users share a company content contributing to its viralization and to the promotion of the message: a sharing, a spontaneous link (the so-called earning link, very important for SEO), a re-tweet, a shared video etc.
Think of TripAdvisor for example that we all check before going to the restaurant, or online reviews on e-commerce that ” guide ” us in the choice and purchase of a product, as in the promotional area.
The tools provided by the network, exploited appropriately and to the maximum of their potential, not only guarantee the increase of the customer base but also a concrete optimization of the resources put in place.
The web marketing is measurable and consequently can lead to optimization of expenses allocated to the promotion, surely this is one aspect that you need to ask your advisor or web agency that follows: tools to monitor the results of an SEO campaign or a web marketing strategy).
This means that it is necessary to agree a strategy for measuring results (it is another important phase of this work) so as to understand what are the “channels” of promotion that make more !!! But if you have not set up (together with your consultant or the web agency that follows you) a measurement system, unfortunately you will proceed “randomly”!
We also think about how much (or cost) a traditional advertising campaign, let’s say that we decide to print 10,000 leaflets and distribute them, how much does the graphics, printing and distribution cost?
But above all we are sure that if I distribute them I will give them to users who are interested in my product? Or think of the much more expensive advertising on traditional media (for example, printed paper that goes into the hands of a plurality of readers who are not always all “your target” of customers)
Web marketing allows you to accurately identify the perfect target for your business
Precisely identifying the potentially ideal target for your business is an important goal and within reach of an effective and well structured web marketing strategy.
SEO Intercept it (for example on a search engine) at the EXACT time when it is looking for my product (for example if I look for “electrician firenze” on Google.it probably I will be much more receptive to call you (if I find you between the search results on Google ) because I’m looking for you, and this form of advertising (visibility on search engines), probably will make much more than a leaflet that goes to hit all without distinction, even users who are not looking for my service or my product.
Ok I made an easy example, try to decline it for your business (or for your product).
What is this service called? Positioning on search engines, also called SEO , let’s see what it is and how it works.
SEO as a vehicle of popularity and notoriety of the BRAND even if you are a craftsman or you are a small business
SEO, brand? What are you talking about…. in fact, as we say in Florence, but what about you chat ? I am a craftsman not a brand …… ..
But no, even if you work alone and maybe you do the restorer of furniture, think of marketing as a brand (a brand), think of yourself with your specificities and strengths, you have to learn to POSITIONED on the market so cleverly highlighting your specifics, for example, you have been the furniture restorer of 700 for 15 years, well this is an absolute added value to indicate on your website, on your ads and on your Facebook page!
Not only that, creating a captivating website with an intuitive design and a comprehensive illustration of the company’s offer is just the first step in an efficient web marketing campaign.
In this context the use of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is particularly important , ie the activity of promotion on search engines .
This is done through constant work of updating and creating content, codes and keywords that allow the site to maintain appeal to the consumer and appear among the first results of online research. The result is a natural increase in popularity that is also affecting social media.
The SEO work consists of several phases , this is what you have to ask the SEO consultant or the web agency that offers this service:
Choice of keywords for which you want to compete: it is a FUNDAMENTAL phase, the search keys must be chosen carefully, they must be REALISTIC and must yield, there are many professional tools for choosing the search keys (there are many tools that you can use to this end, I will devote a deepening in the final version of this guide to web marketing for SMEs that will soon be available in pdf as well as on this post) , is a very delicate job because, if the user looks for me for a product that does not I’m only losing time and making it lose to my potential client
Optimization of the website and of the website pages , is an important technical part, I do not add anything else because it would be very difficult to exhaust the topic in a single article
Contents : the search engine loves content, you must then accredit your eyes as an EXPERT OF YOUR NICHE, a blog is perfect for this purpose but then you have to update it, with interesting and useful content, you begin to understand at this point because I said all ‘start that is to be committed and that is a “hard” work ?As they say web marketers everywhere on the net: CONTENT IS THE KING!
Popularity : the content must not only be created, but must also be spread on the web , this part too, is an important factor for SEO, the well-made content must then circulate! Why else would I be writing this long article on another blog?
The circulation of content can take place through various channels: social, link earning (earn links and quotes thanks to our contents) . Damn that big words that mean Mark .. They are very delicate and that can also cause damage so it is essential to go with the springs, but I want to give a minimal definition.
For google the links are votes. A link is equivalent to say, I liked this site, I find it interesting, so I link it on my page so that users of my site can go to see it, so it is useful to try to get links to our website from FONTI AUTOREVOLI of our sector (but attention this operation must be done with such care, patience and professionalism otherwise the risks are very high you could even see your site disappear from the search results, if you make mistakes! ).
So having well-done content can help you because other blogs / websites / users can identify them, find them excellent and link them to other sources.
