I have a website and a Facebook account.
Start with allocating about 1-2 hours a day to reach the industry communities you are affiliated with. We recommend to our clients to work on 1) Twitter 2) LinkedIn and 3) Google+. Our research has shown that the reach on Facebook is not as effective as it is on Twitter. We have clients who have a 85% lead finding success on Twitter.
You should create content value by sharing this content and your industry knowledge. There are very specific social media campaigns that will drive traffic to your website through social media. You can also look at joining trade show chats and communication platforms there. Attending you industry events, conferences, trade shows, and other multiplier meetings, is a good way to spread the word about you.
Each industry is very different and you need to focus on these differences. We are working with clients who are looking to enter the global markets. The approach is different here as well.
At the end of the day it all comes down to your willingness to spend time and be creative about the on-line world.
I hope this helps to get you started. If you are interested in a more company and products specific session, follow up or schedule a call. Let us know how we can help you.
You need to explore your online marketing options. There are a lot of avenues that you can pursue to build your brand, traffic and conversions, but there is no way to know which of those will be most beneficial, and to what degree, without a conversation about your goals, expectations and reviewing your current online situation. I suggest you start doing your research into web marketing agencies and figuring out who will make the best partner for you. Don't settle for quick answers or low prices. More times than not those are the companies that provide the least value.
The fastest way to generate sales online is through marketplaces. Amazon is the clear leader and you can generate significant sales in a short period of time. This is where I've found my success. Amazon is a powerful platform with very loyal customers. Launching your products in that space is a great way to not only generate sales, but also to learn and to test your products in the market. Because Amazon is its own ecosystem, you can run Amazon pay per click ads and promotions right there within the platform. Launching your products the right way on Amazon can do wonders!
Any direct or indirect competitors doing something similar online? If so, learn and follow their business model.
Every day I speak with small business owners who are frustrated with the current return on investment they’re seeing from traditional marketing approaches like direct mail and yellow pages, and they would like to get more leads and sales from online marketing but are a little unsure about how or where to even begin.
Start with your purpose on going online! How much sales do you need this year? What is your cost per lead acquisition offline and online? How much is your client lifetime value?
How are the buyer personas that you are going to target online?
Then once you have the above data I would suggest you to make your strategy to with the identification and clarification on problems. What needs to be solved?
You should find problems in the world that they are well-positioned to address, and then working with your team to draft and execute solutions.
That's my belief about public relations, marketing and business in general. If your offline business is making the world better, then you have a story to tell that people want to hear.
Online marketing is about great storytelling to the right audience at the right time in the right place.
We are Hubspot Silver Partner based in Armenia and grew our marketing team from 1 person to 14 full time and full service team in 1 year. Let me know if you want to have a quick call on how to begin with your online strategy!
Warm Regards,
Artash
CEO at Incredo
I get calls from business owners just like you all the time. The best answer I can give you is this: Find someone who understands the online world and can help guide you through the entire process from: validating your business online, planning, strategy, execution. DO NOT try to learn everything yourself. Continue building your off-line business and after understanding if there's a way to make it work online, find a person to help you do that or you'll end up diluting your time and efforts, which may affect your existing business.
Many business owners think that the same business can be marketed to online and offline customers in the same way. However, I've found that the customer demographic is so different that it requires a completely different strategy. Yes, you can push Facebook and Twitter messaging that's similar to what you're doing offline, but you may need to tweak your outreach to convey a completely different message. Depending on your business model (service vs. product, geography, how you currently get new customers), this may require a slight adjustment to your message OR it could need a complete revamping of your focus. I've helped business owners make this leap and would love to share some simple brainstorming exercises to see what's needed BEFORE you enlist a social media marketing/management professional. Glad to help in any way I can.
