How to promote a small business

In order to survive and grow, your business needs customers. To get customers, you need to promote your business. In the good old days, marketing was a matter of deciding between a flyer, a brochure, a postcard, or an ad in the local newspaper.

But today’s digital world offers endless possibilities. In this article, we will discuss the following ways to promote your business:

• Promoting your business on Google
• Take advantage of social media
• Implement a referral program

Google captures more than 90% of internet searches, making it one of the best ways to get noticed by potential clients actively searching for solutions. Consider the following ways to use Google for promoting your business:

1. Create and verify your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is what allows your business to show up in Google Search results. As Google gets better at tailoring its results to the searcher’s location, this free listing could have many advantages.

The key is to verify ownership of your listing through your free Google My Business account. Once you have ownership, you can optimise your listing to appear higher in search results and more relevant searches.

2. Get a professional website

A website is the go-to for current and prospective customers, so every business needs one. Even if customers find you on social media or Google, they will want to visit your website.

In addition to being a 24/7 promotional tool, a good business website tells the story of your business and what you offer, provides contact information, and reflects your brand’s personality.

There are both free and paid solutions to get a website for your business. Having your domain name, a professional look and feel, and the ability to scale and add features as needed are necessary for growth. See our guide on how to create a business website here.

3. Implement search engine optimisation (SEO)

SEO is a set of practices that align your business with Google’s ranking algorithm. This algorithm has evolved to use machine learning and user behaviour to produce the most accurate and quality results for searchers. Optimising for search engines is essentially just optimising for people searching for what you have to offer.

SEO tactics to promote your business include:

• Adding relevant (industry- and location-based) keywords to specific places on your website
• Producing original, high-quality content regularly, with tagged images
• Maintaining high page load speeds and security

When your business is ranking high in results, Google effectively promotes your business for you, specifically to the people looking for what you offer. Learn more about how to use SEO for your small business here.

4. Create a business blog

A lucrative business blog produces educational content, in your brand voice, around questions and terms your ideal customers are searching in Google. Learn more about why blogging is essential to your business here.

These questions and terms are called keywords, and the more content you produce targeting these keywords, the more opportunities you create for your business to show up in search engine results pages. Great blog posts can be any of the following:

• How-tos and instructional posts
• Lists of strategies and resources)
• Thought leadership posts
• Example/template posts
• Guest posts
• Customer testimonials or case studies

SEO can help you get to the top of results pages, but it can take time before seeing effects. If you have the budget, you can try Google Ads for more immediate results.

Google Ads appear at the top of search engine results pages, above organic and local listings where they are highly visible.

Google is by far the most popular search engine for ads. Not only do they control the largest share of search engine traffic, but they also offer the highest level of flexibility, ad building features, and detailed performance metrics.

Marketing on social media is one of the more affordable channels to look at for small businesses. With focused time and attention, you can use your social media to a significant effect. Read our guide on how to successfully market your business on social media here.

Creating a presence on Facebook or Twitter is an excellent way to build a community around your brand and connect with potential customers. 

For example, you might get your customers to talk about you and share your content if you Tweet about helpful tips and share educational material on your profiles.

A referral program is when you offer a discount, free product or another perk to a customer who recommends you to a friend. 

Recommendations from existing customers work remarkably well for acquiring new ones. In fact, 92% of consumers believe suggestions from friends and family more than advertising.

The best part about referral programs? They require little investment, and 60% of marketers say that referrals bring in a high volume of potential clients.

Promoting and growing your business takes time and commitment. Countingup can save you time by helping to manage your finances effectively.

Thousands of business owners are using the Countingup app to save time on their financial admin and focus on growing their business. 

Countingup is the business current account and accounting software in one app. It automates time-consuming bookkeeping admin for self-employed people across the UK.

With automatic expense categorisation, receipt capture tools and cash flow insights, you can confidently keep on top of your business finances and save yourself hours of accounting admin, so you can focus on doing what you do best. Find out more here.