Navigating the digital landscape as a small business can feel overwhelming. With so many digital marketing services to choose from, how do you ensure you’re investing your time and budget wisely? In this post we’ll walk you through some key considerations for selecting the right digital marketing services to help your small business grow.
Understanding your small business goals
Before exploring the array of digital marketing services available, it would be a good idea, if you haven’t already done so, to take a step back and define your business’s objectives. Are you aiming to:
- Increase brand awareness in your market or niche?
- Drive website traffic and grow your online presence?
- Generate qualified leads for your products or services?
- Boost sales and overall conversions?
Understanding your goals will help you identify which digital marketing strategies and services align best with your business needs. For instance, if you’re a local business aiming to drive foot traffic, you might focus on local SEO and Google Ads. On the other hand, an e-commerce store might prioritise tactics that drive digital activity such as email marketing or social media advertising. From our experience working with lots of agencies and freelancers in the marketing and digital marketing spaces, having an ‘all-in-one’ agency can be beneficial if you don’t really know where to start – but you can often receive more expertise-driven partnerships working with smaller, more ‘niche’ teams. Maybe we’ll dive into the pro’s and con’s of both in a separate blog post – be sure to follow us on socials or join our newsletter to keep up to date!
The key here, is really understanding what it is you’re looking for, and if you’re not too sure simply reach out and have a conversation to understand if the partner you are considering would be a good fit for your business challenges and goals.
Exploring core digital marketing services
Digital marketing encompasses a wide variety of services, each tailored to specific goals. When exploring digital marketing services online, you’ll soon notice that there are tonnes of agencies, start-ups, freelancers and contractors. Some partners may specialise in one of the below areas of digital marketing, whilst others may offer everything – which is why it’s important to understand potential areas they may be able to help support you with.
Here’s a list of some of the most popular digital marketing services small businesses benefit from:
1. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
SEO is the backbone of online visibility. By optimising your small business website for search engines, you can increase your organic traffic and rank higher for the keywords your target audience are searching for.
Pro Tip: We recommend focusing on both on-page SEO (like keyword optimisation and meta description refinement) as well as off-page SEO (like backlinks) simultaneously, to maximise results.
2. Social Media Marketing
Build and strengthen relationships with your audience through platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Social media is ideal for increasing brand awareness, engaging your audience, and driving traffic to your website or desired goals.
3. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
PPC allows you to reach potential customers through targeted ads on search engines or social media. You only pay when someone clicks your ad, making it a cost-effective option for lead generation.
4. Content Marketing
Publishing valuable and consistent content like blogs, videos, and infographics builds trust with your audience and can help position your brand as credible authority in your brand’s space.
5. Paid Social Advertising
Amplify your organic social media efforts by investing in paid campaigns to reach new audiences faster. Platforms like Meta and TikTok offer advanced targeting capabilities.
Finding the right digital marketing partner
Selecting a digital marketing provider is one of the most critical business decisions you’ll make if you’re looking to strengthen your online presence and effectiveness. Below are some of our key recommendations to help ensure you choose the right partner:
- Evaluate Experience & Skill-stack: Let’s say you’re planning a wedding and you need a cake maker. You find a solo baker with only a year’s worth of experience, but the few cakes they have are seriously impressive. They’re not too expensive, and look to be trying to expand their client portfolio. You also find a wellestablished bakery with a big team and over 40 year’s experience – but their cakes don’t look great. Who would you go for?
From our experience, we’ve worked with agencies and freelancers with little experience but with all of the required skills to execute just as high of quality output as more established brands. We’ve also worked with big-name agencies and brands, with very low quality output! It really is a tough one to get right which is why it’s important to request case studies or testimonials that demonstrate tangible results. - Assess Compatibility: Treat the selection process like dating—your partner should align with your values and goals. Trust your instincts during initial calls; in our experience, any form of business partner relationship should feel collaborative, not transactional.
- Ask the Right Questions:
- Can you show me some examples of your work?
- How do you measure success?
- Can you customise your approach to suit my business?
Initial conversations with potential partners can be a great opportunity to guage their work ethic and style – which are equally as important as their capabilities as a partner too, in our opinion! Partners who are transparent about both their processes, successes and challenges tend to deliver the most authentic results.
Set KPIs that drive success
Measuring the effectiveness of your digital marketing strategy is essential to ensuring you can see clear ROI on your investments. Setting clear and realistic key performance indicators (KPIs) with potential partners such as:
- Website Traffic: Measure the number of visitors coming to your site.
- Lead Generation: Track the number of inquiries or sign-ups.
- Conversion Rate: Assess how many leads turn into customers.
Why KPIs matter (but don’t panic about perfection)
While KPIs provide valuable direction, external factors like industry shifts or economic changes can impact results. In our opinion, a good digital marketing partner will collaborate with you to adapt strategies and tactics when challenges arise to help your business maintain sustainable growth and success.
