It is critical for a small business to have an online presence. This is only increasingly going to be an issue as more consumers turn to shopping online, using mobile devices to find local businesses, and simply not having or using traditional phone books, Yellow Pages or business directories.

The good news is that learning how to promote your business through online can be easily accomplished with just simple, everyday computer skills. You don’t have to be a programmer or have a detailed understanding of website design to be able to tap into your target audience and give your business a distinct and user-friendly look and feel.

Review Current Website Design Templates and Ideas

If you don’t want to hire a website designer, spend some time taking a close look at the latest in design features for websites provided on blogs and on website design sites. It is also a good option to view top websites in your particular field to see what sets those companies apart from your website.

Functionality, apps, how fast your site loads compares to theirs and, of course, if your website uses responsive design. This is the system that allows your website to adjust automatically to be effectively displayed on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

How to Promote your Business using Branding

If you are a small business or a large corporation, having the right branding is one of the most essential options to promote a business. Branding means using consistent messaging and having an identifiable logo or corporate symbol that distinguishes your company from the others.

It is well worth the small investment to have a graphic designer work with you to develop a unique and identifiable logo. You can also check to make sure you use the same fonts and colors in all your branding and include branding as an essential element on all communication with customers and potential clients. This includes on guest blogs, social media posts, emails and other online interactions.

Download Free Analytics and Use Them

A lot of learning how to promote your business is to use the free tools available to make your job of planning SEO and marketing strategies a lot easier. Free analytics programs from Google, Piwik and Open Web Analytics are all good choices.

These programs will allow you to measure traffic, track unique visits, let you know what types of devices people are using to access your site and even find out where they are linking to your site.

Additionally, you can track how long they stay on pages, how many make purchases and how many put something in their cart but don’t make the purchase. This information can then be used to refine the website and improve the customer experience.

Spend Time on the Most Effective Social Media Presence

One of the biggest comments you will see on how to promote your business is to start using social media. This is really not helpful, and spending hours on the wrong social media site is a waste of your time and effort.

With analytics in place, you can track which social media sites are actually generating views on your website. This is a good indicator of connecting with the target audience on a good social media site for your products and services.

Share Information

One thing that is free to give away is information and knowledge. For an online business or a brick and mortar business, learning how to promote your business is really about generating interest in your products and services.

A great way to do this is to offer a free seminar or workshop. You can even set up an online course through your website, which allows you to connect directly with interested potential customers. Hosting an online webinar, developing podcasts, doing a series of YouTube videos or even hosting an in-person lecture or workshop is a simple way to market yourself and your business by giving people the information they need.

Paid Ads with Budget Control

If you are going to promote your business using paid advertisements through traditional media such as radio or television, or use online advertising such as Pay-Per-Click or Facebook ads, be sure to plan your budget and understand the pricing scheme.

By pre-setting your budget limit, you can try out the system and then record any increase in business, helping you to determine which options actually pay for themselves.

Cap't Jim Palmer, The Dream Business Coach

Cap’t Jim Palmer, best known internationally as the Dream Business Coach, is creator of the Dream Business Mastermind and Coaching Program and host of Dream Business Radio – a weekly podcast based on Jim’s smart marketing and dream business building strategies. Claim your FREE Dream Business Transformation now!

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