You run a small business with limited marketing dollars. You can’t afford to be inefficient with your budget, which makes every decision critical to your success. The good news is there are digital tactics you can use that are cost effective and proven. Learn more about them here:

Make Mobile a Priority

Take a look at your everyday consumer and what to you see? If you answered, “a smartphone” in one hand, you’d be well on the right track. With a projected seventy percent of all consumers having smartphones by 2020, it’s easy to see why optimizing your business website for mobile is critical.

There are other reasons mobile is so important. For instance, Google’s algorithm favors sites that have been optimized, making it more likely that your business comes up when consumers are looking. In addition, savvy consumers expect sites to be mobilized and will go elsewhere if yours isn’t. Want to learn if your site is mobile ready? Google is happy to help you test it.

Be Engaging

In the digital realm, engagement is where it’s at. Consumers want to converse with brands they like and will reward them with business when they feel connected. On one level this means learning what motivates your customers and appeals to their needs. On another level, it means creating a user experience that’s simple and easy to navigate. Make your standard and mobile sites intuitive and clean, with a clear call to action.

On Facebook, Twitter and other social sites, post relevant information consumers can put to good use. Respond to comments and create a dialogue that encourages two-way communication. And, don’t forget to put yourself in the consumer’s shoes. Doing so will go far in your efforts to engage them.

Streamline Your Digital Efforts for Maximum Effectiveness

While it’s tempting to try to be everywhere, it may not be necessary to execute an effective digital strategy. Rather than four social platforms, choose one that your consumers utilize most and be the best at that. Perhaps it’s Twitter, where short, to-the-point messages drive prospects to your site. Or Pinterest, where a picture says more about your business and products than any post could hope to.

Resist the urge to develop costly apps that crowd consumer home screens. Instead, create a great site and drive them there with keywords that make the most of their online search efforts. The technological infrastructure is already in place. All you have to do is maximize it.

A decade or so ago, digital marketing was a novelty at best. Now it’s a critical component to your overall marketing strategy, especially when you run a small business.