Category: Digital Marketing

Digital advertising can generate $3.00 for every $1.00 spent on advertising. However, more than half of small businesses don’t take advantage of digital marketing. Digital ads are viewed on computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices. The San Diego SEO specialists at Saba SEO share 10 reasons you should be promoting your small business digitally.

1. Digital Advertising Is Cheaper

A small business’s marketing budget is usually proportionate to its size. Digital advertising is 40 percent cheaper than traditional forms of advertising. Gartner, a research and advisory company, reports 41 percent of digital advertisers put the savings from their digital ad campaigns back into their businesses.

2. Approximately 80 Percent of Searches for Goods and Services Begin Online

Digital marketing is rapidly supplanting traditional advertising media such as print, radio, and TV. The reason for this trend is convenience. Typing your search criteria into a search engine is easier than thumbing through a newspaper hoping to find what you want. Searching ads on radio and TV isn’t an option.

3. Digital Marketing Prepares You for the Future

Someday every electronic device will be connected and controlled using the “Internet of things.” How does this affect digital advertising? Projections are that in the next year alone, digital ads will be viewed on 26 billion devices connected to the Internet.

4. Digital Ads Level the Playing Field

There was a time when a small business wouldn’t be able to hold its own against a corporate giant. By enabling small businesses to reach more potential customers more cheaply, digital marketing increases a small firm’s chance of going toe-to-toe with big businesses.

5. Digital Marketing Provides Increased Return on Investment (ROI)

Digital marketing is also known as inbound marketing, which is tailored to specific individuals, creating a rapport between a business and the consumer. Inbound ads generate in excess of 50 percent more sales leads compared to outbound advertising that utilizes print and traditional media. Inbound advertising is 13 percent cheaper than outbound advertising.

6. You Can Offer Improved Customer Service

Good customer service is essential to a business’s success. Digital marketing enables a business to answer its customers’ questions and resolve issues customers have in real time.

7. You’ll Be Able to Tap into the Mobile Consumer Market

Approximately 34 percent of Internet searches originate from a mobile device. Digital advertising gives you access to a wider customer base. You can also keep abreast of buying trends among mobile device users.

8. Digital Marketing Increases Sales

A touchpoint is any interaction between buyer and seller. A business usually has to satisfy six touchpoints to generate a sale. Digital marketing can satisfy those touchpoints, potentially leading to a fourfold increase in sales.

9. There’s a Lower Cost Per Lead (CPL)

CPL refers to what a business spends to generate a single lead. Among all forms of marketing, digital marketing offers the lowest CPL.

10. Digital Marketing Helps Businesses Stay Competitive

Digital marketing is the future of business advertising. Small businesses that fail to utilize digital marketing (including social media) will fall behind their competitors.

Whether you need an SEO strategy or a focused digital marketing campaign, the experts at Saba SEO can help. We are among the best marketing companies in San Diego. For almost fifteen years, we have designed successful digital marketing campaigns for businesses all over the world. Our specialists can assess your business objectives and target market and help you create the perfect mix of tactics that can boost your online visibility and improve your conversion rates. To learn about our high-quality services, give us a call at 858-277-1717 today.

Anyone who has a business and an online presence knows the ultimate goal is to get to the top of the first page in Google’s search results. This goal is often not achieved because the right steps aren’t taken to increase a website’s authority among competitors. Whether you’re new to the online marketing world or simply need a refresher on how to get it done right, use this how-to guide for improving your domain authority, brought to you Saba SEO, a premier provider of Internet marketing services San Diego businesses trust for unparalleled expertise and exceptional value.

A Brief Overview

In a nutshell, domain authority predicts how well a specific website will rank when compared to other websites. This measure was developed by Moz, a leading source for online marketing. Websites are ranked from 1 to 100. The higher a website is on this scale, the more traffic it’s likely to receive.

