Today’s business world is becoming increasingly driven by digital marketing. In fact, studies have shown that online shopping has experienced exponential growth in the last decade – increasing by 62% in 2016 alone. This massive growth in website-centered sales and internet-based businesses has brought in hundreds of billions of dollars this year, with no sign of slowing down. This has opened a large window of opportunity for small businesses to enter the marketplace – yet, many fail to do so.

While many businesses do have their own websites to provide information to their customers, most are not utilizing digital marketing to its full potential. A business website should give customers a place to learn about a business and its products & services, while also convincing them to become a paying customer and providing the option to buy the business’s products online.

This concept is rather simple, but I wanted to provide three tips in order for you to make the most out of your business’s digital marketing endeavors.

Build Your Business Website

Obviously, building a website should be the number one priority. Nowadays, platforms like Squarespace and WordPress make it rather easy to get a website put together with little effort and expenditures – in fact, with these services you can get a website made without any knowledge of coding. However, it is definitely worthwhile to learn basic website coding skills, as this will make troubleshooting much easier, and could save you a little money along the way.

Utilize Search Engine Optimization

Once you get your website built, it is important that you understand and implement search engine optimization from the beginning. Otherwise, you will have a lot of backpedalling and editing to do in the future. Search engine optimization is the practice of using tactics, techniques, and strategies to make a website rank highly in search results. As consumers are more likely to turn to a search engine to find products and services, you will want your business to be presented to them as the answer to their questions. If you are not entirely sure where to begin, I’d recommend checking out Moz’s beginner’s guide to search engine optimization.

Put Social Media to Work

Social media is a large part of today’s society. Chances are: your friends, family, and peers are all using social media in order to stay up-to-date with the latest trends. Alongside your loved ones, businesses are succeeding on social media as well. Forbes conducted a study that showed 78% of salespeople using social media will outsell those who are not. Therefore, your business needs to be using it as well. Social media can get your business (and your products & services) directly in front of potential customers. Many businesses are now integrating social media into their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools – however, it is important to emphasize the term “social” when using social media. This means your business should be active in the community – participate in the conversation, answer questions, and offer your business’s insights. This will create trust behind your brand name.

Overall, digital marketing now plays a large role in a business’s success, but it is up to you to make the decision to utilize it to your advantage.