Why You Can’t Grow Your Online Presence as a Small Business and How To Fix It
Struggling to grow your online presence as a small business is a problem that many know all too well. It’s frustrating and can drive any business owner crazy. This is where digital marketing services for small businesses come in. However, many don’t know exactly what digital marketing is and how it works. Having something that can solve your problem, but you don’t know much about it is no help. This is where a professional digital marketing specialist comes in. Their job is to grow the online presence of your company and get you in front of your target audience. They also should explain to you how they’ll get these results. But before you can get to any of these steps, you must first find the right marketing agency to match with your small business.
The Reason Why You Can’t Find the Right Digital Marketing Agency
That’s right. The reason you can’t grow your online presence as a small business is because you’re not working with the proper digital marketing agency that fits your business size. The size of your company and your budget plays a major role in which digital marketing agency for small businesses you should go with. The reality is all marketing agencies aren’t created equal. You may be a small business trying to work with a company that doesn’t have the proper tools to meet your needs, or vice versa. This is why your business size, budget and goals should be established first before you even start working with a digital marketing agency.
Different Small Business Sizes
You may now be asking yourself, “how do I determine the size of my business.” After all, it’s a small business so that explains its size. Wrong. There are different types of small businesses. Think of it as a size within a size. The primary 3 sub-sizes that fall into the small to medium size business (SMB) category are:
- Small to medium size business (SMB)
- Micro size business
- Start-up business
Learn How to Determine Your Small Business Exact Size
So how do you determine your small business size? According to sba.gov there is no one set number to determine what size your business is. There’s a broad scale and a few main parameters that are used to determine its size. The ranges vary depending on certain factors including what industry your business is in. However, the top parameters are:
- Revenue
- Gross
- Number of persons employed
To establish what size your small business truly is use our chart below.
| Small to Medium Businesses | Micro-Size Businesses | Start-Up Businesses |
| Revenue: $500,000 – $7.5 million | Revenue: $100,000 – $499,999 | Revenue: 0 – $99,999 |
| Employees: 50 – 250 | Employees: 10 – 49 | Employees: 1 – 9 |
| Usually a LLC or Corporation | Usually a Partnership or LLC | Usually a Sole Proprietorship or LLC |
| Most Suitable Digital Marketing Specialist: Full Service Digital Marketing Agency for Small to Medium Size Businesses | Most Suitable Digital Marketing Specialist: Start-Up or Partnership Digital Marketing Agency | Most Suitable Digital Marketing Specialist: Freelance Digital Marketing Specialist or DIY (Do It Yourself) |
Digital Marketing Services for Small to Medium Size Businesses (SMBs)
The ideal type of digital marketing agency for small to medium size businesses (SMBs) is a full service digital marketing agency. A full service digital marketing agency is a company that handles all aspects of a company’s online presence. All your online marketing needs will be met. These types of agencies have the tools and resources to serve a small to medium size business that’s looking to grow. You as a small to medium size business will also more than likely have the budget to afford these high quality services. This type of agency also has a team where each member is assigned a responsibility to help your company in multiple marketing categories. Below is our chart of pro’s and con’s for a small to medium business (SMB) working with a full service digital marketing agency.
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Expertise level of industry | 1. A lot of digital marketing agencies to choose from, which can be overwhelming. |
| 2. Unlimited amount of online marketing services | 2. May have to work with a remote company, which can be discouraging to some business owners. |
| 3. High quality tools used to give your company the best results | 3. Less likely to work with a small budget. |
| 4. Has connections and a reputation in the digital marketing industry. | 4. May have a specified contract term that locks you in to being their client for a certain amount of time. |
| 5. Has a team of experts that all collectively work together to help your business succeed. | |
| 6. More likely to generate faster results for your business. | |
| 7. More likely to generate steady results for your business. | |
| 8. Expert at getting you directly in front of your target audience. | |
| 10. Can troubleshoot any digital marketing related issue your company comes across. |
What type of services to expect from a full service digital marketing agency for small to medium businesses:
As a small to medium sized business looking to expand, the type of services you should expect from a full service digital marketing agency are:
- Website optimization/ On-page SEO
- Social media management
- Generate backlinks
- Data analyzing
- Maintain monthly website blog
- Paid Per Click (PPC) ads
*Please note some of these services can vary and increase depending on which full service digital marketing agency you work with.