Link Diversity

One of the biggest factors used to determine domain authority is the type and quality of inbound links to your website. Perform a quick audit of these inbound links to ensure none of them come from spam sites. If you notice all of them originate from similar types of sites, try to gain diversity with sites that are totally different but might still have a need for your content.

Social Media Mentions

Social media plays an important part in promoting content, which is why it’s used in this equation. Make sure your website has profiles on every major social media platform and you’re engaging directly with those who like or follow your company online.

High-Quality Content

Ever since the beginning of the Internet, content has always been the most important factor in succeeding online. Today is no different. High-quality, well-written content will attract more inbound links because you’ll be viewed as an authority on your subject. Domain authority takes time. In many cases, websites won’t see a significant increase in their ranking for two to three years. However, using the above tips can help you make small but meaningful improvements over time.

If you need a comprehensive digital marketing plan, turn to Saba SEO, a San Diego SEO agency with expertise you can trust. For almost fifteen years, we have offered customized, high-quality digital marketing services to a wide variety of industries. From search engine optimization to pay-per-click management, we offer a range of solutions to help our clients boost their online ranking and conversion ratio. Our experts stay up to date with the latest trends in digital marketing and offer quality-assured services. To learn about our Internet marketing plans and packages, give us a call at 858-277-1717 today.

Content is king and will always be important. Still, there are some notable advantages and disadvantages associated with content for the purpose of Internet marketing. Forgetting about content altogether isn’t an option. Nonetheless, it never hurts to know what kind of challenges you could face and what kind of rewards you may enjoy with an online-based content strategy. The experts at Saba SEO, one of the premier marketing companies in San Diego, explain the pros and cons of content for Internet marketing.

Advantages

The main advantage of content for Internet marketing is the ability to boost brand awareness. You can do this with everything from website content to blogs and social media posts. In particular, hosted content allows you to reach a wide audience while also solving problems and forming meaningful connections. Content presented the right way online also has the power to:

• Expand your customer base
• Attract attention from customers willing to spread the word online about your brand (“brand advocates”)
• Generate traffic, leads, and conversions and encourage in-person visits
• Increase your brand’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs)
• Optimize your paid advertising results

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage associated with content for Internet marketing is how time-consuming and complex it can be if you’re trying to juggle everything yourself. However, this is a problem that can be solved if you work with the right agency, especially one that only charges for the services you need at the moment. Some of the other possible disadvantages you’ll want to be aware of include:

• You won’t see immediate results—it takes time to fully implement a strategy and achieve long-term goals
• There’s a high entry threshold, but there are plenty of smart ways to overcome this challenge
• An extensive online content strategy isn’t right for every type of business (e.g., local offline stores with no online presence or companies that provide services on an immediate, as-needed basis)

With content for Internet marketing, you’ll stress less if you put together a strategy based on clear goals and a solid understanding of who you want to view and interact with your content. This doesn’t mean you won’t have some struggles now and then if you do have a business that interacts with customers online, but being more focused makes it easier to expand on what’s already working for you and fix what isn’t.

If you need help creating high-quality content for your website, turn to Saba SEO. Our digital marketing experts can help you develop a content strategy for your business that’s sure to boost your online presence. For almost fifteen years, we’ve helped organizations increase their search engine rankings and develop strong brand images. We also offer social media management, SEO, PPC, web development, and SEO services. San Diego businesses should reach out to one of our content specialists today at 858-277-1717.

As an increasing number of customers turn to the Internet to do their shopping, online marketing has become a crucial part of companies’ strategies. Online marketing also provides several advantages over traditional marketing channels. Consider these four reasons to take advantage of online marketing, brought to you by the experts at Saba SEO, one of the leading marketing companies in San Diego.

1. Convenient, 24/7 Access to Customers

No matter where your customers live, you can instantly reach them through online ads and social media marketing. Whether they’re browsing during their lunch breaks or tucked into

their beds at night, they can see your ads and browse your services right away.

