Should you still market locally – in a virtual world?

The virtual world has brought huge potential for companies that previously may have only done business locally, but find themselves exposed to a wider market globally.  There is often discussion as to whether local markets should still be targeted in the same way.  Many people initially think that since the virtual world has brought people and businesses together, business owners should take advantage of what the virtual world offers by expanding their services or products to locations globally.  But then, they ultimately have to decide whether it continues to be beneficial marketing locally.

PEOPLE WANT LOCAL SERVICES

Despite the fact that the Internet has brought the tools needed to bring culture and people together that, previously would have never had the chance to connect, it is a fact that people still remain fairly comfortable only dealing with organisations that are based locally or within easy reach. There is a sense of trust that people have when they are dealing with businesses that are run in their local or neighbouring areas, rather than one that is operated in, say China for instance.  There is a sense of comfort when working with people who live similar lifestyles to their own and hence understand their needs as a consumer.  There is also a sense of security when doing business locally or nationally as businesses & individuals are free to run UK Company credit checks, thus determining a company’s credit status or credit worthiness prior to doing business with them.  Is there a straight forward & easy international equivalent to this? Maybe not!

LOCAL CUSTOMERS MAY BE EASIER TO CATER FOR

Something else that you need to consider when pondering over whether you should market solely to a local audience, is the fact that typically a local market is far easier to cater for than one that is overseas in a different location to your own. Aside from the shipping fees that are incurred when sending products overseas, if someone has an issue with your product or service, supplying them with relevant support is significantly less problematic, and the return postage/shipping costs are cheaper both ways.  Additionally you know that by supplying to a local market you’re doing business and dealing with people who are similar to yourself in some regard, thus making conversing much easier & straight forward.

SMALLER AUDIENCE = LESS COMPETITION

A notable point with regards to marketing to a local audience is that you are going to face far less competition than if you were to target a larger market.  By targeting international markets you are essentially also competing with all of the other companies who are offering similar services & products to yourself, which makes the process of getting traffic and potential customers that bit more challenging.  When targeting a smaller audience, you need to take into account that there may only be a limited amount of suppliers & providers thus improving your chances for business & sealing the deal.

GOING FOR BOTH

Given the benefits of concentrating your efforts locally, it is still worthwhile considering that there’s no reason why you can’t get the best of both worlds & target both local & international customers to invest in your services or products.  This will require a certain amount of invested effort on your part ie providing appropriate marketing strategies to suit specific markets and an increased amount of administration etc.   However, with this in mind utilising the services of a Virtual Assistant can help to alleviate the additional admin or processes required, so you can focus on other areas in expanding your business.  If you have plans to expand your business or need to outsource tasks which are time consuming but equally important, our Virtual Assistant  services are on hand as and when required.  We will

Top 10 Online Marketing Tools for your Business

Not marketing your business will almost certainly doom it to failure. Here you can find ten ways you can advertise and grow your business on a budget.

Google Tools

We all use the internet pretty much every day of our lives or more specifically Google.  Google tools are really easy to use and some are very popular like Google docs, Google analytics, Google sheets…  But there are a few lesser known tools that could boost your productivity and help grow your business such as, Google Desktop & iGoogle.

Web site

A well designed website is easy to navigate and can be fully optimised. Your website often provides a first impression for your company therefore it is imperative that you make it a good one!  Unfortunately this is an area which lets a lot of businesses down if not done correctly.

Online advertising

A great way to direct more traffic to your website and increase revenue is by online paid advertising, but this can easily become expensive if you’re not careful.  Remember, it’s very important to set a budget, stick to it and ensure you use appropriate SEO keywords.

Affiliate programs

Online affiliate programs are one of the easiest, quickest and most popular ways to earn income online.  The best way to determine which affiliate program(s) is right for you is to look closely at the benefits of joining.  One can benefit from a commission based system (free to join) but without any of the hassles of managing inventory, distribution and actual employees.  Commission can be earned 24hrs a day, 7 days a week without even providing a service.

Social media

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube provide a cost effective way for your business to connect with potential customers and keep them updated on new changes & events.  Certain sites such as Facebook & LinkedIn also let you purchase marketing campaigns targeted at specific groups of social media users.

Blogging

A blog can provide a very useful platform for your business to exhibit knowledge about a certain topic area or promote related products, services or tips.  Blogs can also give your company important exposure & a place to post advertising that links to the company website thus another potential sales generator.

 Search engine positioning

SEO (Search engine optimisation) is very important to any business needing new customers. Today, just having a top notch website doesn’t mean success. Good search engine optimisation can result in significantly increased overall targeted visitors and, is a result of an effective search engine strategy.

Cloud computing

There are many benefits to using Cloud Computing such as, increased collaboration between employees & contractors.  Freedom to work from anywhere once you have internet access & automatic software updates to name but a few.  Cloud computing can provide file storage solutions, computer backups, office applications and much much more. Moving to the Cloud seems like the right choice in this day & age. As with any other business expense, thorough research should be done to consider the benefits and drawbacks for your specific business needs & requirements.

Networking

Social networking is important for numerous reasons and it can help you to build and develop those relationships that are important to the success of your business. You may establish relationships with potential customers, as well as with organisations that you may be a prospective client of.  Social networking allows you to reach out to potential customers without spending exorbitant amounts of money on advertising whilst, allowing you to say in touch with existing customers.

Email marketing and newsletters

This is very cost effective and can provide a very high ROI by increasing your sales conversion by allowing you to up-sell & cross-sell products & services. The key is to send valuable, targeted and `human’ emails to your customers or audience.  It aslo provides you with an opportunity to gain valuable feedback from your visitors.  Customer feedback is an invaluable tool for any business as this allows you to determine

  • What products and services to provide
  • Who to target
  • What the market is willing to pay

Well there you have it! There are our Top 10 must have Online Marketing Tools for your business and, have been proven capable of giving your company a competitive advantage – super easy and super-efficient.