Where to find a digital marketing agency for small to medium sized businesses:
- Google search
- Networking events
- Business seminars and expos
- Word of mouth referrals
Digital Marketing Services for Micro Size Businesses
Digital marketing services for small businesses that are classified as micro size should ideally work with start-up agencies or two digital marketing specialists that formed a partnership. This small yet dedicated size marketing team is perfect for giving a company that’s still growing the attention it needs to succeed. A start-up or duo team of digital marketers will have the right number of employees with the perfect level of expertise your micro size business needs. Both entities will be a good match for each other and compliment one another. Below is our chart of pro’s and con’s for a micro size business working with a start-up digital marketing agency.
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. The right amount of knowledge to suite your micro business needs | 1. Don’t have the expert level to handle any issue that may arise |
| 2. A medium amount of digital marketing services, which is usually all a micro size business needs | 2. As your business grows this type of digital marketing agency won’t have all the services needed to accommodate you. |
| 3. Has a small team and is able to give your business more “one on one” attention | 3. Their small team can easily get overwhelmed your marketing needs |
| 4. Can generate results in an average amount of time | 4. Due limited resources may not be able to produce results as fast as you would like |
| 5. Prices tend to be more reasonable | |
| 6. Time range of agreement may be more flexible and not lock you in for several months at a time. | |
| 7. Can troubleshoot a wide range of issues you may face |
What type of services to expect from a start-up digital marketing agency for micro size businesses:
- Website optimization/ On-page SEO
- Social media management
- Generate backlinks
- Some data analyzing
- Maintain monthly website blog (optional)
Where to find a digital marketing agency for micro sized businesses:
Digital Marketing Services for Start-Up Companies
A lot of businesses classify themselves as a small to medium size business, but they’re really a start-up business. This makes a difference in terms of marketing budget and other areas. The best type of digital marketing services for start-up companies are freelance marketers or DIY (do it yourself). Start-up companies usually don’t have the budget to afford a full digital marketing service agency. It’s also not necessary until their business grows. However, you need to start somewhere. This is where a freelance digital marketing specialist would fit perfectly. You also have the option of marketing your business yourself. Below is our chart of pro’s and con’s for a start-up business working with a freelance digital marketing specialist or going the DIY route.
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Affordable prices | 1. Skills and knowledge may be harder to verify. |
| 2. Easier to find | 2. Usually works alone which mean they have no help or support for marketing your business. |
| 3. . More likely to get one-on-one and special attention for your business. | 3. Offer less digital marketing services due to lack of experience and expertise. |
| 4. 4. More willing to work with your marketing budget. | 3. Offer less digital marketing services due to lack of experience and expertise. |
| 5. Payment schedule is usually flexible and on a month-to-month basis. | 5. Less likely to troubleshoot any issues that may arise due to lack of knowledge. |
What type of services to expect from a freelance digital marketing specialist for start-up businesses:
- Website optimization/ On-page SEO
- Social media management
- Generate some backlinks
Where to find a freelance digital marketing specialist for start-up businesses:
- Digital marketing/ IT students
- Word of mouth
- Fiverr
- Craigslist
For DIY (Do It Yourself) digital marketing for your start-up business
If you have a start-up business and your budget is tight at the moment you can always do your own digital marketing. To achieve this you must carve out time in your schedule to perform your own digital marketing services. The best way to achieve this is to create a daily to do list where you mark off each marketing task. As your own digital marketing specialist you more than likely aren’t an expertise on the industry, so you should stick to performing simple yet effective tasks for your business. They include:
- Optimizing your business website/ On page SEO
- Social media management (posting to your business social media pages daily)
- Reaching out to medias within your industry about getting your company featured
Finding the right digital marketing agency that complements your small business size, audience and budget is like finding the perfect match made in heaven. For a lot of companies it’s the missing link that’s stopping them from going to the next level. Thankfully with this guide you can find the perfect digital marketing agency for small businesses that would be honored to grow your brand.
