It’s been a tough couple of years for small business owners. Down economies put a strain on everyone, but it’s those of us on tight budgets that get hit the hardest. Costs of goods and transportation increase while consumers tighten up on their spending. Unfortunately, layoffs, bankruptcies and foreclosures become common problems in our communities.
As an advertising provider who works almost exclusively with small business owners, we talk to a lot of them. Those that have survived this tumultuous economic period don’t often feel that advertising and marketing are things that they can afford or even have time for. But we also know that people still need to buy things. They still need their coffee in the morning, they still need to get their cars fixed, they still like to do things on the weekend. Bottom line: in a downturn, people still spend.
But how do people find the things they’re looking for? How do they decide what and where to buy? Studies by the Kelsey Group show that around 43% of search engine users are looking for local goods and services; researching online and buying offline. So what does this mean?
It means that if you’re a small business owner, you want a web presence. You want to be found in the major search engines and on mobile search. You want to be found by the people looking for you. The great thing about advertising online is that it’s targeted directly at your potential customers. The technology behind creating relevant search results and advertisements to people using the web or their phones to find businesses gets better and smarter everyday. If you use the web to find local businesses, you probably haven’t even noticed how much easier it is today than it was 2 or 3 years ago.
And the best part: getting found online can be affordable and easy. Gone are the days of expensive web design and hosting costs. Sure, having a nice-looking website for your business is great, and we’re not dismissing that, but if no one can find it in a search engine and if it’s not getting them in your door, what’s the point in shelling out cash that could be used to improve your business?
We think one of the best advertising strategies for a small business owner on a budget is to shoot for low-cost, far-reaching exposure. The idea behind this is to throw a wide net at a very targeted group of consumers. Web classifieds, search engine advertising and social media tools like Facebook and Twitter are great ways to accomplish this.
The shameless plug: CityCliq offers a very high-quality, low-cost online advertising solution. It’s incredibly easy to get started and we guarantee that we can get you found on the first page of every major search engine within 90 days of signing up or your money back. You also receive your first 30 days free. If you decide you don’t like it, you can cancel at any time. If you do like it, it costs a very affordable $8.95 a month.
We’re here 24 hours a day to answer any questions you have. Email us at: mail@citycliq.com. The links below go to our list of features and our About page, where you can learn more about our service.
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