2. Lower Costs

Internet marketing often costs less than traditional marketing channels such as TV, print, and radio. A Google AdWords ad can be put together in a matter of minutes, and you can adjust your bidding strategy to fit any budget. Even the smallest business can get started with online marketing for less than $100 a month.

3. Results Tracked in Real Time

Analytics software allows you to see how your marketing campaigns are performing and make adjustments. With print media, it’s difficult to track how many people see your ad. With online media, you can track not only how many people view the ad but also how many interact with it. You’ll have better insights into which marketing campaigns yield the highest returns on investment.

4. Personalized Ads

Along with using data tracking to monitor sales, you can also use data to personalize the ads each customer sees. If customers are searching for running shoes, you can target the ads they see around your highest-rated running shoes. Many software programs exist to take the work out of customization so you can quickly create targeted marketing campaigns.

If you’re new to online marketing, start out using one or two platforms to create and run your ads. As you see what works and what doesn’t, expand your strategy to better fit your products or services and your target audience. Soon you’ll see increasing returns on your carefully tailored campaigns.

If you need a winning online marketing strategy for your business, turn to Saba SEO. As a leading San Diego web development company, we have almost fifteen years of experience in Internet marketing, paid marketing, and search engine optimization. Our experts can evaluate your business objectives, identify your target audience, and design a comprehensive marketing plan that’s sure to boost your online visibility and conversion rates. To talk to one of our expert marketing managers, give us a call today at 858-277-1717.

Internet marketing is any type of marketing activity done online. This definition gets a bit more complicated when you break down the broad term “Internet marketing” into its various subcategories. Still, it’s important to understand what your options are so you can take advantage of your available online marketing opportunities. Here’s a closer look at the types of Internet marketing that matter most today, brought to you by the experts at Saba SEO, one of the leading Internet marketing companies in San Diego.

Social Media Marketing (SMM)

With social media marketing, you use platforms such as Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram to connect with people likely to be interested in what you have to offer. SMM can be further broken down as organic or paid.

• Organic SMM – You use content in your various social posts to generate interest, build and sustain relationships, and inspire brand loyalty.

• Paid SMM – Some of the bigger social platforms have sponsored or promoted ad options. For example, Facebook has dedicated ads based on specific online marketing objectives.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website and online content so it attracts the right kind of attention, both from search engines such as Google and Bing and from human searchers. In a nutshell, you want your brand or products to be front and center on search engine results pages (SERPs). This goal is achieved with a combination of SEO techniques, including: 

• Target keywords
• Content that includes text, images, and video
• On-page SEO – Referring to what you do on your website to appeal to searchers
• Off-page SEO – Referring to the things you do outside your website that convince searchers to check out your website, such as paid ads, blogs and social media posts, and getting links from other sites that point back to your site (backlinks)

Content Marketing

Content marketing can be defined as the creation and distribution of various materials online. In addition to what’s included on your website’s various pages, content marketing also includes: 

• Blogs and social media posts
• Videos and podcasts
• Case studies, white papers, and PDF files
• E-books and webinars
• Emails

Influencer and Affiliate Marketing

With influencer marketing, you reach out to “influential” people online and ask them to promote your products, recommend your brand to their followers, or include a link back to your website. Affiliate marketing is a setup where a commission is earned by others who promote your products online.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is the process of sending electronic messages directly to certain customers. The key to successful email marketing is creating mailing lists composed of people (e.g., recent or past customers or people who’ve recently visited your website and provided their email info) likely to be interested in what you include in your emails. What’s great about email marketing is the ability to customize your email content based on individual interests and preferences.

Paid Advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) is the most common form of paid advertising, and it means you’re paying for each click back to your website that your ad inspires. Google Ads is the most famous platform for PPC. They also use keyword data to place your ads in front of searchers likely to be more responsive. Facebook has a similar platform. Some other social platforms, such as Twitter and YouTube, have their own unique paid ad options. Other than clicks, paid ad platforms sometimes charge advertisers based on:

• Cost per thousand impressions – You pay for every thousand views your ad gets
• Cost per action – You pay for each desired action taken that your ad inspires
• Cost per view – You pay each time your visual content is viewed

Just because there are different types of Internet marketing doesn’t mean you have to use each one, especially if you’re a smaller business with limited resources. Once you’ve defined your online marketing goals and your target audience, you’ll be able to benefit from a comprehensive strategy that includes a combination of Internet marketing options more in line with your goals.

