So, how is a small business to stay afloat in these hard times?

If you are a bricks and mortar business, you've a battle on your hands, particularly if you offer anything that the giant chains offer. You've got to become unique, a pro in what you do, and offer the best purchaser service possible , then market that fact.

Those are 3 of the things these gigantic box stores don't offer : uniqueness, experience and customer service. Personally I always try to buy at small local businesses, because they're the spine of a community and they are often more informed and beneficial than huge stores, where you are lucky if you can get any help at all!

Its outstanding how many small businesses don't feel the need to have an internet site. They almost certainly do not know that Google essentially loves small business and will always pull a small business to the top of a search page, by someone putting in the name of a city and whatever they are on the lookout for. This is a great advantage to a business owner. There are always local directories, for instance through the local Chamber of Commerce, where you can list your internet site, regularly for a small charge or free.

Many small business owners are also convinced that beginning and maintaining a site will cost them a lot of money and is tough. Offering inexpensive website construction and upkeep for small local businesses has changed into a home-run industry in itself.

Tiny local businesses must have a site offering a brief outline of what they offer, what they are skilled in doing, a map to where they're located, opening hours and contact numbers and a mail address, any successful use of income-producing Google Adwords and affiliate advertising on those sites, can become a very pleasant added bonus. By offering an opt-in box, a small business web site owner can make a list, and then offer discounts and specials to those customers by initiating a promotional program.

Web businesses have a much harder task on their hands. They have much larger competition and must employ S.E.O and a lot of other marketing strategies, particularly to make a list of customers. A website's recognition reflects numerous things : the age of the site, the consistency with which it is updated, the value of its content and the relevancy of its content and the number of backlinks it has . Just like a small high street business, a website should offer useful info, great buyer service and brand itself as being unique. It's about attraction marketing.

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