Top Strategies for Small Businesses to Outshine Big Brands Online

The internet offers great scope for small businesses to flourish. However, in reality, only a few make it to the top and are able to create their own presence. Creating a successful online business requires a robust digital marketing strategy. In this blog, we have explored the various aspects of digital marketing such as investing in a well-developed small business website, following a social media strategy, etc., and helped you to understand what can be the best online recipe for the success of your small business that it can outshine the big brands.

Generally, we tend to associate a field with the names of the big brands. For example in the cosmetic industry, Lakme, and L’oreal Paris are household names that come to our mind effortlessly. However, we all know that the players in a field are not limited to the known names, there are other businesses as well, and what usually happens is that they get overshadowed by the business giants. Lack of resources makes it difficult for small businesses to advertise themselves and use the media optimally. Thankfully this is now a thing of the past, in the era of the internet, as per top digital marketing services in India, devising a proper digital marketing strategy is enough to give a small business an edge over the big brands.

You must be under the impression that this is just another gimmick. But in the e-commerce market, the success that Nykaa has achieved at a time when already platforms like Amazon, and Flipkart were making waves is a pure example of how small businesses can take over big businesses, and from where you can draw inspiration. This is just one example, as per data researched and collected by the Forbes Advisor India team, over the past five years, 83% of small businesses have begun selling online, and 65% of them generate up to half of their revenue from online sales. This clearly shows the increasing popularity of the digital market among small businesses.

In this blog, we will discuss how with the help of some proven strategies small businesses can outperform the big brands online. Take a look to find out.

Online Strategies for Small Businesses for Outshining Big Brands

The trick to establishing a small business as an eminent field player is crafting a digital plan that can help to use the online channels optimally. Let’s check out some of the proven tips here.

Invest to Create a Strong Website

The word strong online presence is synonymous with a well-designed website. Simply put, a website serves as the online storefront for your business, hence how beautiful and visually pleasing it appears, how well it functions, whether it offers a great user experience or not, all of these matters. Investing to create a professional small business website is essential.

Make sure that your website ticks all these boxes;

• Responsive design

Make it a point that invest to develop a website by partnering with a top ecommerce website development company that works efficiently across all devices such as mobile, tabs, and other devices. In the Hubspot State of Marketing Report 2023, it has been reported by most marketers that mobile devices have been the source of more than half of their annual traffic in 2023. Hence, prioritizing building a responsive website can be a great effort from your end.

• Easy Navigation

It might sound exaggerated, but according to experts, website navigation can make or break a visitor’s business. If a website seems like a maze, then a customer will get confused and will immediately leave. Hence, make sure to develop a proper navigation framework for your website.

• Attractive content

Take away the content from a well-developed website, what remains is a white page with few graphics and images. Will it make sense? Clearly no. It goes without saying that content matters! And the better the content, the better the customer-retaining power of a website. Convey to your customers the business messages, write appropriate, and attractive content, also place the CTA in the right places.

• Fast Loading Speed

According to Google, it takes 1.5 seconds for a fast website to load, and companies agree that under 2 seconds is what it takes for a good website page to load. The shorter the loading time of a website page, the better it retains customers, because they assume that slow website loading speed is a reflection of how poorly a business is run. Hence, this is an important point for you to focus on when building a website.

Follow a Tailored Social Media Marketing Plan

Businesses at the moment are paying great attention to social media strategies. Every business that aims to reach the masses, acknowledges the power of social media platforms. A proper social media strategy can earn your small business great recognition.

Points to Consider When Creating a Social Media Strategy

• Consistency

Make sure that you post regularly, and keep your audience engaged and informed.

• Quality Content

Always maintain proper standards when posting content. Only post content that resonates with your target customers.

• Engagement

Post a share of mixed content types, for instance, images, videos, infographics, and blog posts on the platforms. Always make sure that the content you are posting is engaging, and such that it connects with the audience.

• Paid Advertising

Using social media, you can target specific demographics and promote your products or services.

It is important for you to note that you should choose the right platform for the most benefits. For instance, if you are running a B2B business model, then LinkedIn would be a great platform to promote your business.

