There’s a lot of FREE online marketing strategy and platform out there that you can use to start your own online business. Start now! Or say goodbye to your business.
According to a study, 97% of consumers, this includes customers and clients, searched online when they need something, with 12% looking for a local business or service providers online every day. That is huge!
Knowing these things will help you maximize your online marketing strategy. Because every article you’ve posted will be recognized by search engines. That’s why you need to update your online accounts regularly and post engaging content. So it will be easier for people to find you online.
But if you’re looking for ways to acquire clients or customers online, here are some online marketing strategy that you need to consider.
Be Sociable on Facebook.
Facebook is one of the easiest ways to connect and engage with your prospective client or customers. If you’re still not leveraging Facebook to your advantage, then you’re surely missing out a lot of great opportunities.
This social media platform gives you two channels that you can use to push your brand forward: Facebook Profile and Facebook Page. Using your Facebook profile and Page effectively will help you earn respect from your friends and your potential client.
Facebook is created to socialize and connect with people. Make sure that you’re posting content that is not offensive and it should be relevant to the people on your list. Always consider the person that will read your post. You can share images, your success, the latest articles that you’ve read, you can comment, like and share like what a regular Facebook user will do.
Remember, by accepting their connection request or you connecting with them, means that they have permitted you to share your ideas with them through your posts. You can sell, pitch or share relevant topics that you believe are beneficial for them. It’s should not always be about you.
If you are lucky, being active on Facebook might be enough to acquire your client or customers.
Link on LinkedIn.
Your LinkedIn, create one if you don’t have a profile yet, is your professional profile. Like Facebook, use this platform to connect and engage with your target market. LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to push your brand and expand your network with your target audience.
LinkedIn is your online resume. More often than not, people will check your profile before they accept your connection. So spend some time crafting your profile to make an excellent first impression.
Tell the people what you’re doing. Let them know whom you’re looking for to connect and what kind of service you’re offering. By you doing this will help you increase your chances of connecting with your target market.
LinkedIn is the best place to post your content. Your connections will value and engage with you if you’re sharing and posting valuable content which will help increase your chances of attracting the right client or customer for your business.
Love photos and images? Use Instagram.
Instagram, to date, is one of the fastest growing social media platforms. I included it on my online marketing strategy list because Instagram is also a great tool to market yourself whether you have products to sell or a service to offer.
Instagram is not a post and forget-about-it platform. You’ll have to see what works best with your audience. You can start by posting multiple times in a day, once a day or a couple of times in a week. It usually depends on your audience.
Engagement matters on Instagram. As Gary Vaynerchuk said:
“The way to win on social media is to be social. The number of Instagram followers you have means nothing if you can’t build a community of like-minded people who care and engage. The only real way to do this from scratch is to become part of the conversation.”
Instagram is not just a social app. It is used by small and big brands to generate sales for their business. So if you’re still thinking of ways to acquire your target customers or client. Then, by all means, you better check this app and start creating a strategy on how you can maximize it.
Let people find your services on Google.
Yes, Google is the most used browser by your customers and client. So why not create a presence where they usually do their research? Google My Business is Google’s answer to Yellow Page. One of Google’s main objectives is to make sure people can find what they’re looking for online.
Google My Business is free. You need to fill up some information from your business such as address, description, contact info and images to showcase your business. Google helps local business especially when someone performs geographical research, and Google will display results of local businesses which could be yours.
Start writing (Blogs, articles, short stories, poems).
Writing is an effective way to attract new customers or clients. If you’re eager to have an online presence, you need to create valuable content for your readers and followers. If you put the time and energy to create engaging content, it can help you for years to come. Writing will help you effectively plant seeds for the future growth of your online business. Because creating valuable content will help you acquire traffic which will lead you to new customers or clients.
There is no limitation to what topic you can write. Consistently posting and creating content will help your online presence and will build your authority and trust among your followers which will help convert them into actual paying customer or clients.
Consider your content as a resource that will help answer your customer’s problem. It may be in the form of happiness from the stories you shared or a solution to the burden that they’re carrying. Whatever that is writing content is one of the most effective marketing strategies that can potentially bring the most significant share of customers or clients to your business.
Go out. Join a local meetup.
Based on my experience, meetups are a great way to network and connect with local entrepreneurs and like-minded people. You will learn from the people who understand the ins and out of business, at the same time, it is an excellent opportunity to show yourself out there and let the people know what you’re doing.
Joining an offline event will springboard the service that you’re offering which will help in generating sales for your business. I suggest following Kassy Pajarillo because she regularly conducts local meetups that will help you a lot in developing your skills and at the same time connecting you with industry experts that are willing to share their best practices and strategy.
Well, that’s it. There’s a lot of FREE online marketing strategy and platform out there that you can use to start your own online business. These are few of the platforms that worked for me and I believe will work for you too. If you still want to learn more. Check this article that I wrote about The Strategies to Find a Client on Social Media.