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How to be found online as a small business – Revisited

There is a gap between consumer behavior and what small businesses are doing to market their business.  This gap is causing a problem which most small businesses don’t realize even exist.  And worse, too many of these small businesses are not sure how to fix it.  Too many small businesses are lost to what a web presence can do for them and their marketing efforts.

Small biz is missing a great opportunity to actually connect with their target market.  That opportunity is missed because too many small businesses are still caught up in using marketing methods that don’t match up with how their consumers are finding what they need.

What consumers are using

Today’s consumers are not the same ones we marketed to 5 or 10 years ago.  In fact, consumers are not the same as they were as little as a year or two ago.  Our consumers are more sophisticated.  They are using technology and they are connected.  Our consumers are using search engines to find us.  Today’s consumers are not using the same tools to find us as small biz is using to be found.

Consumer Data

Those small businesses not using the internet or not using it right, need to pay close attention.

Most commonly used small business information resources used by consumers:

1. 82% Search engines
2. 57% Print yellow pages
3. 53% Local newspapers
4. 49% Internet yellow pages
5. 49% Television
6. 38% Direct mail
7. 32% White pages directories

The same research found that only 44% of small businesses have a website. And of those with a website:

• 61% spend less than three hours a week marketing it
• 51% believe their sites’ customer acquisition capability is “far” to “poor”

And if that isn’t bad enough

• 50% of small businesses spend less than 10% or less of their marketing budget on internet marketing, while 30% do no internet marketing at all

Compare these findings to the fact 82% of our consumers use search engines to find us and we should be scared, very scared.  At the very least, those small businesses not utilizing the internet to its fullest potential should be worried.

What consumers are looking for

Your consumers are online and they are wanting you to:

• Communicate with them and give them an avenue to do the same with you
• They want to learn about your products and services
• Your consumers want to know what you are doing and they want to learn about your business
• They want you to tell them the good and the bad
• Your local consumers are looking for a reason to do business with you and not the ?big guy?
• They want a place to go to get their questions answered and their problems solved

For the small business, using the internet as a marketing tool actually mirrors why your consumers are using it.  As a local small business you should be using a blog and social media to meet these reasons too:

• Communicate with potential and current customers
• Promote your products and services
• Inform your market of news about your business
• Expand your market past the local level
• Compete with the ?big guys?

The problem for most small businesses and the solution

For most small businesses I talk to, the problem is knowing how to even use the internet as a marketing tool.  They don’t know where to start the process of blogging or using social media.  And not knowing seems to be the key to stopping many from even getting started.

As a small business or for that matter, as a business of any kind, you have to seriously look at blogging and social media. You have to seriously look at it as a way to grow your market and expand your marketing influence.  Best of all, you don’t have to go alone.

Where can you look for help?

• Other bloggers who are also  a small business
• Search the internet for help.  Look at sites like Copyblogger, Problogger, Remarkablogger and Chris Garratt for example.
• Read, read and read more.  Search Amazon for books on marketing and blogging. There are tons.  If there is one thing negative about books however, it is the fact they are sometimes out of date as soon as they are published. That is one reason I spend more time reading blogs than books.
• Finally, and one very under used way to get help.  Ask for it.  And ask bloggers. I have always found bloggers are willing to help fellow bloggers, both newbies and old timers.  So ask!

Do you have questions about blogging?  Spend some time here and ask questions.  Put them in the comments to this post and I bet you either I or one of the awesome readers of this blog will jump in with some help.

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Published by: Grant Griffiths

Related posts:

1. How to be found online as a small business
2. 12 Ways to Rock Your Business or Firm?s Marketing Plan with a Blog -Revisited
3. Online Business School Launches Today

Full post as published by Blawg for Profit on December 29, 2010 (boomark / email).