Starting a Successful Business

Getting started as a small business can seem daunting at first. After all, 20 percent of small businesses fail within the first year, and 30 percent of them fail in the second. By the end of the fifth year, half will fail, and by the end of the 10th year, just 30 percent of businesses will remain, says Entrepreneur.

Ouch. But you don’t have to be one of those failures. Not if you approach your marketing strategy the right way. Traditional marketing and digital marketing work together to create a robust strategy that you can rely on to reap results time after time. Having a professional web design and development firm behind you certainly helps as well.

Here we will go over the steps to starting a small business, as well as the importance of building out a digital footprint in 2022.

• Company name: Research names for your business. Choose one that reflects your brand while capturing your spirit. Before you settle on a name, make sure it’s not already being used by someone else.
• Federal tax number: You can apply for your federal tax ID at the IRS website. Now you need to register with your state and in some cases your local city/town for a business license. Use your employer identification number (EIN), which is like a social security number for your business, says the Small Business Administration.
• Logo company brand: Use colors, shapes and images that reflect the name of your business. Be unique, be clear, be practical and be yourself. Your web designer can help with the creation of your logo and building your brand campaign.
• Domain name: Likewise, your web developer can help you register a domain name for your business. Overall, you’ll want to keep it short, use keywords, target your area, be memorable and not too complicated, and use a domain name extension that fits.
• Professional E-mail: Next you’ll need to register a professional email address, either for an individual or a team. Our plans here at Tactical-Moves are very affordable, starting at $3.99 a month.
• Website: Web design is a critical element in your online presence. We can incorporate a design that works seamlessly across desktop, tablet and mobile, with designs that automatically scale and adjust to your device. Choose DIY option with a website builder or have your website designed by professionals.
• SEO: It’s important to implement a local SEO campaign if targeting a specific area. Tactical-Moves gives free SEO audits!
• Content plan: Strong content marketing will pull in visitors and encourage them to convert. You will need well-crafted landing pages with creative content that can increase conversion rates, instill trust in your subject matter expertise, and solve problems for your customers.
• Blog/Articles: Likewise, you need stellar content in the form of blogs and articles that show off your industry expertise. Blogs help with link building, driving traffic to your website and converting traffic into leads.
• Google Business Profile: Sign up for your free Google Business Profile. Add essential contact and business information, photos, logos and more. More onManaging Google Business Profile (Google My Business)
• Listings and Citations: When you take control of your local citations, your SEO rankings will rise. You need the major search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo! to recognize and rank you – your website alone can only do so much! Local business citations are important because they ensure accuracy of your information, give you control over the data listed in local directories, and help prevent third parties from publishing false information about your company.
• Generating reviews: Review management is another critical component of your online marketing strategy. Reviews offer a local ranking factor and they improve conversions.
• Live Chat: All our websites include live chat software for free. Managed live chat will immediately engage your customers while they are browsing your website, immediately personalize your approach to any customer and assist them in making a purchase, and keep potential customers on your website longer.
• Technology: Of course, you need the technology to power your small business, such as a computer system, printers, scanners and phones. For a business line, you will need a local number if targeting a local area. If you are a national company, you will need a toll-free number as well. You’ll also need to fuel your hardware with office software such as Microsoft Office Suite or Google Suite.
• Print advertising: Online marketing campaigns are great but you still need a traditional print marketing campaign for business cards, flyers and other print items.
• Automation: Todays digital marketing tools can save time and help your business succeed with autopilot campaigns

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