The contents are very important also because (in addition to the contribution they give at the SEO level) they increase the authoritativeness of your SME .
If for example your SME has an e-commerce you can make a big difference taking care to the maximum content of your article cards that often in e-commerce are not well taken care of and instead are very important for users (and therefore also for search engines)
Some tips to improve the article tab of your e-commerce in SEO:
Care for the titles of the article card
Original and exhaustive descriptions
Explain what the product is for in understandable terms
Technical insights for more “expert” users
Enter reviews of your customers who have previously purchased
Show the product well using multimedia content (photos and videos)
Use related articles
So do not think only of search engines and to create content to contribute to the positioning of your website for the search keys that interest you (the SEO in fact) think of CREATE VALUE to provide useful solutions and information to your readers .
The valuable content that you offer to your users could also be systematized in your book, an ebook that makes you become AUTOREVOLE in your niche and that can increase your prestige and your reliability.
Not only an ebook increases the visibility for your company is therefore to be considered as an excellent promotional tool because, for example, you could collect email addresses, to download the ebook you could leave an email, then going to create a database of user email not generic but interested in your products or services to which you have provided a valuable content (the ebook) and to subsequently send an information newsletter “warming up” the contact and increasing the possibility of making it become your customer .
Social Media Marketing: promoting small businesses in the era of Facebook
social media All of us are on social networks, some more or less, but there is no doubt that Facebook (or other social networks, maybe “vertical” on your niche) can be important channels of promotion.
Of course there is need of time and resources (again .. yes I know they are boring but otherwise we return to the ” cuggino ” that with 300 euros makes you everything he makes the site I put you first on Google, you take care of Facebook putting photos of kittens and beautiful girls who love so much, what are you waiting for to get the bunch and invest when there is the ” cugggino “?)
The world of social media is part of online marketing as an authoritative means of communication for small and medium-sized businesses and not, as it allows the company to maintain a direct relationship with the user, encouraging the increase in sales and loyalty to the brand itself.
The word of mouth that becomes ingenera from the sharing of contents assumes a not negligible value in a market strategy in which the eventual buyer becomes an active part in the diffusion of the message, exponentially multiplying its effectiveness.
Networks like Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and LinkedIn therefore play a very important role (predominant in some sectors) for the promotional purposes of small and medium-sized enterprises, attesting their growth in terms of popularity and, consequently, business logic .
Even here the stages of the work are varied and you have to know them, I try to summarize them:
Analysis : which social and why to use it
What I will say on that social (let’s say Facebook), which “topic”, which issues and with what “style of communication”
Who will manage it? Who answers the messages and inserts and writes the posts?
Drafting calendar: fundamental to have a calendar in which to insert what I will say and why (also to evaluate the TEMPO resource that I have to put in the field)
Advertising strategy : Facebook provides a powerful advertising system to hit a particular “target” (for example, men aged between 30 and 65 living in Florence ) so it is necessary to plan this part carefully and above all to place yourself in the order of ideas that you must also allocate a budget for the promotion of the page if you want it to run and take off.
If you have reached this point in the article, you already know that there are so many things …. and I omit other social media (like youtube and we all know how important it is and how much they work in marketing videos, “putting our face” and in our case HANDS, showing and explaining how a craftsman works is an element that can really do the difference ! But maybe we’ll talk about this in another post)
To ” intersperse ” the reading, or give you the “coup de grace”, I want to propose a video (not too long) that speaks of “persuasion” in ” business strategies “, I am NOT a commercial but a web consultant, but you who you are a small entrepreneur, since I was asked to write an article on web marketing for small businesses , you should see then obviously you’ll know the weight to give (is in English but is subtitled), helps you understand some aspects that I can not elaborate in this article but that are important because they are related to the PROCESSES OF PURCHASE of the users, good vision:
Fidelising and keeping the attention alive by using a Newsletter and an email marketing strategy
As you know better than me, since you are a craftsman or an entrepreneur (or maybe both) it is easier to sell to one of our customers than to find a NEW CUSTOMER from scratch.
This for various reasons that surely, as an entrepreneur, you know much better than me. Web marketing does not make exceptions, so it is essential to take care of our customers with a nice newsletter, collecting addresses on the website, even here there are many tools that can do for you and that you can be explained by your Webmaster or consultant or from the web agency that takes care of your website.
Through the newsletters every company has the possibility to send periodic communications via e-mail to the registered users. It is therefore a strategy aimed at the customer already acquired, which does not aim at disclosure, but rather to consolidate the brand .
The regular sending of reminders that inform about news and promotions in progress promotes new visits to the company website and, in return, a renewed interest in the brand . For this purpose it is essential that the newsletters present a distinguishable cut, with editorial lines and quality contents that keep the attention on the company alive.
