The internet has often been a great equalizer, allowing anybody access to events, books and knowledge they might have never found out about. But, with so many websites on the internet, search engines like Google and Bing can't help but rank their results. While most larger corporations may get the highest rankings on these sites, there are ways that smaller businesses can use targeted internet marketing to compete with these corporations online.
According to Entrepreneur Magazine, companies need to take the time to visually develop their brand. Having a couple pictures and pages on a website just isn't enough to rank among the top companies in a Google or Bing search – small businesses need to develop an easily recognizable logo and a consistent color scheme across all online and offline properties, as well as display consistent marketing messages, taglines and slogans.
A website's functionality depends on the way it uses keywords. Companies will need to use branded keywords to inform search engines what they are actually about. This will then help them get placed, ranked in the right search categories and show up in the proper search results.
In addition, the source recommends that when it comes internet marketing for small businesses, they should think and behave similarly to bigger brands. Rather than just sending out unformatted email newsletters, companies should take the time to craft each email in a fashion similar to the website and other online assets. A company's social media and email copy should also maintain the same voice across platforms.
Any small business that feels overwhelmed by the work it may take to maintain a professional-grade internet marketing campaign may want to partner with a digital advertising agency to assist with these investments.