Optimize for the Search Engines

Optimization for search engines or SEO is very important if you want to increase your online presence. By making your website and content search engines friendly, it can help you get more natural visitors. Here are some ways that you can take advantage of SEO services;

• Keyword Research

Find the words your potential customers use when they search and insert them into what you write.

• On-Page SEO

Optimize your website’s titles, meta descriptions, headers, and content for targeted keywords.

• Technical SEO

Confirm that elements of your website’s technology such as site speed, being mobile-friendly and having XML sitemaps are optimized.

• Content Creation

Regularly publish high-quality, relevant content that addresses your audience’s needs and questions.

If you stay aware of the newest SEO trends and algorithm changes, it helps to ensure that your place in search engine results remains strong.

Utilise Content Marketing Optimally

In 2024, 50% of marketers are planning to increase their investment in content marketing as per HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2024. This is because a proper content marketing strategy helps to increase web traffic and bring in relevant traffic. Plus, it will also help to build trust and establish the business as the industry leader.

Effective Content Marketing Strategies

• Blogging

You should make it a point to publish informative blog posts on topics relevant to your audience.

• Video Marketing

Short-form videos right now are the top media format that is being used by the top marketers.

• Infographics

You can use attractive infographics to present any complicated information in a simple form. The colourful and informative infographics are a great way to reach out to the targeted customers.

• Guest Posting

Experts offering digital marketing services in India suggest guest posting to small businesses services as it gives a great edge over their peers. Now, you must always choose reputable websites for guest posting as it will help your company reach a wider audience and build great backlinks as well.

Devise an Email Marketing Plan

Landing straight to your customer’s or potential customer’s inbox with your message has always been a cost-effective way for personally reaching out to customers. With personalized emails you will be able to keep your customers informed about new products, promote them, and also send updates. This channel allows you to segment your audience, and send them targeted messages based on their preferences.

Tips to Create an Email Marketing Strategy

• Cater to Quality Lists

Make sure that you collect email addresses from prospects and customers.

• Customize Emails

Always make it a point to address using the name of the recipient, and tailor the content as per their interests.

• Engaging Content

Compelling subject lines and valuable content to encourage opens and clicks.

• Focus on Local SEO

Targeting a local audience for small businesses is vital. Once you optimize your online presence for local search, you will be able to attract customers in your area and boost traffic. Expert SEO services can help you optimize your Google My Business profile, build local citations, and generate positive reviews.

Top Local SEO Tips

• Google My Business

Optimize your Google My Business profile by providing accurate information, and high-quality images.

• Local Citations

Ensure your business is listed in local directories with consistent, Name, Address, Phone Number, and other details.

• Localized Content

Create content that the local audience can connect for instance, cover local events, news, and issues relevant to your audience.

Harness the Power of Pay-Per-Click Ads (PPC)

PPC or Pay-Per-Click Ads are a great way to reach out to a targeted audience quickly to drive traffic to your small business Website. You can use platforms like Google Ads, or Facebook Ads as it offers you audience targeting options to ensure that your ads are visible to the targeted section of the audience.

Top PPC Advertising Strategy Tips

Targeted Keywords

Shortlist important keywords in order to ensure your ads appear in front of the right audience.

Engaging Ads

Craft attention-grabbing ad copies, and visuals to attract clicks.

Landing Pages

Design optimized landing pages to convert visitors into leads or customers.

Monitor Performance

One of the most important things about Pay-Per-Click Strategy is that you have to regularly track, and analyze your ad performance to create data-driven adjustments.

Ensure Customer Service Is On Point

Great customer service is vital for building a loyal customer base and creating positive word-of-mouth. Once you can properly settle the concerns raised by the customers, you will easily be able to differentiate your small business from big brands.

Conclusion

Becoming an industry leader means you have to tick all the right boxes. In this blog, we have tried to cover all the areas that can help small businesses to grow, expand and make a mark in their respective fields. Although the internet market sometimes can be really unpredictable, and shower anyone with overnight success, you need to understand that you may have to put in the right effort before the results show up. Following these tips and strategies and seeking help from top professionals offering digital marketing services in India, and elsewhere can give you the edge over the industry giants, and help you to establish yourself as the top player.