If you need help with your Internet marketing efforts, turn to Saba SEO. Our experts can help you develop a marketing strategy for your business that is sure to boost your online presence. For almost fifteen years, we’ve helped organizations all over the world increase their search engine rankings and develop strong brand images. We also offer industry-leading social media management, SEO, PPC, web development, and SEO services. San Diego businesses should reach out to one of our digital marketing experts today at 858-277-1717.

No matter what type of business you have, it’s safe to assume you have specific goals in mind, known as key performance indicators (KPIs). When it comes to online engagement, it’s just as important to have goals. More importantly, you’ll want to know how well you’re achieving those goals, especially if you want to get the biggest return possible on your online engagement investment. The digital marketing professionals from Saba SEO, one of the most innovative San Diego marketing companies in the industry, offer this advice about some of the user engagement KPIs you should be paying attention to most.

1. Pageviews or Impressions

A pageview (PV) is what happens when a visitor comes to one of the pages on your website. It’s not the same as visits—that just means someone is visiting your site, but when they do so, they could “view” multiple pages. PVs basically give you an idea of the kind of traffic your various webpages are generating. Google Analytics will give you PV stats (under “Audience and Overview”). If you notice an increase in pageviews over time, it’s a good sign you’re doing something right. Boost your odds of getting a steady stream of PVs by: 

• Creating a good overall user experience (e.g., fast load times, a mobile-friendly site) 
• Using appropriate keywords and meta descriptions to give searchers a reason to visit your site 
• Promoting your site with links from your social media pages, blog posts, guest blog posts, etc.

2. Time Spent on Pages/Session Durations

Time spent on pages refers to how long visitors actually stick around once they arrive on a page on your site. You can measure this KPI as time spent on pages by each visitor or as the average time spent on your various pages by all visitors. A related stat to look at is “session duration,” which refers to the total amount of time someone spends on your site, not just how long he or she stays on a particular page. Both of these stats can be optimized with: 

• Fresh, relevant content 
• Easily digestible content (e.g., short paragraphs, descriptive headlines, relevant images) 
• Convenient navigation features

3. Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who visit a page on your website and leave without taking any further action. Google looks at this particular stat because it shows how relevant and useful visitors are finding your website. As for why people “bounce,” common reasons include: 

• A vague or unclear call to action 
• Content that’s boring or not in line with a visitor’s expectations 
• Frustrating issues with load times or navigation

4. Exit Page Rate

The exit page on a website is usually the page where somebody wraps up a purchase. It can also be your “contact us” page. The exit page rate is a reference to the number of people who leave your site from the exit page. It’s good to have a high exit rate for pages actually designed for this purpose. However, if people are leaving your site in high percentages from other pages, you may have issues that include: 

• Confusing content organization 
• No call to action
• Too much info presented at once 
• Sparse content that doesn’t provide any incentives to take the desired action

5. Pages per Session

This is a measure of the number of pages someone visits during a “session” when coming to your website. More pages per session generally means visitors are more engaged with your entire website.

6. Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of people visiting your site who take the desired action, which could involve things like calling your business, downloading an app, or completing a purchase through your site. GA can be used to track CRs. Many social platforms also have tools you can use to keep track of how of this affects KPIs.

7. Abandonment Rate

People sometimes come to a website and put stuff in their cart, but then they just leave the site without taking any further action. If you have a high abandonment rate, it means there’s something causing many visitors to your site to think twice about making a conversion. This is an especially important metric to pay attention to if you have an e-commerce site.

