Enough with the doom and gloom. As small business owners facing this coronavirus lockdown, we need to remember:
Bad news and fear sell papers. So they get over-promoted.
Good news is coming from other sources. Share hope, not fear.
The game has changed, not ended. We lose if we admit defeat.
Everyone is being hit — but that levels the playing field.
Adaptability is the small business advantage.
Negativity undermines creativity and planning.
Our families and teams need to see confidence, not fear.
Stress also undermines the immune system. Breathe, and calm.
Mutual support, determination and flexibility will win.
No entrepreneur survives without being able to see hope in adversity. Silver linings may be a razor’s edge at times, but that’s where we find the silver.
Small business SEO is now more vital than ever. Why? Because with more people working from home, offline advertising will struggle to compete with online searches.
Your competitors know this. That’s why Google Trends is showing that searches for SEO in the UK have just peaked higher than at any time in the past five years.
Still, small businesses face special problems when it comes to investing in SEO. This leads to three common mistakes.
Mistake #1: DIY SEO
Small budgets make DIY seem tempting. Yet whilst the basics of SEO can seem simple to learn, they take years to master — and they keep changing.… Read the rest
Social media is a vital marketing tool for small businesses because entry fees are low, and the potential reach is high. Many articles focus on how social media helps small businesses grow by increasing brand awareness.
That’s all very well, but how can social media drive sales?
Well, social ads are an obvious answer — but thankfully, not the only answer.
Popular Social Media Sales Strategies
In fact, a recent review of key social media marketing stats noted seven popular ways that companies use social media to drive sales:
48% of firms said being responsive encourages customers to buy
46% find that offering promotions helps to drive sales
42% drive sales by providing educational content (aka “content marketing”)
35% use exclusive content to encourage purchases
28% reported using interesting visuals increased sales
27% said it helped to provide “behind the scenes” content
26% find being funny can improve sales
All of these tactics also improve customer engagement with your brand and long-term loyalty.… Read the rest
Marketing moves fast, but marketing myths die hard. It’s common to copy “traditional marketing wisdom” without realising that risks copying traditional marketing mistakes.
The web gives digital marketers masses of immediate audience feedback to learn from — far more than traditional marketers have ever had.
So whatever you’ve learned may well be outdated already. Times change, competitors learn and update their strategies, and marketing evolves. What worked a few years ago may not work now. Or perhaps it never worked, but was based on false, yet popular, assumptions. Yet many people still spread these myths as if they’re in the know.
Many useful lessons in marketing have been twisted by misquotes and false assumptions over the years, too. Here are seven of the top marketing myths that I still see today and why you should think twice before falling for them.… Read the rest
Planning to launch a new website for your business? There’s a lot to consider when designing a small business website. Have you thought about how its design may affect visibility on Google or how people perceive your business?
Gone are the days where a free Geocities or WordPress template could do the job for you.
The competition is tighter now, with 71% of small businesses already operating a website of their own. Your site has to stand out amidst the sea of competitors. Get started the right way with these 5 top tips to create a good small business website:
1 .On-Site SEO is a Must
First and foremost, make Search Engine Optimization a priority for everything you do on your site. Whether it’s designing how the site looks to the content you post on the pages and blog, SEO should be a part of the design philosophy.… Read the rest
