How your business can reach customers online

Digital marketing has completely transformed the way small businesses promote their products and services. Today, even the smallest businesses can connect with their ideal customers, which means having an online presence is essential. Your potential customers are online — and they expect to find you there too.

Reaching customers online has never been easier, and you don't need a marketing team or a large budget to do it. You can manage it yourself or outsource it to a digital marketing expert at an affordable price. Online marketing is also scalable — you can start small and increase your budget as your business grows.

Let's break down how to find customers online, starting with these practical strategies right away to grow your business.

Wondering how to reach customers online? The very first step is to build a professional website. Your own website is a 24/7 marketing tool that brings customers directly to you.

These days, building a great-looking website is very easy — no coding needed. Website builder software have templates and drag-and-drop interfaces that let even beginners build beautiful sites in just a few hours. And if you don't have the time, you can easily outsource the job to a web developer.

Your website should use search engine optimization (SEO) with location-based keywords to help it appear in search results. It should be easy to navigate, load quickly, and look great on any device — especially mobile, to make it easy for customers to find you while they are on the go.

You also need to get backlinks to help you rank in the search engines. A backlink is when another website links to your site. Search engines consider backlinks to be a sign of credibility, and it’s an important signal they use to rank your site.

A SEO consultant can simplify the process. They can identify the right keywords for your business, optimize your website’s content and structure, and create a strategy for earning high-quality backlinks.

Once your website is up and running, be sure to set up your Google Business profile (formerly called Google My Business) to help people in your community find you. This free tool allows you to display your business hours, location, services, photos, and reviews right in the search results. It also allows you to show up on Google Maps, which is a key step if you're wondering how to get more customers online.

Did you know there are more than 50 online directories that publish information about local businesses? These directories — like Yelp, Bing Places for Business, and Anji — are the 21^st century version of the Yellow Pages. Registering your business with them can help you boost your business’s visibility. It doesn’t cost anything other than some of your time. The more places your business appears online, the easier it’ll be for customers to find you.

Some directories allow customers to leave reviews, and many people will read them when researching your business. If you have happy customers, invite them to leave a review! You can make it easy by giving them a direct link to your review page.

One of the most effective strategies for reaching more customers online is to have a strong social media presence. First, determine which platforms your ideal customers use the most. If you’re casting a wide net, Facebook is a great choice, while Instagram is popular with a younger demographic. If you offer products or services to other businesses, LinkedIn is great for networking.

Once you've picked your platforms, you'll need to regularly share content to keep your business in customers’ minds. The content you post should be interesting and relevant, and may include educational posts, customer testimonials, a behind-the-scenes look at how you operate, or special promotions.

Social media is most effective when you engage with your followers. Be sure to respond quickly to comments and messages and consider hosting live webinars to answer questions. The more you interact the more people will feel connected to your business — which makes them more likely to become customers.

The next step in how to reach new customers online is to use content marketing to build trust and demonstrate your expertise. The strategy is similar to engaging on social media. The main difference is that content marketing focuses on creating resources that continue working for you over time. Unlike social media posts that quickly disappear in a fast-moving feed, the content you create can bring in new leads long after you publish it.

The easiest way to get started with content marketing is to start a blog on your website and post articles that answer common questions, share tips, offer how-to guides, or discuss industry trends. And by optimizing your posts for SEO, your blog content will show up in search engine results and increase your website traffic. Plus, you can share your blog posts on your social media channels.

Video is another powerful way to connect with people. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels allow you to engage in a more personal way. You don’t need expensive equipment to make videos people will enjoy watching — the camera on your mobile device and good lighting are likely all you need.

Reaching customers online is a cost-effective way to grow your business — but it’s important to protect what you’re building. A single incident could lead to an expensive lawsuit that results in bankruptcy or business closure. The right policies can protect your business from risks so you can spend more time growing your business instead of dealing with unexpected problems.

Essential policies for small businesses include:

General liability insurance covers third-party bodily injury, personal and advertising injuries, property damage, copyright infringement, and legal fees if someone files a lawsuit against your business. For example, if you accidentally use a copyrighted image on your website or in a social media ad without permission, the image owner could file a copyright infringement lawsuit against you.

