The term Digital Marketing covers a broad range of topics that can be further broken down into various sub-categories as well as multiple offshoots.

The term Digital Marketing, as you see, covers a broad range of topics that can be further broken down into various sub-categories as well as multiple offshoots.

For instance, Websites are needed for Content and Email Marketing. Creating a website includes the backend process of purchasing a Domain Name, securing Hosting, installing WordPress, and setting up the Theme, to name a few.

While none of these are technically “marketing,”; they’re necessary to OWN your content and effectively communicate (Market) with your customers.

I know this can sound overwhelming but stay with me. You don’t need to be an expert in all things Digital Marketing to market your Local Small Business.

If you have at least two of the “FOUNDATIONAL” platforms, we’ll discuss below… You can build your Marketing toolbox as needed from there.

Why Content Marketing is Critical for Local Small Businesses

Now let’s dive into how Digital Marketing can be a low or no-cost method to promote your small business and why you need to start today.

On a basic level, people don’t do business with Brands; they want to connect with other people.

If you’re not a Global Brand like McDonald’s or Starbucks… you’ll need to interact regularly with local customers to keep you top of mind;

As evidenced by the BILLIONS, those two Global Brands spend a year on Marketing.

As a Small Business, we don’t have the cash flow to win in the traditional advertising space, but we can carve out our own little niche in our local areas if we’re strategic and CONSISTENT with our Digital Marketing.

What we little guys have is time and that personal touch that most big Brands can’t quite pull off authentically, because it’s usually a Marketing Agency or lowly Intern doing their customer-facing Marketing, like social media and Customer Experience roles.

Start Your Digital Marketing Early

As a Local Small Business, you must get in front of your potential customers immediately!

Don’t wait for your permits to come in or your storefront to open and the stars to align before you begin getting Brand awareness on your product or service.

Even if all you have right now is an idea of what you want to do for a business, that is enough to secure your “Digital Real Estate” and begin the work of building your Brand.

Your Branding may change a million times before you LAUNCH… but you’ll have processes in place and know all of the backend things to market whatever “IT” is effectively.

Most importantly, you will hopefully already have built some Brand awareness and a decent following of potential customers waiting for you to open if done correctly.

Keeping it a ‘hundred, this is a long game and will take time. I promise if you trust the process and do the work it will pay off, not only physical dollars but in client experience and retention.

How Local Small Businesses Can Benefit from Digital Marketing

There are several ways to market your local business with digital resources. My top three “Foundational Platforms” are:

1. Your OWN self-hosted WordPress Website

2. Email Database

3. (Optional) choice of either a Vlog (preferably on YouTube), audio or video Podcast (also self-hosted).

My non-negotiable is the self-hosted website; if you have just started your business and do not have a website or one that is not a WordPress site.

I would strongly suggest you switch while it’s still early in your business and shouldn’t be too cumbersome to move. I am a firm believer in OWNING your $h!t, so you always have the final say in what happens with your content, period.