BLOG POST: |
The internet including search engines, social media and various other virtual platforms including forums, classifieds and blogs, have created a level playing field for small businesses. During the era preceding online marketing, commercials and traditional advertisements were the only effective mediums and they were expensive. Small businesses were usually confined to the real estate space available at their offices and leaflets, flyers and mailers to reach out to their target audience. Business directories were just encyclopedic books. They rarely highlighted any business unless special ads were paid for.
Online marketing empowers small businesses to reach out to millions of people at a fraction of the cost of producing and broadcasting commercials on television, paying for slots on radio and renting giant billboards by the roadside. While online marketing is empowering, the virtual world is also a highly competitive space. The challenges are even more daunting when we talk about the service industries. There is no dearth of option if you think about any service that customers routinely require. Generating traction or some exposure may not be an uphill battle but convincing the target audience to choose one proposition over numerous others is definitely a big task.
Here are some online marketing tips for small businesses in the competitive service industries. Effective use of these tactics will definitely provide a strategic advantage and it can be sustained in the medium to long term. There will be short term impacts as well once all the tactics are thoroughly executed.
Small businesses should leverage the power of reviews. People these days prefer to buy something or try a service that others have already experienced and are speaking highly of. The reason why anything goes viral these days is because people want to check out what others have liked. A vast majority of people shopping online or even those who are simply forming a preliminary opinion about a service will refer to reviews of others, critics and consumers alike. Small businesses must promote these reviews. Highlighting them on the website is not sufficient enough. The positive reviews should be advertised. They should be highlighted on all platforms.
The reviews should be shared in an organic manner. They should not be just static images on the website. Any company can compose testimonials and put them up on their website. What you should use are real ratings and reviews. Link the ratings and reviews across platforms. If you have a tweet from a customer that endorses you service, re-tweet it, link it to a testimonial on your website, share the active link when you highlight the review and always allow the target audience to actually see who the reviewer is and the original review.
There was a time when people would write emails and then wait for a response. Most people will not even care to write an email and those who do will not wait for even twenty four hours. This is the era of instant engagement. One could also call it the era of impatience. Customers and leads want to hear from companies straightaway. Whether you have someone on your website or checking out your social media posts, you should be available and ready to respond if there is any initiation.
The website itself should have instant modes of contact. There should be a live chat. There should be a phone number that one can call and at least one executive must be free to answer immediately. There may be a resourceful interface where a visitor may choose an appropriate question and get an already published answer. Email, phone number, instant chat, live chat, social media engagement and even messaging services should be employed to establish real time contact with all existing and potential customers. These contacts should be advertised well and they must be readily available on the website and other platforms. Do not expect the audience to search for such information on the website.
Small businesses are often associated with industry bodies. Such associations should be advertised. It instills a sense of trust. Many small businesses in the service industries are not that well known to any and sundry in the target audience. A badge, membership or association with credible authorities will establish familiarity. The Better Business Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce and industry specific regulator or associations are your assets. Highlighting such affiliations and ratings will establish confidence.
Not everyone who swings by your website is ready to sign up. They will shop around and compare services. Always retarget such potential customers. Stay in the reckoning throughout their quest to find the best service. Reach out to them on all devices, especially mobile since that is the most common device used these days to browse the net, not just on the go but even at home.
Page Sitemap, Post Sitemap, Our Locations
We also offer Our local digital marketing and SEO services in specific locations: digital marketing and seo in agoura hills, digital marketing and seo in akron, digital marketing and seo in albuquerque new mexico, digital marketing and seo in alexandria virginia, digital marketing and seo in alhambra, digital marketing and seo in amarillo, digital marketing and seo in anaheim, digital marketing and seo in arcadia, digital marketing and seo in arlington, digital marketing and seo in arlington virginia, digital marketing and seo in artesia, digital marketing and seo in atlanta, digital marketing and seo in augusta, digital marketing and seo in austin, digital marketing and seo in azusa, digital marketing and seo in bakersfield, digital marketing and seo in baldwin park, digital marketing and seo in baltimore, digital marketing and seo in baton rouge, digital marketing and seo in bell, digital marketing and seo in bellevue, digital marketing and seo in bellflower, digital marketing and seo in bell gardens, digital marketing and seo in bend or, digital marketing and seo in beverly hills, digital marketing and seo in birmingham, digital marketing and seo in boise, digital