The Latest Online Marketing Trends for Small Business

Gone are the days when I had to promote my small business on a narrow budget. Today's consumers are turning to free online information, and smart small businesses are right there with them, getting free advertising while giving visitors something for nothing. It can be a photo or video that captures the public imagination and goes viral overnight by means of share buttons, advertising the business with every click. Or it can be informative online content that connects people who share a passion for the business niche and its unique significance. Here's a look at the latest small business online trends for successful, free marketing.

Merging SEO, SMB and Images

Small businesses are taking SEO's beyond text-based content into image-based promotion. By naming and describing photos using SEO's, small businesses are increasing their web visibility and social media presence, as the images climb in ranking faster than the webpages on which they are hosted. To bypass the need for purchasing stock photo credits, businesses are turning to places like Flickr's Creative Commons, Wikimedia Commons, or Morgue File and Stock Exchange free images. Learn more about SEO basics for small business.

Turning Coupons into Social Commerce

Small businesses are taking advertising beyond newspapers to online social commerce. Websites like Groupon, Buy with Me or Living Social are offering small businesses a way to connect with local customers through daily coupon deals. With the power of social media sites like Twitter or Facebook to spread the word, online coupon sharing has shown a rise in business averaging at 66%. Learn more about daily-deal coupons for small businesses.

Getting Listed for Mobile Local Search

As customers turn to GPS and mobile devices for local business search, small businesses are focusing on getting noticed. Unlike old-fashioned web searches, mobile and GPS devices run a local search based on address, business name and phone number. Unless all three are current, a business may fail to appear on mobile searches. Businesses may use such websites as NAVTEQ Media Solutions or Tele Atlas to update their local visibility or purchase geographic-specific mobile search advertising.

Providing Extra Value

Taking advantage of free online publishing on websites like Associated Content from Yahoo, You Tube videos or creative commons photo websites, small businesses are capturing the public imagination by providing entertaining or informative content in place of old-fashioned advertising. Linking these items back to the business website or social media page further strengthens the online ranking of the business and increases the possibility of content sharing between online visitors.

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