8. New/Returning Visitors

Simply put, new visitors are those who have never been to your site before. Returning visitors have checked out your site before. Google is getting smarter about figuring out this stat. When people visit the same site from different devices, Google records the first device used as a new visit and other devices used by the same person as return visits. There are many ways to target both first-time and return visitors, some of which include: 

• Display and paid advertising 
• Organic search results 
• Promoting your website offline so people will go online and directly access your site with your URL (direct traffic) 
• Email marketing 

What happens if your KPIs aren’t in line with your user engagement goals? A good starting point is to look at what’s actually working and compare it to underperforming pages or content. If you eliminate possible technical SEO issues, try A/B testing different headlines, subheads, calls to action, and other elements of your content to see if you get better results. If this doesn’t work, consider seeing what a digital marketing expert has to say. 

If you’re looking for a trustworthy firm with outstanding expertise in digital marketing and SEO, call on the experts at Saba SEO, a premier Internet marketing service agency that has served businesses around the world with integrity for almost ten years. Give one of our experienced marketing specialists a call today at 858-277-1717.

These days, with social media and other methods of reaching customers, you may be reconsidering email marketing altogether. Often, organizations are concerned their emails will end up in spam folders, so they avoid efforts at marketing through email. Is email marketing still a viable option? The marketing experts at Saba SEO, a leading San Diego SEO and marketing firm, offer this advice on how to achieve effective marketing with email.

Maintain Control with Email

As social media formats like Facebook and Twitter change their algorithms, your business page and message have to work harder to get into your customers’ feeds. Email gives you the control you need to ensure your customers are getting your latest information. Building a solid mailing list gives your business options.

Keep Emails Out of Spam Folders

Create something of value for free, such as an infographic, tip list, calendar, or other item your website’s visitors will find valuable. Let these potential customers know they’re signed up for your email list, and give them basic instructions on how to keep your emails from going to their spam folders.

Send Newsletters

A regular newsletter is a great way to share knowledge related to your business. Make it fun, interesting, and easy to read. A list is an easy format for your subscribers to digest. Write the newsletter as if you’re writing to a close personal friend. Invite your email subscribers to visit your site by previewing your latest blog post. Offer links to video and other interesting visual information related to your business. Don’t forget to include links to your latest news, online webinars, and publications.

Include Calls to Action

Offer a call to action. Include testimonials, high-quality photos, and information on your latest products. Make it easy for customers to find the buy button.

Offer Surveys

Offer a survey specific to your niche. You can even create a survey about your business and ask what your customers need. Publish the results of the survey and implement some of the ideas suggested.

A comprehensive marketing strategy should include several modes of communication, and emails can be quite effective. If you need expert assistance with creating an email marketing strategy or revamping your existing one, the professionals at Saba SEO, one of the top San Diego marketing companies, are here to help. For more than a decade, we’ve helped businesses of every type maximize their marketing efforts, build loyal customer bases, and boost revenue. Reach out to one of our marketing specialists today at 858-277-1717.

Why do 60 percent of marketers say email is their biggest source of ROI? For starters, there are nearly 4 billion email users worldwide, a number that’s expected to keep rising. It’s also an easy way to reach out to on-the-go searchers with devices they can use to quickly check their inboxes. If you happen to be wondering where to invest your marketing efforts as a small business owner, email is definitely worth considering. If you’re looking to get the most out of your email marketing efforts, here are some tips to point you in the right direction, brought to you by Saba SEO, the experts in Internet marketing San Diego businesses rely on for marketing strategies that get high-quality results.

1. Know Your Goals

Before you do anything email related for your small business, set goals for your various campaigns. Understand the journey your customers typically take from the point where they first discover your business to the point where they’re ready to make a purchase or buy something else from you.

2. Tell People What Subscribing Involves and Throw in an Added Incentive

Legally, most states require you to let people know what they’ll be getting if they sign up to get your emails. You’ll also generate more interest if you let people know they’ll get things like early notifications of upcoming events or promotions, first crack at purchasing any new products you have available, or special email-only coupon codes.

