Diigital Marketing for Small Businesses: Where to Start

Diigital marketing, usually spelled digital marketing, means winning customers through the internet: your website, Google, email, social media and the phone in your customer's pocket. For a small business, the best start is not all of it at once. Begin with a website that works on mobile, add one channel that brings in enquiries, and measure what comes in. This article shows you how to choose.

What is diigital marketing, and why does it matter for a small business?

Diigital marketing is every way you reach customers online. Each way is called a channel. A channel is a road that leads people to your business, and your website is the shop at the end of it.

It matters because most customers look on their phone before they call, book or buy. If they cannot find you, or your site is hard to use, they go to the next business on the list.

These are the main roads:

• Your website: where every other channel ends up. If it is slow or hard to use on a phone, the rest of your effort is wasted.
• SEO (search engine optimisation): making your site easier for Google to find and trust, so you appear in the normal results without paying per click.
• Google Ads: paid adverts at the top of Google. You pay when someone clicks. This is also called SEA.
• Email: messages to people who already know you, such as past customers.
• Social media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and others. Good for staying visible and showing your work, slower for getting direct requests.

Which digital marketing channel should you start with?

Pick one. Not five. A business without a marketing department cannot keep five channels running, and a channel you only half do brings in very little. Your situation decides which one comes first.

• You have no website, or an old one: start there. A website is the base for everything else, and a one-pager starts at €699.
• You need enquiries this month: Google Ads. People who are already searching for what you sell see your advert straight away.
• You want steady enquiries over the next year: SEO. It takes months to build, but you do not pay for every click.
• You already have happy customers: email. Send a short update, or ask for a review. It costs almost nothing.

How do beginners start diigital marketing?

This is the order I would follow for a business starting diigital marketing from zero. Take it one step at a time.

• Open your website on your own phone. Does it load fast? Can you find a phone number or a contact button within five seconds? Fix that first.
• Fill in your Google Business Profile, the free listing that shows up on Google Maps. Add the right address, opening hours and a few real photos. Garages, restaurants, hairdressers and hotels should not skip this.
• Choose one channel from the section above.
• Decide what counts as a result: phone calls, form enquiries, bookings or orders. Write it down.
• Once a month, check where your enquiries came from and what each one cost you.

How much does digital marketing cost?

It depends on the channel, but there is a rough frame. At Growetic, SEO and Google Ads management come in packages of €399, €799, €1,499 and €2,499 per month, and you can cancel each month. For Google Ads, the budget you pay to Google for the clicks comes on top.

A website is a one-off cost: a one-pager from €699, a full website from €2,499 and a webshop from €3,499. Maintenance is €15 to €35 per month.

Social media and email you can start yourself for the price of your time. Be honest about that time. If you will not post every week, do not start with social media.

Does diigital marketing really pay?

It can, if you measure it. Not every euro works, and nobody can promise you a result. What you can do is track enquiries and spend, and stop what does not pay.

Caribe Car Rental on Bonaire had a website, SEO and Google Ads from us. Organic traffic, meaning visitors who come from the unpaid Google results, grew by 41% in 6 months. Revenue was up 26% in the first 3 months, and every euro spent on Google Ads returned €7.80. That is one business in one market. Yours will look different, but it shows what happens when the website, search and ads work together.

Ads show results faster. SEO builds more slowly and lasts longer. You can read more about how SEO works before you decide where your money goes first.

Where should you start this week?

You do not need a plan of twenty pages. Do three things this week. Check your site on your phone. Check your Google Business Profile. Work out what one new customer is worth to you, so you know what you can afford to spend to get one.

After that, the choice of channel gets easier. If you want a second opinion on which one fits your business, request the free quickscan. You talk to me directly, I do the work myself, and I tell you what I would start with in your case.

Frequently asked questions

What is diigital marketing and why is it important?

Diigital marketing, or digital marketing, is promoting your business through the internet: your website, Google, email and social media. It matters because customers search on their phone before they buy or call. If you do not show up, or your site is hard to use, they go to someone else. It also lets you see what each channel brings in.

How can I start a digital marketing business?

Start by doing it for one business, your own or a friend's. Pick one service, such as SEO, Google Ads or websites, and build results you can show. Clients pay for results, not certificates. It is a long road, and a different question from how to promote your own business, which is what this article covers.

Which course is best in digital marketing?

There is no single best course. Choose one where you build something, such as a live website or a small ad campaign with a small budget, instead of only watching videos. As a business owner, a short course on the basics is enough. You need to understand the channels, not run all of them yourself.

How can I earn money from digital marketing?

As a business owner, you earn from digital marketing through the enquiries and sales it brings in, minus what you spend on it. Work out what one new customer is worth to you and compare that with the monthly cost. If you want to earn as a freelancer, you earn by delivering results for clients.

Dimitry founder of Growetic. He does SEO, Google Ads and websites for businesses in the Netherlands, on Bonaire and in Spain.