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So That SMEs Can Quickly Reach Their Customers Online.
The first steps in unfamiliar areas always seem the hardest to us. But to all small and local companies that ask us whether it is worthwhile for them to be active online, we answer clearly and unequivocally: yes! And there is no doubt: it is neither generally nor in the course of advancing digitization or the findings from the corona pandemic about reducing or even abolishing the presence and availability on site. But on the contrary. It’s about creating additional accessibility that supports you in preparation for your work on-site and your chances for the growth of your business to enlarge sustainably.
After all, the Internet is used by 89 percent of users to search specifically for information about services or goods. How can I use that as an SME for my success? What options do I have online, and how can I put them into practice? The most important thing is to get the best out of basic measures with the first steps that build on each other in a meaningful way, with which you are guaranteed not to go wrong, and success is achieved after a short time. It is also essential to know which goals are to be completed and what suits your company. So let’s say your business is starting from scratch when it comes to online marketing: Here are the basic steps to get you started.
It’s all in The Mix: Digital Presence, Findability, Reputation and Knowledge
1: Create a Digital Presence
The important things first. To market your offer online successfully, you need a central location where precisely that can be found for interested parties 24 hours a day, seven days a week: this place is your website! This must be optimized for mobile use, technically flawless, and user-friendly works. This also depends on the content with which you position yourself as an expert in your field. Here you can, for example, present your service portfolio in detail and communicate with your visitors as required. You can offer the content and answers to essential questions that interest your target group and present concrete solutions to their problems with your services and products. Here visitors can always find the latest campaigns, special offers, or promotions. And you put yourself in a position to react flexibly at any time: be it the communication of changed opening times, new contact channels, or job offers.
See your website as a stage of its own, on which you can present your willingness to provide service and expand your corporate image right from the start. After all, you want to turn your visitors into customers, address applicants who are willing to change, or win new business partners. Your website also forms the best basis for further online marketing measures and your presence on other channels. Additional tip: You can also use the option of company entries in the most important online directories, such as Google My Business. Service companies, craftsmen, and shops, in particular, ensure that interested parties who are currently looking for your service on the Internet also receive the most up-to-date and, therefore, correct contact details for your company and, of course, the direct link. To your new website!
2: Ensure Findability
For your website to be found, it is advisable to advertise where your target group is looking for services or products: in the most crucial search engines. Your gaze immediately falls on the search results that are higher up. Search engine advertising for your offer on Google and Bing helps you appear like a company with an ad in precisely this area, attract attention, and set yourself apart from your competition. This is how you can draw the attention of potential customers or applicants using any (and even a tiny budget) regionally or nationally and forward them directly to your website!
3: Inspire Confidence
Think about your behavior when you find out about new products, services, or products. We are most likely to trust their quality when others have already tested them and found them good. There is nothing you can do to promote your expertise more than with good reviews from satisfied customers. In particular, the ratings and reviews on Google (especially in the Google My Business profile mentioned above ) are highly relevant and help more users make decisions for or against hiring a company. So ask your customers in direct contact or online to rate you online in your directory entries.
Also Read: Qualities And Skills Of The Business Administrator
4: Build Knowledge
The first steps have been taken, and you are curious how you can proceed or optimize your existing measures? So that you can keep track of other simple advertising options on the Internet, a guide tailored to small and medium-sized companies would be advisable. But where do you get this information from without “Googling” for hours, ultimately getting bogged down in an infinite number of online articles with English “marketing blah blah” and in the end without fundamental knowledge? The answer: A specialist who has many years of experience looking after small and medium-sized companies in all industries, knows their needs and speaks the same language. Use, for example, free white papers, video instructions or live webinars,
