Local Business Marketing

The Right Approach to Marketing your Business Online

The current thought is that on one hand I have my business and on the other is the Internet.

And my business is here and it may or may not be doing good and over there is the Internet and if I do this internet thing I am going to get more leads, calls, emails, inquiries, sales, customers, I’ll grow, expand, scale, dominate, and win.

And if you’ve read this post on the wrong approach to marketing your business online you know the current thought and focus is where the problem is.

So, what is the right approach to marketing your business online?

A customer-focused, consistency over time approach to serving and attracting customers online.

The right approach to websites or digital marketing is one that focuses on education and empowerment not exploiting and selling. It’s one that isn’t focused on the potential outcomes like more sales and money but is focused on providing true value to your clients and customers using the tools online, like your website.

The right approach says that the internet, and your website, is nothing more than customer service in a digital age!

Let’s break that down a little bit.

Customer focused.

If our focus is on getting more calls, sales, leads, growing, expanding, or making more money, then there is a good chance that we will not be serving our customers fully.

Since the Internet is here to stay and not just something we use to get leads but something that is apart of all our lives in many ways, we must adapt our business to it.

So if we are to serve our customers, this also means we must serve them online.

But remember, the search engines are the gatekeepers. So, we must help them understand who we are and what we offer so they can better deliver our current and potential customers across this bridge to us.

Consistency over time.

Now, even if our focus is entirely on helping our customers, if we only do one small little thing, once, chances are no one will ever see it, including the search engines.

We must consistently make the right efforts for the right reasons when it comes to our efforts online. Then, over time the search engines realize that we are actually who we say we are and we actually provide value to our current customers and will for new ones as well.

Serving.

Remember, we all prefer to start with a referral based search. Our chances of finding the right business are much higher this way.

So before we can attract customers online, we must serve our current ones. We must also serve potential new ones with the information they are seeking. Which means that when someone searches for your business by name, they should not only find tons of info about you but they should like what they find, including what other people are saying.

Attracting.

The best way to attract new customers, hands down, is by providing the best possible service before, during, and after the sale to your current customers and they won’t hesitate to recommend you to anyone they know.

Beyond that, the best way is to be the best at meeting their needs, online. What are the problems your potential customers are having? Solve them and be genuine in the process. Use the tools out there to get your message in front of the right people at the right time.

Yes, this means that those funnels, SEO, and digital advertising can have a great impact on solving their problems and attracting new customers. But it must all be done for the right reasons and not just to get more leads.

Furthermore, before anyone can expect to start a successful campaign that generates a solid stream of interest in their business, they must understand that their role online is to serve and help, and then, utilize the five main tools to make sure people like what they find about your business online!