There are a wide variety of tools available in the content marketers’ online arsenal—from social media and Web design to other digital marketing techniques. While any top content marketing agency knows how to use marketing tools to their best effect, all too many businesses aren’t getting the full potential from their marketing efforts.
According to the recently released 2016 State of Small Business Report, small businesses from the East Coast to Utah aren’t taking advantage of their online Web presence.
Social Media
While four out of five small businesses regularly use social media, 45 percent use it to promote products or services, and 38 percent use it for promotions, sales or services. Twenty percent of small businesses do not utilize social media at all.
Social media can be a powerful tool for online marketers, but social media’s power lies in its ability to connect and build relationships with a potential client base—not for sales pitches. Use social for content-driven marketing, sharing relevant blog posts and other owned content and addressing consumer concerns.
Company Websites
Every small business needs a good website. A company website should focus on providing information and showcasing products. Yet per The State of Small Business Report, only half of small businesses provide company addresses and phone numbers, and a mere 32 percent of small business websites are optimized for online purchases.
Only half of small businesses use their websites for marketing at all, which is bad news for small businesses in Utah and elsewhere. A company website is often a consumer’s first interaction with the business in question—a website that’s not optimized for marketing is a major missed opportunity.
SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) fares even worse among small businesses, with only a quarter of business owners focusing on SEO. No mater how great your content is, it’s useless if consumers can’t find it.
Small businesses need to step up their content marketing game if they want to reap the benefits of online marketing tools. For small businesses from the Midwest to Utah, marketing tools are only as good as the people that use them.