On a related note, give people more of an incentive to agree to receive your emails. Luckily, you don’t have to blow your budget to do this. Simple yet effective incentives can include:

• Raffle or contest entries
• Special purchase discounts just for signing up (e.g., “10 percent off the first order if you sign up for our email newsletters”)
• Free ebooks

3. Segment Your Email Marketing Lists

Further increase the ROI potential of your email campaigns by separating your lists by categories, such as past buying habits, age, gender, and location. You may not be able to do this right away if you have a small email marketing list, but you can make segmentation work for you as your list grows.

4. Create Emails in Line with Your Brand

Don’t just settle for generic emails. You can use a template to get started, then personalize it with your logo, color combinations, and related images that are reflective of your small business. Also, if you have other marketing materials that have a certain style and tone, be consistent and do the same thing with your emails.

5. Have an Appealing Subject Line and Be Personal

In 2018 alone, there were more than 100 billion business-related emails sent, which is a lot of emails competing for the attention of intended recipients. An appealing subject line can increase your odds of piquing recipients’ curiosity enough for them to open your email. While you want something unique, it’s also best to clearly state the main point of the email. One way to do this is to put your main incentive front and center (e.g., “25 percent off holiday merchandise, 2 days only!”). As for the content of your emails, be as personal and engaging as possible, and use recipients’ first names from the info you got when they signed up.

6. Be Consistent with Your Email Deliveries

If you told subscribers to expect a new email newsletter every month or emails with your weekly deals, be consistent and follow through. If you go too long without reaching out to subscribers, they may forget about you and move on to your competitors. An easy way to do this is with a publishing calendar.

7. Test, Analyze, and Optimize

Before you send out emails, take some time to test such things as your subject lines, content presentation, and calls to action to determine what’s likely to get the best response. Once you get your various campaigns going, tap into your stats to keep track of your results so you optimize properly. Key email stats you’ll want to track include:

• Open rates
• Unsubscribe rates
• Click-through rates (CTRs)
• Recipient actions after emails are viewed

If you’ve been hesitant to put too much effort into email marketing because of a lingering misconception that it’s on its last legs, rest assured email is alive and kicking. In fact, more than 90 percent of consumers report checking their email daily on their smartphones. If you want to get the attention of the habitual email checkers likely to be interested in what your small business has to offer, use the tips discussed here to make email a smart, effective investment.

The SEO and Internet marketing experts at Saba SEO, one of the most trusted San Diego marketing companies, can help you create an email marketing strategy designed for optimal customer engagement and retention. With more than a decade of experience helping businesses optimize their marketing efforts, we assist clients with social media marketing, SEO, PPC, web design and development, and Internet marketing. If you need help developing a marketing strategy that takes your business to the next level, call one of our specialists today at 858-277-1717.

If your business is primarily locally based, you should do everything possible to remain front and center for searchers within a certain geographic area, as it’s a crucial aspect of SEO. San Diego business owners need to claim their Google My Business (GMB) listing, which is a free directory that has the potential to put the listing within the top three local results on Google (Local 3-Pack) and boost the business’s Google Maps visibility. After claiming and setting up your GMB listing, take the following steps to optimize it.

Add Extra Business Details

Go beyond filling out the required fields when setting up your GMB listing and add additional info that may appeal to potential customers, which might include details such as:

• Business hours 
• Special weekend or holiday hours 
• Appealing perks (e.g., Wi-Fi availability, free parking)

Include Photos and Videos

Numerous studies show that images and videos generate more likes, shares, and clicks than text alone. Add visual content to your GMB account by going to the top of your dashboard to select “photos” or “videos.” This type of content could be used to: 

• Display images of your business’s interiors 
• Briefly highlight some of your recently completed work (e.g., a big landscape job or a home remodel) 
• Present photos of some of your main products 
• Show images/videos of customers having a good time at your establishment

