Business owners need to know how to promote their businesses in the right way. You may know promoting your business online is necessary in today’s world, but you don’t necessarily understand all of the ways you can do it or the ways that will give you the best results.

No matter which of the methods you choose, the key is putting your customers first in everything you do. Speak to entertain them, inform them, and teach them.

Revamp Your Website

When it comes to promoting your business online, everything needs to lead back to your website because it is the one piece of the internet you completely control. While social media can help you grow your business, you’ll never have complete control of those spaces and you must have a plan should Facebook decide to put you in Facebook jail or delete your Instagram account.

Investing in your website helps you build long-term equity in your brand. You’ll develop an asset that never stops working for you, and gives your customers a home base.

The key to a successful website is one that is not only aesthetically appealing but is easy for your customers to use and contains content that they find useful. Your website should be treated as a living and breathing organism that must be kept up-to-date and continues to grow.

Invest More in Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of attempting to drive traffic to your website organically through search engines. As Google continues to exert more influence on its own results, SEO is becoming more difficult, but it doesn’t mean you should completely abandon it.

A properly executed organic SEO campaign builds equity in your site which keeps it working for you over the long-term. Organic SEO is better than pay per click ads in many cases. However, because SEO can take months to see results from, it needs to be only a portion of your overall marketing strategy.

Create or Advertise on Podcasts

2019 research indicates that nearly ⅓ of Americans over age 12 listen to a podcast monthly. 41% of Americans say they are listening to podcasts now more than they did last year. And, Americans average 7 podcasts per week during the period of the study.

This tells us that there is a high demand for podcast content which is becoming the new radio. It’s cheaper, easier, and has a much greater reach. If your company has the resources, our regular podcast can be the center of your content marketing strategy. You can build an audience and establish your brand’s authority.

It’s okay if you don’t have the resources to do a good podcast on a regular basis because few do. If you don’t want to start your own podcast, you can find podcasters whose audiences match your target audience. This allows you to leverage the podcast audience and use advertising on those podcasts to promote your business.

You may also consider finding podcasts to be interviewed on, so you can spread the word about your business this way. It may take a bit longer with this approach because you need to build relationships, but guest starring on podcasts is a wonderful way to grow your reach.

Focus on Your Email List

If you don’t already have one, you might not think about emails when you consider promoting your business. When you invest in building your email list you are creating and long-lasting asset for your business.

A HubSpot survey showed that more than half of respondents check their personal email account more than 10 times a day. It is by far their preferred way to receive updates from brands. 59% of those surveyed indicate that marketing emails influence their purchase decisions and more than 59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of return on investment.

If you can get them to trust and value your brand, people will be more than willing to share their email address. Make sure you use smart marketing with compelling and useful content. you need to demonstrate to your audience that you’re worth listening to. Don’t just blast them with annoying emails every day.

Build Your Review Profile

We’ve known for a while now that Google and other search engines use online reviews from customers as a ranking signal. You should be looking for reviews on these platforms for your customers. Reviews serve as a basic kind of social proof to demonstrate quality.

Make sure you’re actively seeking feedback from your customers and using it to improve the products and services you offer. Ask your customers for reviews after your service has been performed or your product has been delivered. Follow up with your customers regularly, if you have long-term customers. and aim to have the best possible customer service at all times.

Why are reviews so important? A 2018 survey revealed 91% of consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 40% of customers only take into account reviews written within the past two weeks. and 89% of consumers read business’ responses to reviews so it’s crucial that whenever someone leaves the review for you that you respond to it.

Start with making sure you claim your Google My Business profile, as this gives you some control over how your information may display in the search results.

Start a Customer Loyalty Program

A customer loyalty program can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it – but it needs to be easy for people to sign up for, participate in, and redeem rewards for. Whether you use a card that’s scanned every time a purchase is made or another approach, you’ll get data to help you make decisions about your company.

You can use it to see who your most loyal customers are, and send them exclusive deals not available to the rest of your customer base. You can use it to convert more customers into repeat buyers. Your loyalty program can also help you see your most popular products and find other trends you can use to create promotions and other specials to keep your business growing.

Join Professional Associations

Chances are no matter your industry or niche, there is a professional organization available to you. You can use your local Chamber of Commerce or other B2B organization to not only market your business but to build relationships and camaraderie with other members. Membership in professional organizations helps increase your business visibility within your community and provides you with opportunities to network with other businesses in your area.

If you’re ready to kick your marketing up a notch in 2020, let’s talk!