Professional liability insurance — also known as errors and omissions insurance (E&O) — offers vital protections for service-based businesses. It protects your business from accusations of negligence, work mistakes, oversights, undelivered services, breach of contract, and missed deadlines.

A business owner's policy (BOP) is a cost-effective way to bundle essential coverage into one package. A BOP typically combines general liability insurance, commercial property insurance, and business interruption insurance to give you broad protection and simplify your insurance management.

Cyber insurance protects your business from the costs of dealing with cyberattacks, data breaches, and other cyber events. It helps pay for customer notifications, data recovery, legal fees, and even ransomware payments.

Workers’ compensation insurance is legally required in most states for businesses that have employees. It protects both you and your team by covering medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs if an employee is injured on the job.

Commercial auto insurance protects businesses that use vehicles for work. Personal auto insurance policies typically don’t cover incidents that occur during business use. Commercial auto insurance covers liabilities for injuries, property damage, legal expenses, vehicle repairs, and accidents involving uninsured motorists.

Intellectual property insurance protects your business against claims of copyright infringement, or claims involving trademarks or patents. It can also help you enforce your own rights if someone uses your business’s intellectual property without permission.

A paid advertising marketing campaign is one of the fastest ways to attract new customers. With the right online advertising strategy, even a modest budget can lead to a significant increase in new business.

Pay-per-click (PPC) Google Ads gives your business the chance to appear at the top of search engine results when people do a Google search. Ads on social media platforms — like Facebook ads, Instagram ads, and LinkedIn ads — are also highly effective. Social media ads allow you to target your ideal clients — those who are most likely to be interested in your products or services. You can also experiment with retargeting campaigns to re-engage people who previously visited your site.

Building an email list and regularly sharing valuable content is another way to engage existing and potential customers. Affordable email marketing software can be used to collect email addresses and send messages to your entire list at once, so you don’t have to email each person individually.

One of the best ways to grow your list is by offering a free downloadable resource or another incentive on your website — like a checklist, guide, or e-book — in exchange for a visitor’s email address and other contact information. For example, a roofer could offer the e-book, “How to maintain your new roof.”

Collecting emails is the first step in email marketing. The next step is to regularly share valuable content so everyone will remember you and your business. Consider sending a newsletter every 2-4 weeks so your readers hear from you often enough to stay engaged, but not so often they feel overwhelmed. Also, be sure to personalize your emails to improve the chances they’ll be opened and read.

What should you talk about? Your newsletter can include the same content you post on social media — like updates, offers, a referral program (if you have one), and industry insights. Some of the people on your email list may not follow you on social media, and vice versa, and your message will likely be new to many of your subscribers.

Many people trust recommendations from influencers they follow on social media. Partnerships with YouTube creators, bloggers, and podcasters allow you to tap into their audience to build brand awareness. You can collaborate with them on product reviews, sponsored posts, or giveaways to expand your lead generation.

Affiliate marketing is another effective strategy. Affiliate marketing is when influencers, bloggers, and others promote your business in exchange for a commission for each sale or lead they generate. The best thing about affiliate marketing is you only pay for actual results instead of spending money on ads that may or may not convert. This makes it a low-risk way to grow your customer base.

Many savvy shoppers check out customer reviews online before they buy. Encouraging your customers to share their experiences — through customer photos, videos, or testimonials — helps build trust. Reviews can be shared on your social media channels and your website to showcase real results.

The next step in how to get customers online is to measure the effectiveness of your marketing. This helps you understand what’s working, what’s not, and where you can improve.

Google Analytics can be used to monitor your website’s performance. It shows you how visitors are finding your site, which pages they’re spending time on, and other metrics. This can help you understand which marketing strategies are most effective to improve your conversion rate.

Social media analytics tools give you detailed information on your post reach, engagement, and follower growth. This helps you determine which types of content your audience responds to so you can adjust your strategy.

It's easy to get insurance for your small business with Insureon. Just fill out our online application to receive quotes from trusted providers. Our expert insurance agents are available to answer any questions and help you find the best small business insurance for your needs.

Most small business owners can get same-day coverage and easily download a certificate of liability insurance as soon as they purchase a policy.