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How New Businesses Can Use The Internet To Grow

Whilst in the past you would have needed large injections of cash to grow your business, today growth is possible on a shoestring, thanks to the internet. Here we will explain some of the ways new businesses can use the internet to grow.

Set up a website for your company
Today businesses of all sizes can benefit from having their own website. Even if you have an office or a shop and do not plan on selling online, it is still of value to have a website. Many customers like to research companies, even if they intend on making their purchases in-store. If you do not have a website, this could dissuade people from giving you their business and they may end up shopping with one of your competitors instead.

A company website is a great way to provide information about the products you sell or the services you offer, as well as the values your brand stands for. It will help you to engage with your target customers and build up loyalty, which is so important for growth. Setting up an ecommerce website using a platform like Shopify or Magento can also help you to broaden your customer base, as it will allow customers from all over the world to buy your products, rather than just a local market.

Use social media to grow your customer base
Social media is far more than a means of communication between friends. It provides business owners with opportunities to engage with potential customers, market their products and grow their companies. Unlike other means of advertising and marketing online, social media is free to use, meaning that if your new business is on a tight budget, you will be able to use it to your advantage without any budget restrictions.

It is highly recommended that you set up social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and LinkedIn. Ensure that you are not just pushing your website links at your followers; in order to engage with them and stand a chance at growing your business, you need to provide them with valuable content that is of interest to them. The better your content is, the more likely they are to share it with their peers, helping to grow your audience and potentially increase your sales.

Start a blog and become an expert
New businesses can also use the internet to start a blog and become an industry expert. Starting a blog is a great way to engage with your target market and show customers that you know what you are talking about. Posting interesting, engaging and unique content is a great way to build up a following and become the go-to source for information on a specific niche topic.

Starting an internet blog is not only great for engaging with customers and building their trust in your brand, but also for search engine optimisation (SEO). SEO is important for your business website, as the better it is, the higher you will rank in relevant search engine results pages. The businesses that rank the highest for relevant search keywords have the most website traffic driven to them via search engines and therefore stand the best chance at increasing their sales.


Create search engine adverts
Another way you can use the internet to grow your business is by investing in search engine adverts, such as Google AdWords, also known as pay per click ads. These adverts appear at the top of search engine results pages and are great for generating high volumes of traffic to your website on a short term basis. Whilst PPC ads can be very effective, it is recommended that you use them in conjunction with organic SEO techniques. They can be a little bit tricky to set up and manage, so we highly recommend working with an experienced PPC manager.

Conclusion
The internet provides so many opportunities for new businesses to promote their services and products. Whether you are looking to grow your business or expand into new markets; the possibilities are endless, thanks to the internet!

Tom Shurville
Distinctly

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