.png){kind=logo}
Owning a small business is a full-time job and sometimes you have to wear multiple hats at once. The number one issue most business owners face is obtaining new customers. Now you are probably reading this blog post because you don't know where to market your business and I'm here to tell you that there are only two places to advertise your business. The top marketing platforms are Facebook and Google. These platforms account for 90% of all website traffic. Now before you go and try to run an ad on these platforms you need to understand it's not as simple as building an ad and throwing money at it. You need to understand the platforms you are advertising on and how people are finding your business. Below is an overview of each platform and the average user.
Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world and has the most robust ads manager. You can target users based on location, age, gender, interests, and other information that allows you to discover your ideal customer. If you are a brick and mortar business that relies on foot traffic you need to make sure you focus your advertising budget in your area of operation. You do not want to waste money on showing ads to people who do not have an opportunity to purchase from you. If you want to learn more about building a Facebook ad feel free to read our blog post on How To Create A Facebook Ad. Now that you have a general understanding of the Facebook ads platform you need to understand the user and why they are on Facebook. People are not browsing Facebook to find a product or service to buy, they are looking for an escape from real life, laugh at posts, or connect with people. This means that you need to find a way to stand out and get a user to interact with your ad. You need to have a high-quality image bright image/video, ad copy that is compelling, and throwing in a discount/offer can always help motivate a user to act. Remember they weren't originally looking to spend money so you need to persuade the user to become a paying customer.
Google is the largest search engine in the world and they also own the second largest search engine which is YouTube. Google has a variety of advertising options but the area we are focusing on is paid search (previously known as Google AdWords). This form of advertising shows your company's ad to people actively searching for your product/service. For example if you are a plumber in Cleveland Ohio you would want to bid on search terms such as "plumbers near me" or "plumber". You would then want to only select the locations your business operates in. Exactly like we mentioned before in the Facebook advertising section. Again that just ensures you are only showing ads to qualified individuals. The users on Google are completely different than a social media user. People are on Google because they are actively searching the web for your product or service. This means they are further along in the buying process and could become a paying customer with just one visit to your website. You want to write ad copy that really stands out from the crowd and helps a user understand that you are a qualified and trusted company. Don't feel discouraged if your first ad doesn't set the world on fire. Over time you will perform A/B tests to obtain optimal results.
Final Thoughts
After reading through this blog post you might have been left with more questions than answers and that's how marketing goes. You can read through content all-day but every situation is unique and you have to test out different advertising campaigns to discover what works for you. We do recommend focusing on these two platforms due to them typically providing the best results and they dominate the industry. We understand the platforms can be difficult and we are here to help. Either contact us through our online form or email us at Derek@upgrowthmedia.com. We are happy to lend a hand and potentially become your advertising partner.