In order for small businesses to compete with larger players today, they must embrace interactive marketing and online communication strategies. Fortunately, it is possible for small businesses to engage in effective interactive marketing campaigns without exhausting their budget. Here are 5 interactive marketing essentials for small businesses to consider when designing their online strategy.
1. Email: Email marketing remains the most widely used platform for connecting with customers and prospects on the Internet. Email marketing continues to be strong because it is the most widely used communication tool on the Internet today, with over 90 percent of Internet users engaging in email communication each day. The investment to include email marketing into a small business strategy is minimal, with good desktop email marketing software costing as little as 250 dollars. There are also web-based email marketing services available, but such services are provided at a cost per email and require a continual investment.
2. Really Simple Syndication (RSS): RSS is essential, not only as a tool to distribute your marketing content to a large audience, but as a tool to increase your productivity when keeping abreast of the services that larger competition is providing. Having an RSS reader, like the free Google reader, makes it easy to check updates of a variety of websites related to your business on one page. Services like Nooked allow you to send RSS feeds seamlessly and even track the consumption of those feeds, which is something that many marketers like to do. Interestingly, Infacta’s email marketing software, GroupMail, has integrated a Nooked RSS service in its latest version.
3. Blogging: One great way to increase your rank on search engines is to have a blog. Blogs keep content fresh on your website and drive traffic to information relevant to your business and industry. They also provide your customers a vehicle to communicate directly with you in an interactive format, providing immediate feedback and opening dialogs that strengthen online relationships.
4. Podcasting: More and more people are searching for and consuming podcasts. Podcasts can be used for interviews, industry discussions, company updates or any other content that suits the spoken word. People love to hear the experts talk about industry news and updates. Downloading podcasts also allows consumers the flexibility to consume content as they move, while driving, in flight, or anywhere that they are without access to a computer.
5. Discussion Boards: It is always a good idea to participate in industry-related discussion boards and blogs. Getting involved in related discussions helps identify your company as an expert in your field. It’s not a good idea to simply self-promote yourself however. Provide value insights that are helpful to the discussion and use an identifiable signature so that people associate your participation with your online brand.
While interactive marketing doesn’t cost much to get involved in, it does require an investment in time. This time is well worth it, especially if you want to compete with the big boys on the Internet.
