Taking on bigger competitors online
Bigger companies may seem to hold all the cards but their bureaucratic practices, internal politics and lack of focus, can offer opportunities to their smaller rivals,
The key to playing this game is how creative you make your marketing and how well you employ it strategically, when you don’t have the deep pockets bigger competitors have.
So if you’re interested in getting more of the action, here’s how.
Deploy your online marketing wisely
1. Content really is king. Create content consistently driven by a strong SEO strategy. Long tail keywords comprise 70% of organic search traffic but using them can make you more competitive. Big companies will often focus on a small number of head terms - so avoid these as you’ll never be able to compete with them.
2. Pay per Click - Is highly competitive for head and some long tail terms, so choose the terms that matter to your business particularly if they are ones you can’t win on in the organic front. Chip away at the big company domination. Use your location to your advantage.
3. Which tactics work - Analytics show you which marketing tactic is or isn’t working and whether you are achieving your goals. How much effort do you require to get a lead; what keyword strategy works; which are the most valuable; and what’s a waste of money. These are basic questions that analytics helps answer.
4. Agility - A small business is un-encumbered by bureaucracy allowing you to move fast, test new strategies and respond instantly to their outcomes. You don’t need committees to determine the way forward. The internet is all about test-test-testing.
5. Social personality - Big companies are often not very sociable, often focusing on brand protection. Smaller businesses can get really friendly and helpful; genuine and trustworthy - like real life people.
6. Marketing weak spot - If there is an area (s) where you feel particularly weak in, evaluate the worth of hiring an outsider for a spell or purchasing software that will do the job for you, allowing you to concentrate on what you do best.
7. Stay ahead - Invest time in thought leadership or just keep up to date with online marketing developments. It’s a fast moving world but it is a discipline well worth employing.
8. Opt-In lists - Continue to build your email list and keep it fresh and up to date through sending out great articles or offers you know they are interested in. This helps with shorter sales cycles and higher revenues per customer.
9. Automate - Any time-consuming marketing activities to free up more time for managing the above points.
10. Quality - The best content, the best products, the best people, the best service. This is what creates loyalty in customers and staff and gives you a stronger, more personal platform for taking on your bigger rivals.
Small doesn’t have to mean uncompetitive. Small can mean agile, courageous and competitive, and means you can steal business from bigger rivals - if you do it right.
Nail your Goliath
To find out how you can nail your Goliath, why not call me on 08450 740 068 or email me at sem@e-xanthos.co.uk.
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Wishing you a happy and prosperous 2012.
Corey Eridon, Small Business Marketers Can Crush Big Competitors, 03/01/2012.