How to grow your business as a local online company in Kenya

Set up your local online business profile on Google

Setting up your business profile on Google is very important as a local online company. About 90% of Internet searches are carried out on the Google platform. This includes people searching for businesses with solutions to their problems. For example, let’s say someone requires a plumber and searches for ‘plumbers in my area’. Plumbers in their area that have set up their business profile on Google will appear first in the search results based on their proximity to the person and their business rating. These plumbers have a considerable advantage over those who haven’t claimed their business since they do not appear at the top of Google’s search results. Only 25% of Google users scroll down to the second page of their search results. Businesses that do not show up on the first page lose a lot of potential customers to competitors that have claimed their business on Google. Moreover, setting up your business profile allows people to locate your company’s physical address via Google maps. Pairing this with a good SEO strategy is a powerful way to generate sales and grow your business.

Social media for your local online business

One way to grow your business is to cultivate a following on social media. This allows one to engage with current customers and interact with potential customers easily. Social media also allows one to network with clients and form connections that entrepreneurs can leverage to help grow the business. Online retailers can use social media sites such as Instagram to display their products. Some of them may use it as their primary platform to conduct sales.

Joining WhatsApp groups and advertising is another way to grow your business. However, one needs to be careful. Constantly advertising your products on a WhatsApp group without providing any other user input is a sure way to get yourself kicked out of the group. Moreover, this will sully the reputation of your brand. Nobody likes spam. This strategy requires tact, but a savvy digital marketing team with above-average social skills can easily pull off social media marketing.

Email marketing for your local online business

Many companies have lost faith in the power of email marketing. This is due to the overwhelming amount of junk mail people receive daily from businesses looking to sell them a product. Many companies believe that their email marketing campaign won’t succeed as sites will flag them as spam. While this is a possibility, a well-executed email marketing campaign can be very lucrative for a business. The best way to do this is by sending potential clients personalised emails that offer solutions to their unique problems. This strategy limits the number of customers since marketers tailor each email to a specific client. Still, it is a lot more effective than sending a batch of mail to numerous companies. 

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Affiliate marketing

Affiliates promote your products for a commission. Affiliates can be individuals or companies that promote your product on your behalf. To earn this commission, affiliates will use uniquely trackable links to track the clicks and sales they generate. They passively generate sales and find new customers without any work on your part, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business. One kind of affiliate marketer that companies are beginning to use more these days is influencers. Influencers are individuals with a large social media following. Therefore, they can find a large pool of potential customers within an influencers fan base. Ensure the influencers fan base overlaps with the demographics of your target market.

Advertisements

Paying for advertisements on prominent websites such as Facebook, Google and YouTube is a great way to promote your business. For example, companies such as Jumia and Glovo have generated a lot of business from their YouTube advertisements. In this age of the internet, digital marketing is essential in promoting business growth.

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