Greg WhelanAre you a small business runner and wondering some of the resources that can help you get to the next level? Well, it is pretty understandable that funding your small business may prove to be a challenge. A lot of finances may be required and you may not be able to raise the amount comfortably. However, this does not mean that you cannot rise in your small business. There are a handful of free online resources that can go a long way in boosting your small business and making it transit to the next level.
Statistics indicate that between 60% and 70% of small businesses die before they graduate to a stable stage. This is one of the things that you should not wish for your business. The root idea in, this case, is to utilize the available resources in marketing your small business. It does not matter on how low the effectiveness of a certain resource is. As long as it can take your business a step ahead, then you must not hesitate to utilize it. Most small business owners perish at their early stages simply because they overlook some of the resources considered as mediocre.
Let’s have a look at some of the free resources that you can utilize to market your small business.
- eBooks and Books
The power of eBooks and Books in marketing small businesses cannot be overlooked at all. Interestingly, it is very easy to come up with an eBook as long as you fully understand what your business and products are all about. You can invest time in creating a tutorial eBook or book meant to enlighten clients on a certain matter. You can later share your eBook with potential clients. The truth is that the number of clients you can get from a simple share of an eBook is indeed very high.
You do not necessarily have to create tutorial eBooks. You can still create eBooks that provide information on something that your potential clients did not know. This is seen as a way of enticing and attracting more and more clients to your small business. Growth, in this case, is bound to show up within a very short span. The main point is to ensure that your eBooks are in context with what your small business deals with.
- Different Tools For Web Analysis
Did you know that most web analysis tools are free of charge? What does this tell you? It simply implies that web analysis tools are an ideal marketing resource for small businesses. With the help of these tools, you will be able to analyze all the information with regard to your website and establish measure to boost performance.
Google Analytics, for instance, is a free tool that can be used to track the traffic performance in your website. The tool is made in a manner that in-depth analysis is done based on keywords and other trends to come up with a comprehensive performance report for your site. With this tool, you will be able to establish measures that can elevate the number of people visiting your site.
Google Webmaster Tools are also considered best for any small business. The tools provide you with in-depth details regarding your pages’ ranking on Google.
Google Keyword Planner, on the other end, enables you to select keywords that can make you visible online, hence marketing your small business. In short, website analysis tools can be used as a prime marketing resource for your growing business.
- Social Media4
He number of people using social media currently stands at approximately 2 billion. It is just incredible that you do not have to pay anything for you to use any social platform. In other words, social networks can be used as an ideal marketing resource for small businesses. The basic idea, in this case, is to create a network that will engage a large number of social media users.
Some of the available social media platforms even offer room for creation of groups. Such groups can attract thousands of members as long as there is an activity going on. The number of small businesses that have grown with the help of social media forums is high. Other social platforms that you can use include Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn among others.
As long as social platforms are utilized in the right way, marketing your small business will not only be successful but successful indeed. Make sure that you engage your potential clients in a manner that they will be interested in what you have to offer. You might never invest a coin in marketing your small business as long as social media works in your favor.
- Blog Tools
Did you know that there are some blog tools that can heavily market your small business? Take for instance Unbounce. The tool is used in creating fully optimized landing pages for a blog. You can make use of the tool to ensure that your landing page is always visible and enticing to your clients.
Microsoft Office Image Site is yet another tool that can be used in providing you with images for your blog. Note that images are considered to be very vital for any blog. They can be used in marketing your small business as long as they match with the root context.
is also a tool that can be used in providing best images for your blog. You can check out the tool and select from assorted images. And, as earlier stated, all you need is to ensure that everything goes in context with the theme of your business.
The above-mentioned are just but a few blog tools that you can use. There are still more. Ensure that the tool you have chosen works fine for you.
- Collaboration Tools
Direct communication with clients is something very vital for any small business. It is with the help of communication that you will be able to form direct network with both existing and potential clients for your small business. The good thing is that the Internet has provided a number of collaboration tools that can be used in facilitating communication.