The analysis of email marketing is important to get a constantly updated picture of the levels of loyalty and satisfaction from the consumer.
In fact, by examining the feedback generated by the links in the newsletters, a realistic projection of the interest towards the product and the themes related to it is obtained.
Email marketing if done well works!
You can also integrate tools of “automatic email marketing” as for example, I throw them an easy idea:
Collect the date of your customer’s embassy and send an email of good wishes (perhaps with an ad-hoc discount coupon for him or with others depending on your niche and your sector)
SMS Marketing: the power of immediacy
Yes, even the recent statistics tell us that besides being so many hours on social networks we all have a cell phone. Ah, did not I tell you? the website MUST BE visible on smartphones and tablets , check I recommend !.
The sms have opening rates HIGHLY higher than the email , so they are read and lend themselves to “direct marketing” certain NOT become a spammer all of us hate those who break the boxes too often maybe with messages that are ONLY ADVERTISING ‘or that they make us waste time.
On all your communication channels DO NOT limit yourself to saying how good or good you are or selling a product, offer content and information USEFUL TO YOUR user / customer , and in the craft sector you know how many beautiful things you can tell.
Like newsletters, sending SMS (Short Message Service) is a powerful means of interaction with the potential buyer ; however, it has the advantage of greater immediacy , without requiring internet connection.
A direct and essential language that clarifies the sender and the subject of the text from the very beginning, proves to be winning in gaining the consumer’s interest and encouraging him to make use of the service. Like the newsletter, the text message can be sent on a regular basis – in a framework aimed at the loyalty of your customers – or only during special events and initiatives.
Some ideas? For example text messages, text messages to warn that an object has been completed / restored, or a text message to confirm an appointment or to remember a deadline and here the applications are really many side “customer service” and marketing side. Also in terms of really very low costs especially if you buy packages for sending bulk SMS. And then remember that the smartphone is a truly everyday item !!!
If used with competence, even this marketing channel (for more information see: Communicating via SMS with customers ) can generate enormous advantages ; it is therefore appropriate, as for all the strategies analyzed, to rely on professionals in the sector who guarantee a profitable and quality service.
Video: visibility, reputation, trust and content marketing
The videos are important. How many times have you heard this statement repeated. Surely it’s right!
Of course we need a precise strategy, but if you have reached this point of this guide dedicated to web marketing strategies for SMEs, I’m sure you will understand it.
Analysis is always fundamental.
It is part of the work of the entrepreneur to know how to best use the resources and choose the right employees. The video is a powerful tool for web marketing , you need to know that:
Youtube is the second most used search engine in Italy , this means that you have to optimize your presence on Youtube if you decide to make videos (so choosing title, description and tags with an eye to “how users search”, yes, even on Youtube you can and must do SEO)
Facebook or rather the algorithm of facebook (edgerank) that oversees what we see on our bulletin boards when we access Facebook gives great priority to videos and therefore tends to show them more often than other content
A video content is certainly very welcome by users because it provides an immediate response to a specific problem or an information request (of course, and back to analysis, must be included in a specific marketing strategy and not “made at random” just because it’s fashionable to make videos )
In the title of this part of the guide I wrote VISIBILITY, have a channel on youtube updated and optimized offers visibility (and if for example linkis your website can bring traffic to your products and services) and ensures a good return side Facebook.
The web reputaton of your company will benefit because a video accredits you as an expert in a certain topic ( one of the points that highlight Robert Cialdini in his “weapons of persuasion” ) the video “puts you at stake” and therefore increases the confidence of your certain customer must be pigeonholed in a content marketing strategy, you must give value and you have to accredit yourself as an “expert” in your field, I suggest you:
Keep in mind the necessary equipment , do not mind spending thousands of euros but do not even get away with an integrated webcam of a PC ( but an HD webcam can give great satisfaction for some types of videos such as tutorials on the operation of a software that then mix spoken and screen shots ), there are excellent cameras (canon for example) that guarantee a good result in terms of results with non-exorbitant costs, get advice from your trusted hardware dealer!
Where you make the video, the “location is important” . Dedicate a point of your company to this activity, setting it up as a minimum, so that it is accurate, “friendly” and not too dark
Put your face : it’s important that you show yourself, so that the customer has a tangible demonstration of you and your SME’s staff
Solve real problems : ask the questions that your users would ask you ( maybe strong of your experience and of what the customers want to know ) do not limit yourself to “praise” your product or service, always starting from the assumption to explain what problematic your product or service solves
If you have an e-commerce or sell a product show it at work , show how it works. The ” how-to ” videos are among the most searched on Youtube and “see” the product can make the difference
When you put the video on Youtube or a post on Facebook always remember to put a link to a specific “call to action” (the action you want the user to perform) for example a click to go on your e-commerce
Take care of the first and last frame with the info on your website (and maybe put the site in “overlay” for the whole video so as to make brand!
