Advantages of online marketing

Coffs Harbour farmer Sam Mihelffy-Hughes from ‘Me-Healthy Farm’ has found online marketing to be invaluable with promoting the grand opening of her new joint store in Coramba.

“I’ve mainly used Facebook which has given me full control and instant marketing,” Ms Mihelffy-Hughes said.

Ms Mihelffy-Hughes shares her tips for local businesses:

• It’s important to keep a regular presence online and to give updates
• Whatever marketing tool you have – use this to share information about other businesses, make yourself a referral network

Me-Healthy Farm and Colour Me Beetroot have joined together to provide locals with an in-store shopping experience. ‘Your Healthy Living and Lifestyle’ is located in Coramba and is open Friday through to Monday.

Port Macquarie builder Luke Bayly from “And the Rest Building” has found online marketing has had a solid return on investment after listing his business on the Home Improvement website.

“Looking at my marketing budget, most of my work – over 80% comes from leads from the HI website,” Mr Bayly said.

Mr Bayly is dedicated to making sure his company is accessible and visible online.

“I’ve tried a few different avenues, but when you find the one that really works you should put a lot of emphasis into that,” Mr Bayly suggests.

Mr Bayly shares his tips for local businesses:

• Before you start marketing online – know your product and service, know your customer and know your market.
• If you know your business identity and mission, then you know where to go with all the other stuff.
• Find your sweet spot – if you can focus on what works, make it work better and keep that rolling, once you have momentum then you can try other strategies.

And the Rest Building offers small to medium renovation, modification and carpentry services. For more information check out their webpage – www.andtherest.com.au

Other benefits of online marketing include:

1. Search engine optimisation – whether you advertise through online newspaper, websites or social media, your business will have a larger presence on the web resulting in better SEO.

2. Measurable – using a free analysis tool like Google Analytics allows you to track what websites, keywords, and campaigns send traffic to your website.

3. Targeted Online advertising – allows you to specifically target the demographics of consumers most likely to buy your products.

4. Personalised – you can tailor your message and ads based on your customer’s previous purchase history or preferences, and send personalised communications to your email subscribers.

5. You can build relationships – social media lets you engage with your customers in a conversation, and build trust with consumers.

6. Engagement – online marketing can encourage customers to take immediate action such as visit your website, read about your products and services or submit an enquiry.

If you need information about starting or growing your business contact your us today on 1800 007 400.