In a world saturated by big brands, do not underestimate the potential success of your small business. Smaller companies are often able to tick many boxes prescribed by customers with an opportunity to promote a more personal, assured and characterful service. Do not be afraid to compete!
Today, we have teamed up with the London SEO Agency company, to bring you 7 ways your small business can compete with larger brands, and our top tips on how to succeed.
1. Boost Your Search Engine Results
When it comes to competing with big brands, your online presence is key. Local SEO is essential for smaller businesses as it allows you to target buyers in your area, placing you above many larger brands. Using Google My Business (GMB) will allow you to collect positive customer reviews, optimize your listing with keywords and include branded images. This free service can optimize your business for local listings, allowing it to thrive. Getting your website ranked above others will ensure you are seen above other competing brands, regardless of their size or power, allowing customers to discover your business first. These options are free, organic ways to improve your marketing strategy and boost your company. PPC (pay per click) advertising can also be highly effective for promoting your business if used to target the right people, but it does come at a cost.
2. Track Activity on Your Website
So, you’ve boosted your search engine results, appearing at the top of Google, allowing your potential customers to find your website first. But, this is not the end of the story. Tracking how people use your website is essential, seeing where they click and how they engage. Setting up HotJar tracking to pinpoint where people are clicking will help you create the perfect page for SEO. Comparing page activity in relation to the amount of traffic entering your site through organic search will directly inform the strategy for your next marketing campaign. This knowledge of user experience can really help you evaluate strategies and plan the growth of your business.
3. Adapt Your Specific Phrases
Another way your small business can compete with larger companies is to make the most of the more bespoke services you offer. For example, if you are selling women’s running shoes experiment with your search phrases. Try longer and more specific phrases like ‘Women’s Running Shoes’ rather than shorter, generic phrases such as ‘Shoes’ or ‘Running Shoes.’ Longer and more specific search phrases can lead customers directly to your website, increasing the number of your potential clients. Once you know which search phrases generate the most business, you can optimize relevant pages for the free search listings. Exchanging links with appropriate, high-quality sites that offer complimentary services will lead more buyers to you, boosting their trust in your site.
4. Focus on Digital Marketing
Focusing on digital marketing can ensure the long-term success of your small brand, preventing you from losing out to competitors with bigger budgets. Your digital marketing strategy should be sustainable, continually ensuring your success. If this is done right, this will dramatically improve customer behavior, engagement and experience, in turn boosting your business. However, finding a digital marketing strategy that works can be a case of trial and error, testing techniques until you find the one which works best for you. To secure the long-term success of a smaller business, any digital marketing strategy you employ will require continual refinement and adjustment as your company grows and develops.
5. Use Social Media Marketing
Using social media marketing can really boost visits to your website, in turn increasing your potential sales. Mastering social media marketing is essential for smaller brands. Make the most of the social media platforms available to you to share images of your most popular products, tempting customers to purchase from you. For a successful social media marketing strategy, visual aesthetics are key and customers should see continuity between the different platforms you use to market your business. Another advantage of social media marketing is that it allows happy customers to share their satisfaction, building an authentic bank of reviews quickly and easily.
6. Create a Responsive Website Design
Having a website is a modern day essential. In the good old days word of mouth was enough to entice customers, but today you need a persuasive website too, especially when trying to lift your business off the ground and compete with top London brands. When people visit your website they should be able to find all the essential information quickly and easily. Communicating facts about your company, for example, pricing, contact details and your brand ethos among a professional looking site will really help attract customers towards your services… More often than not, customers make a snap decision online, based on factors such as how high you rank on Google, the speed of your site and the quality of your business. Ticking all of these boxes will make all the difference when competing with big brands. But there’s more. Over 50% of searches now come from a mobile, meaning your website needs to look great here too. If your website design doesn’t translate onto a mobile, customers will look elsewhere.
7. Display Positive Reviews
Even after mastering all of the above, what customers say about your business is still the crux of fruition. Leaving customers satisfied is crucial and displaying these positive reviews is a sure-fire way of boosting your market. Good reviews allow a customer to trust your brand. Asking customers to share their photos on social media is simple but effective, increasing your clientele by digital word of mouth. Monitoring this lets you see which posts get the most engagement. Promote those which are most successful. You can select the reviews which give the best view of your business to display on your website, however, Google reviews can be less forgiving. Customers can post any comments online, and some people take this anonymous platform as an opportunity to leave negative reviews (especially competing companies). When this happens, take the appropriate measures needed to address any problems reported by customers. People can be surprisingly forgiving when they see you have made the necessary steps to correct an issue. Above all do your best to provide a positive customer experience at all times. Let your superior service speak for itself.
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