Encourage & Manage Reviews

All GMB listings include the cumulative average from your customer ratings on Google, which is important for optimization purposes because nearly 70 percent of potential customers trust a business more if they see positive reviews. Get more SEO power out of the reviews that show up with your GMB listing by: 

• Making it easy for customers to submit online reviews 
• Responding to your feedback (even when it’s negative) 
• Encouraging customers to leave reviews or comments so they don’t become outdated

Take Advantage of Google Posts

Google Posts is a potentially impactful GMB feature that’s woefully underutilized. It displays images in a carousel fashion for up to seven days, and it works similar to social media posts because you can include extra ad copy and other media as well as a link back to your website. You have four options with Google Posts: 

• What’s New – Present exciting announcements or promote new articles
• Events – Promote upcoming events
• Offers – Highlight limited-time sales or promotions
• Products – Showcase popular products

Reply to Messages, Questions, and Reviews

Attach a mobile phone number to your GMB listing so potential customers can send you messages. Click on Messaging in your dashboard and input your mobile number and a message people will automatically receive after sending a text. When you have the time, you can send them a personalized response.

People can also ask questions about your business, and your answers will be published on your profile. Responding to your reviews is another great way to optimize your GMB listing. Most consumers read reviews online, and interacting with your reviewers will help you seem trustworthy.

Lastly, pay attention to your NAP (business name, address, phone number) consistency. Make sure this info matches what you have listed in other directories. Even slight variations in your business name (e.g., A&B and A&B, Inc.) could affect your rankings. Also, if you have one or two additional locations in the same area you want to draw attention to, either reference them in your profile or create entirely separate GMB listings. 

If you need help with Google My Business or any other aspect of online marketing, reach out to Saba SEO, a provider of SEO services San Diego businesses can trust and rely on. We’ve been in the SEO business for over ten years and have the know-how to help businesses get the online traffic they’re looking for. To speak with one of our friendly and knowledgeable internet marketing experts, call 858-277-1717 today.

Starting a small business can seem overwhelming. The biggest fear new small business owners face is failure. The best way to avoid failure is to learn from the mistakes of others and heed some advice from reliable marketing companies. San Diego businesses as well as companies all over the world need to avoid making the following mistakes.

Failing to Create a Marketing Plan

Create a marketing plan and use it as your guide to small business success. A marketing plan is your directional compass to refer to as you embark on your small business adventure. Without writing down your marketing plan, you’ll likely waste resources instead of basking in success. Know who your customer is and which social media platforms you want to use, and have markers for creating your infrastructure and milestones.

Mistaking Branding for Marketing

Brands are built by people, not logos. Get customers before worrying about building your brand. You need to test your ideas or products through many venues to see where your audience is. Monitor the reaction to each marketing attempt. In the end, your brand will be built by customer recommendations. If you market to a specific niche, the branding will quickly develop.

Not Testing the Market

Don’t spend your time, energy, and money creating your product before talking to people to see if they even need this product or know how to use it. Market it first. One of the most common mistakes small business owners make is making the product before marketing it to potential customers. Even if you don’t have a prototype, ask your friends if they would pay money for the product you’ve invented, then test it out. This feedback is essential to pinpointing some of the features and benefits of your product or service so you can promote it.

Choosing the Wrong Social Media Outlet

Social media may look daunting when you begin your small business. Deciding which platform to focus on and creating a plan is key to social media success. Certain audiences gravitate toward certain social media platforms. Know everything there is to know about your audience, and you’ll know which platform to focus on.

Trying to Market to Everyone

Pick a single audience to market to. Even if your product can be marketed to many different audiences, sharpen your focus on one audience and dominate that niche. Later, you can expand your market to include other audiences. To market to a second audience, you’ll need to create a marketing plan around them.

Many small businesses make mistakes when trying to tackle their own Internet marketing. San Diego is home to Saba SEO, a leading SEO company small businesses can rely on to help them avoid such errors. To find out how we can help your business thrive through SEO, social media, PPC, and much more, give us a call at 858-277-1717.