Track, measure, and refine your approach
Digital marketing isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it process. Whilst there are foundational elements in any project or scenario, most marketing tactics requires ongoing attention and refinement to ensure your campaigns stay aligned with your goals, and yield the most effective results.
If you’re not already, we recommend regularly reviewing analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to monitor:
- Traffic sources and user behavior.
- Top-performing content or campaigns.
- Areas needing improvement.
By refining your strategy based on data, you’ll continuously improve your ROI, with a plan of action rooted in actuals, not theories or hypotheticals.
Stay connected and informed
The digital marketing landscape evolves rapidly, and staying informed about trends and industry movements can give your business a competitive edge. Join small business communities, attend webinars, or follow reputable industry blogs to keep your feelers out there. Finding a partner who keeps up to date for you is an added bonus!
For the latest insights on digital marketing and actionable tips for small business growth you can follow us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter as we regularly share updates you may find beneficial for your brand.
Choosing the right digital marketing services for your small business isn’t just about finding the trendiest strategies or the glossiest brand – it’s about aligning with your brand’s goals and creating sustainable growth. On that note, it would be rude of us to not share with you our Services and Packages page, which may be the next step you’re looking for, to drive your business’ success.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are digital marketing services for small businesses?
Digital marketing services for small businesses include strategies like SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, and paid advertising. These services are designed to help businesses improve their online visibility, attract more customers, and grow their revenue.
Why is digital marketing important for small businesses?
Digital marketing is essential for small businesses because it allows them to compete with larger companies by building an online presence, connecting with their target audience, and driving measurable results on a budget.
How do I choose the best digital marketing service for my business?
To choose the right digital marketing service, first define your business goals, such as increasing website traffic, generating leads, or improving brand awareness. Then, find a service provider with expertise or solid skills in the strategies that align with your goals, such as SEO, PPC, or social media. Consulting a general marketing service provider or agency is often free, and can help you better understand potential partnership opportunities.
What is the difference between SEO and PPC advertising?
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) focuses on improving your website’s organic rankings in search engines, which takes time but is cost-effective in the long run. PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising involves paying for targeted ads that appear immediately in search results or on social platforms, generating quicker results.
How much should small businesses spend on digital marketing services?
The amount you should spend depends on your business size, goals, and industry. From our experience, small businesses often allocate 10-20% of their revenue to marketing, with a portion dedicated to digital marketing services like SEO, content creation, and paid ads. It’s important to leverage digital marketing to align with budgets and objectives; for instance, if you have more aggressive targets and goals, you may consider increasing your marketing spend during that time period to help drive results.
Can small businesses manage digital marketing on their own?
Small businesses can manage digital marketing independently with the right tools and resources. However, partnering with experts or agencies can save time and deliver better results, as they bring experience and advanced strategies to the table. Likewise, as a small business owner, time can often be of the essence, with lots of tasks and areas of the business to manage as a small or solo team. Outsourcing marketing efforts to experts can help free up time, to allow you to focus on other priority tasks.
How do I know if my digital marketing efforts are working?
You can measure the success of your digital marketing campaigns by tracking key metrics like website traffic, lead generation, conversion rates, and ROI. Tools like Google Analytics, and social media platforms can help you monitor performance and make data-driven adjustments.
Should I choose a full-service digital marketing agency or a niche specialist?
A full-service agency is great if you need a comprehensive solution covering multiple marketing channels. A niche specialist is ideal if you have a specific focus, like SEO or social media. The right choice depends on your business needs and goals. Like any purchasing process, you will find a wide range of prices out there, so it’s important to do your research and align this with what works best for your business.
How long does it take to see results from digital marketing?
The time it takes to see results varies depending on the strategy. SEO can take 3-6 months for noticeable improvements, while PPC campaigns and social media ads can deliver faster results within weeks. Regular optimisation ensures continued success, and it’s important to let the data inform the process. Often times, platforms and algorithms need some time to digest your inputs, so patience in the initial phases should be well exercised!
What are the most common mistakes small businesses make in digital marketing?
Some common mistakes include:
– Choosing partners without researching their experience and results.
– Not setting clear goals or KPIs.
– Ignoring the importance of a mobile-friendly website.
– Focusing too much or too little on a particular marketing channel.
– Underestimating the value of consistent content creation.
To discover more mistakes small businesses make, you can read our other blog post here.
I’m a small business owner and I really don’t have a clue where to start when it comes to digital marketing, can you help?
Of course! We would love to get to know you and your brand to discover how we can help. You can look at our services and packages to see if something would benefit you – and if something is missing but you’d like to have a conversation, be sure to reach out for a chat!