marketing and seo in boston, digital marketing and seo in bridgeport connecticut, digital marketing and seo in brownsville, digital marketing and seo in buffalo ny, digital marketing and seo in burbank, digital marketing and seo in calabasas, digital marketing and seo in cape coral, digital marketing and seo in cary, digital marketing and seo in chandler, digital marketing and seo in charleston south carolina, digital marketing and seo in charlotte, digital marketing and seo in chattanooga, digital marketing and seo in chesapeake, digital marketing and seo in chicago, digital marketing and seo in chula vista, digital marketing and seo in cincinnati, digital marketing and seo in clarksville tennessee, digital marketing and seo in cleveland, digital marketing and seo in colorado springs, digital marketing and seo in columbus, digital marketing and seo in columbus georgia, digital marketing and seo in corona, digital marketing and seo in corpus christi, digital marketing and seo in dallas, digital marketing and seo in dayton, digital marketing and seo in denton texas, digital marketing and seo in denver, digital marketing and seo in des moines, digital marketing and seo in detroit, digital marketing and seo in durham, digital marketing and seo in elk grove, digital marketing and seo in el monte, digital marketing and seo in el paso, digital marketing and seo in escondido, digital marketing and seo in eugene or, digital marketing and seo in fayetteville, digital marketing and seo in fontana, digital marketing and seo in for strippers, digital marketing and seo in fort collins colorado, digital marketing and seo in fort lauderdale, digital marketing and seo in fort wayne,digital marketing and seo in fort worth, digital marketing and seo in fremont, digital marketing and seo in fresno, digital marketing and seo in frisco texas, digital marketing and seo in fullerton california,digital marketing and seo in garden grove, digital marketing and seo in garland, digital marketing and seo in gilbert, digital marketing and seo in grand prairie, digital marketing and seo in grand rapids, digital marketing and seo in greensboro, digital marketing and seo in hayward california, digital marketing and seo in henderson, digital marketing and seo in hialeah, digital marketing and seo in honolulu, digital marketing and seo in houston, digital marketing and seo in huntington beach, digital marketing and seo in huntsville, digital marketing and seo in indianapolis, digital marketing and seo in irvine, digital marketing and seo in irving, digital marketing and seo in jacksonville, digital marketing and seo in jersey city, digital marketing and seo in kansas city, digital marketing and seo in kent washington, digital marketing and seo in killeen texas, digital marketing and seo in knoxville, digital marketing and seo in lakewood colorado, digital marketing and seo in lancaster, digital marketing and seo in laredo, digital marketing and seo in las vegas, digital marketing and seo in lexington, digital marketing and seo in lincoln, digital marketing and seo in long beach, digital marketing and seo in los angeles, digital marketing and seo in louisville, digital marketing and seo in lubbock, digital marketing and seo in madison, digital marketing and seo in mcallen texas, digital marketing and seo in mckinney texas, digital marketing and seo in medford, digital marketing and seo in memphis, digital marketing and seo in mesa, digital marketing and seo in mesquite texas, digital marketing and seo in miami, digital marketing and seo in milwaukee, digital marketing and seo in minneapolis, digital marketing and seo in modesto, digital marketing and seo in montgomery alabama, digital marketing and seo in moreno valley, digital marketing and seo in nashville tn, digital marketing and seo in newark, digital marketing and seo in new jersey, digital marketing and seo in new orleans, digital marketing and seo in new york, digital marketing and seo in norfolk, digital marketing and seo in oakland, digital marketing and seo in oklahoma city, digital marketing and seo in omaha, digital marketing and seo in orange county, digital marketing and seo in orlando, digital marketing and seo in overland park, digital marketing and seo in oxnard, digital marketing and seo in palm beach florida, digital marketing and seo in palmdale, digital marketing and seo in pasadena, digital marketing and seo in pembroke pines, digital marketing and seo in philadelphia, digital marketing and seo in phoenix az, digital marketing and seo in pittsburgh, digital marketing and seo in plano, digital marketing and seo in plumber, digital marketing and seo in portland, digital marketing and seo in raleigh, digital marketing and seo in redding ca, digital marketing and seo in reno, digital marketing and seo in richmond, digital marketing and seo in riverside, digital marketing and seo in rochester ny, digital marketing and seo in sacramento, digital marketing and seo in saint paul, digital marketing and seo in salem or, digital marketing and seo in salt lake city, digital marketing and seo in san antonio, digital marketing and seo in san bernardino, digital marketing and seo in san diego, digital marketing and seo in san francisco, digital marketing and seo in san jose, digital marketing and seo in santa ana, digital marketing and seo in santa clarita, digital marketing and seo in santa monica, digital marketing and seo in scottsdale, digital marketing and seo in seattle, digital marketing and seo in sherman oaks, digital marketing and seo in shreveport, digital marketing and seo in spokane, digital marketing and seo in st louis, digital marketing and seo in stockton, digital marketing and seo in tacoma, digital marketing and seo in tallahassee, digital marketing and seo in tampa, digital marketing and seo in toledo, digital marketing and seo in torrance, digital marketing and seo in tucson, digital marketing and seo in tulsa, digital marketing and seo in valencia ca, digital marketing and seo in vancouver washington, digital marketing and seo in virginia beach, digital marketing and seo in wichita and all others.