COSTANZA : it is not said that you will immediately get the desired results, so you have to be constant and work on the basis of a precise editorial calendar
Think also about SEO : a video is a content and can also have an SEO value so always take advantage of the descriptions on youtube and maybe even use it for your company’s blog, remember that a valuable content that your users like will always be a quality element for google
Do not make long videos , limit the length to the essential without too many frills or repetitions, get to the point, and stay on a maximum length of 2 – 3 minutes (it’s an average of course)
Remember that you can also decide to rely on an expert videomaker who can accompany you on this journey!
The importance of synergies is online and offline
All sales tools are useful and must be used . Do not “fall in love” with an instrument, if used well, all the tools seen in this guide are effective. If, in addition to the website where you sell your product / service, your SME has one or more physical points of sale it is also important to work using the online to bring customers into the store (or at trade shows if in your sector they are a channel of acquiring important customers) for this purpose, the strategies can be so many, here are some:
Google My Business:
If you are not yet registered DO IT NOW ( https://www.google.com/business ). And take care to maximize your presence on your board updating it CONSTANTLY, publishing photos, useful information and taking care of it. This will make sure to enhance your “local” visibility. The searches on Google are in fact influenced also by the geographical position of the user who performs it.
Come and visit us and take advantage of the reserved offer:
You can think of “special” offers reserved for your fans on Facebook (or visitors to your website) who will physically go to the store. It is important, if you decide this strategy, to think BEFORE the additional offers that you can present in the store so as to maximize sales.
An example? If you sell a pair of shoes you could think of an offer to buy a SECOND pair of shoes at a special price of the same model. Or always propose (to those who buy shoes) a related product (socks). You may reserve these offers (in a specific period of time, for example the weekend) to those who physically go to the store) and maybe give you a voucher)
Share with your friends:
In the sales point, ALWAYS incentive sharing on social networks or visits to e-commerce (for example on the receipt or hand delivery of a voucher for an online purchase by a certain date).
Promote using the Events on Facebook: Facebook
events can be an excellent means of visibility, provided they are accompanied by a “special / special” offer dedicated to the participants ( remember the goal is not the likes and the shares but the sales ).
Digital coaching to increase the digital skills of the company?
Should you rely solely on consultants external to the company? It depends .
There are projects that it is impossible for an SME to manage internally for the too many skills and professional figures to be involved ( seo expert, ux designer, social media manager, developer, google adwords expert etc. ) and because the “world of digital marketing and web in general “changes continuously and with surprising speed.
The entrepreneur can not know everything and has to deal with strategic marketing ( in my opinion, to increase the company’s customers using all the promotion channels ).
What is important is that in the company there is a web project manager , a professional figure (inside the company and closely linked to the commercial department) that is able to “interact” with external web consultants.
In addition to a figure of “coordination” and support to the team of web marketing and external development, we see what other skills could be internal, appropriately forming this ( or these ) figures with an accompanying period (called digital coaching ):
Product card management: if you have an e-commerce you have to equip yourself with a person who makes the insertion of the product sheets, write well structured contents.
Daily management facebook page: I think that, in medium-small projects, the daily management of the Facebook page can be internalized. So as to make the company more “reactive”, perhaps outsourcing to a professional or a web agency the part related to paid advertising (the Facebook ads)
Community management: the management of comments, responses to reviews, the interaction on blogs and social leaders can only be done internally. The company knows the products and must be able to respond to customer questions (or potential customers) directly, competently and immediately.
Blogging: managing the blog is another aspect that should be managed internally to link it with the sales department.
In these cases, a digital coaching path could be an excellent solution to internalize in the PMI some of the skills leaving outside the most technical, specific or requiring constant and continuous updating, the fundamental thing is always that the team checks periodic meetings to monitor the results, check if the web marketing strategy is going in the right direction.
There would still be a lot to add on the Web marketing for small and medium-sized businesses , and for this I will keep this guide up-to-date. For questions or anything else the link to my blog you have it, add it to your favorites and if you liked this article share it on social networks and follow me and of course if you need a web marketing consultancy or custom seo contact me, see you next and thank you for your time and for this reading (which will soon become an ebook dedicated to web marketing strategies for entrepreneurs and web managers of small and medium-sized businesses).
In conclusion, web marketing is a powerful tool that can greatly benefit small businesses. It allows them to reach a larger audience, increase brand awareness, and generate more leads and sales. By utilizing various online marketing strategies such as search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, and social media advertising, small businesses can level the playing field with larger competitors. However, it is important for small business owners to approach web marketing strategically and invest time and resources into creating a strong online presence. With the right strategies in place, small businesses have the opportunity to thrive in today’s digital landscape. Start implementing web marketing tactics today and watch your business grow!