Dropbox is one of the tools that are considered to be collaborative and one that can make your small business go far. The tool enables you to share documents and also to store information backup. With it, you can share some important details regarding your products with others.
Skype is also another very important collaborative tool that can work positively for any small business. With the tool, you can make video calls and send instant messages to people out there.
Google Voice is also ranked among the leading communication tools. It facilitates voice and video calls from one PC to another. We can cover so many other collaborative tools simply because they are many. The bottom line is that you should make the best use of such tools for the favor of your small business.
- Competitor Trackers
One of the best ways of embarking on a successful marketing endeavor is by first tracking the performance of your competitors. Doing so will give you the power to establish a stronger marketing strategy in order to curb competition. Thankfully, there are so many tools that you can make use of to ensure that you track your competitors easily.
Alexa is one of the tools that can be used in the tracking process. The tool works by analyzing traffic metrics, demographics and many more. With it, you will have the power to view very important statistics regarding your competitors.
Google Alerts is also another resource tool for small business marketing. It works by offering you constant alerts on the prevailing topics of interest online. Competitor names are mentioned in the alerts. This means that you will remain informed on the right direction to take.
Compete is another tool meant to monitor the amount of traffic channeling to the your competitors sites. It even provides details on where the traffic is sourced.
Be sure to make use of the aforementioned tools to aid in your small business marketing exercise. One thing for sure is that the tools are really impactful.
- Content Management System
It is indisputable that content is very important in marketing a small business. In this regard, there is absolute need to ensure that you utilize the available content management systems for a well-equipped site. It is quite fortunate that there is a number of Content management Systems that you can use for the sake of site creation.
To begin with, WordPress is ranked among the top Content management Systems, and one that you should consider utilizing. WordPress provides free platforms where you can share content online. If you have financial problems, then you can simply create a free blog with WordPress and reach out to your clients.
Among other content management systems that you can use include Joomla and Drupal. As your small business peaks, you can self-host your blog and purchase best themes for it. You must ensure that your content is best for the sake of attracting clients.
- SEO Forums
Did you know that there are forums that are solely designed for SEO discussions? Yes! Such forums can work positively in marketing your small business. It is from such forums that you will learn more about SEO and the respective techniques. It is also from such forums that you will share your knowledge with others and consequently drive them to your site. The two scenarios will definitely work in the favor of your small business.
Always consider SEO forums as a powerful marketing resource since it is just that. You can join as many as you can since doing so will draw many clients to your site. You also must participate fully in such forums. The more you are actively involved, the more your chances of garnering client’s confidence. One thing for sure is that SEO forums are really productive.
- Guest Posting Sites
Another very important resource that can market your small business immensely is guest-positing sites. Some people have never understood the real power behind guest posting. If you must know, marketing your small business online can be really easy with Guest-Posting. In this regard, you should learn to utilize such sites in the best way possible.
The basic idea here is to come up with quality and relevant content and later posting it to guest-posting sites. As long as your content meets the set requirements, you will proudly garner a lot of clients. It is very important, though, to research on some of the guest posting sites that have high number of visitors. This is the only way of increasing the possibility of getting heavy traffic to your site. Also, remember to incorporate relevant links so that visitors can be compelled to click on them.
- Online Business Task Tools
There are so many business task tools that you can use online to ensure that your marketing strategy works well. All you need is to ensure that you go for the most effective tool. With the tools, it is very easy to track your activity, note down important things, and also offer the best customer support.
SurveyMonkey is an ideal business task tool that can help you embark on a light survey and research with regard to your business niche. It can be used to identify loopholes that can lame your marketing plan.
Evernote is another ideal tool, meant for data capturing. It is very easy to remember things with the help of Evernote since it enables you to store essential data for your small business.
Mailchimp comes as another business task tool. It can greatly help you in managing your email newsletters. Email marketing is very important in boosting small businesses. However, without the best management of email newsletters, it may not be easy to carry out a successful marketing.
It is very imperative to ensure that Business Task tools are utilized in the best way for the sake of fueling success in your small business.
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