How can you grow your small business using the internet?

I get this question often from people who don’t have an idea about promoting their businesses online

Gone are the days where the definition of a small business owner was just the owner of a shop down the street…. that chemist or “mallam”.

Today, we have thousands of people across the world who don’t have shops or a business place, but are business owners.

Thankfully, the internet made it so.

You can now sell your products (both digital and physical) or service and grow your small business using the internet.

If you have a product or service that you wish to sell, the internet can be that missing piece you have been looking for

Here are 5 ways to grow your small business using the internet.

Blogging is very important

One of the ways to grow your small business using the internet is by blogging consistently.

A wise man (Bill Gates) said in 1996 that content is king, even after over 20 years, this statement still remains very valid.

How do you make the world see your content?

You do that through blogging consistently

With your content, you are able to make people see before hand that you know what you are talking about.

Blogging gives you instant credibility especially when you deliver high quality contents.

I got a call from a guy recently.

After watching the video content on my blog, he simply couldn’t believe I gave away such great content for free

He called to thank me and asked if I had a paid course to teach him more.

Have you ever asked yourself why bloggers are so influential?

Bloggers are influential because of the audience they have and that is as a result of the content they give.

If your business is about weight loss, share productive contents on weight loss,

If it is about helping small businesses, share content relating to business.

Blogging is one aspect you should look to if you want to grow your small business using the internet.

I have a solid video post on blog creation and management, you can go over it.

Now you have no excuse not to start a blog for your business promotion.


Build a list of prospective customers

If you want to grow your small business using the internet, you must learn how to build your customers list.

How can this be done?

You do this by finding a way to collect the contact details (Email and phone number) of your customers so that you can contact them later.

It can be by giving them a free gift or a discount in exchange for their contact details

It is very important to build your customer list because most people will never buy from you the first time.

You need to keep reminding them about you before they finally become customers.

It becomes very easy if you have their contact details for easy follow up.

In the internet marketing industry, we use programs called autoresponders for this kind of follow ups.

The autoresponders make the job of collecting contact details automated.

Your prospective customer can get into your list by just filling out a form on your website, blog or landing page.

Be visible on social media and forums

social media has grown beyond bounds in recent years.

Networking and meeting new people all over the world has become quite an easy task with social media.

As a business person who wants to grow your business using the internet, social media strategy should be part of your overall strategy.

Write high quality contents, create exceptional video and awesome audios then post the content for free on social media.

Join groups related to your business and post these contents on the group.

Make use of forums in your niche and give out a lot of value.

By doing this, you are making yourself visible to people in your business circle and they are taking note of you.

When they need to collaborate with someone, you will be the first person that comes to mind.

When they need help, guess who they will call… you of course.


Advertise Advertise Advertise

To grow your small business using the internet, you have to spend a little to advertise your business.

It’s okay to look for free buyers by leveraging social media groups and forums but it is better to pay for advert.

Paying for adverts has been the game changer in my own business.

I can be direct in passing down my messages without fear of being banned when I pay for adverts.

Facebook groups you don’t own and forums have really strict rules on posting links and personal promotions

But with your paid adverts, you can post links and do personal promotion.

It is usually faster to put your business in the faces of people when you do paid advertising

There are over 12 million Nigerians on Facebook but be careful, not all of them are your customers.

When advertising, you are just interested in the portion that would be interested in what you have to offer.

How can you find that portion that would be interested in your business?

Well, I did a comprehensive post on that, you can check the post: Facebook Ad Targeting: 3 Powerful Techniques To Reach Your Exact Audience


Sell your products and services

How else can you grow your small business using the internet?

You need to sell, sell and sell again.

You have given out so much value, it is always okay to sell your products and services to those who need extra.

If you don’t sell then you won’t be making any money and the business will die a natural death.

When people get to like you, they will surely buy what you are offering.

I understand that you intend to sell but always focus on creating value first and the sales will come easily.

On your blog, there should be a page dedicated to your products and services.

When ever you send out valuable content to your subscribers, always make sure there is a link to your sales page in your signature.

In order to grow your small business using the internet, you just have to use the technologies that the internet provides to sell.


Conclusion:

To grow your small business using the internet is not a day’s job.

you have to be intentional in everything you do and must realize that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

It might take time for you to fully grow your platforms on the internet but slow and steady you will get there.

Source: http://webpreneurdiary.com/grow-your-small-business-using-the-internet/