One complaint I often hear about marketing: it’s expensive. On the one hand, I truly believe that great marketing will pay off far more than any monetary investment you make but on the other hand, I completely understand that everything is expensive (especially right now!) and a lot of entrepreneurs and small business owners are constantly looking for ways to cut costs.

The good news is that good marketing does not have to mean big money, and since I regularly work within the constraints of a tight budget, I have learned a lot of free marketing ideas over the years. So if you need a few easy and free ways to marketing your business, here are my top 5:

How to Handle Bad Online Reviews

Over time, all of us have dealt with customers who, for one reason or the other, were unhappy at the end of our transaction. Maybe they weren’t a great fit in the first place, or maybe something went wrong that was out of your control. Of course, sometimes we make mistakes - we’re all human, after all! - and the experience was objectively negative for everyone involved.

It’s not a great feeling when that happens, and it’s even worse when those particular customers decide to add a negative online review to your Google or Yelp profile. The bad news is that it’s there forever (unless the review is truly spam), and future potential customers will be able to see exactly what went wrong, whether true or not.

3 Things to do Each Month for SEO

The #1 problem I encounter with business owners and their SEO is lack of understanding about what it is and how they can improve their search engine rankings. While I’ve written a lot of content geared towards those issues (click here to see more), I wanted to give a small list of things anybody can do once a month to help their SEO, even if they have no technical knowledge and limited time. Read on to find out exactly what you can do!

The Best Marketing Advice for 2021

It’s the new year (finally) and, like many people, you probably have a list of goals, new habits, and lifestyle changes you want to incorporate for the new year. Even if you’re not a ‘new years resolution’ kind of person, there’s something about a calendar rolling over that makes everything feel fresh, like we have the chance to make some real changes and dream a little bigger. I know 2021 isn’t (yet) the huge relief we are all looking for, but there’s hope on the horizon…maybe, just maybe, things will be different this year.

Regardless of what happens in the area of health and government this year, it’s more important than ever to market your business effectively and efficiently, using your resources in the best possible way to amplify your message. As I think towards what this year will bring, my best marketing advice for 2021 is this:

What's Your Holiday Marketing Plan?

I know, I know…summer is gone and fall is flying by, and it feels way too early to talk about the holidays. But if you’re a business owner, planning ahead is the name of the game when it comes to marketing, and this year is no exception. If you start cobbling together your holiday plans in December, you’re already behind the curve - and most other businesses will already have the wheels in motion!

So, what are some things you can do to market your products and services this Thanksgiving and Christmas season? Here are a few holiday marketing ideas…

Why You Should Pay Attention to Your 404 Page

Lest I make any assumptions, I realize that there is a strong possibility you don’t even know what a 404 page is - let alone why you should pay attention to it! Every website has a 404 page. It’s the landing page for any broken links or misspellings in the URL. For instance, if you visit www.nike.com/1234, the page doesn’t actually exists…and you are quickly redirected to this page instead.

You’ve definitely seen a similar page before on multiple websites, letting you know that you’ve gone somewhere that doesn’t really exist. For most people, this is a standard page that says something like ‘Page not found.’ But what if you could actually use this page to market and brand your business? I’m here to argue that no web page should go to waste - even one that doesn’t technically exist!

Is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Expensive?

Business owners are always on a budget, and good business owners think hard about how they choose to spend their money. I completely understand, because I’m right there in the trenches with you! When it comes to thinking about one more thing to pay for in regards to marketing, it is understandable to recoil a little bit at the thought. So, does Search Engine Optimization have to be expensive? And is it really worth it?

The short answer: SEO does not have to be expensive to be effective.

SEOMaria Grace PhotographySeptember 22, 2020search engine optimization, seo tips, seo, online marketing, online business

From Photography to Online Marketing: My Story

When I first got called a serial side hustler, I was a little taken aback. Owning my own business seems like such a natural way of life right now (it’s been over 4 years since I’ve done anything else!) that I hardly think of it as anything different. And yet, this life I lead was started by a side hustle, a dream that many can relate to, whether you’re working hard to build a retail business, selling oils, or hustling hard online to create a life that you love.

It was with this concept in mind that I talk to Josie from the Josieology Podcast a short time ago, as I relived my experience of growing and launching into both my first and second side hustles - because not too long ago (a year this month!) I finally decided to transition from wedding photography to online marketing as my main focus. What a year it has been…

Five SEO Secrets You Need to Know

If you’re here, it may just be because you know that it’s incredibly important to prioritize your Google rankings and search engine optimization, but you’re not exactly sure how you can do that. There’s a lot that goes into SEO, and while some of it is complicated, there are other little changes you can make to dramatically improve your website without hiring outside of your company.

If you’re new to the world of SEO or just want to improve your rankings even a little bit in the days and weeks ahead, here are five SEO tips for any online business that are sure to help you improve!

1) A little update can go a long way…

A Day in the Life of...Me!

I wrote a few years ago about what a day in my life generally looks like, and it surprisingly turned out to be one of my most popular blogs. Since then, things have changed as business has shifted and Willow has gotten older…and, of course, when she started daycare a little over a year ago. So as an update to what life looks like for me on a day-to-day basis, here’s what I do!

Note: I feel like I have to mention first that I have learned to not adhere to a schedule so strictly that I can’t give myself a little grace, breathing room, or a random day to sleep in here and there. Then the rest of my day can fluctuate as needed.

Morning…

The Three Best Podcasts for Online Businesses

I tend to listen to podcasts when I have a little extra time during the day…and, actually, when I feel like I have less time than usual. Let me explain…

When I have more downtime (which, I’ll be honest, is rare), I might sit and listen to a podcast and occasionally take notes. I spend time really focusing on what each word says, and thinking through it all. However, on most days I am rushing from one thing to the next, just trying to fit it all in. On days like that, I turn on a podcast whenever I am doing something with my hands but not my head.

If I’m trying to feed my toddler lunch, there’s almost no way I can listen clearly, but if I’m prepping dinner while she plays outside or I’m making graphics for blogs like this while she naps, I often turn on a podcast. Sometimes, admittedly, my mind wanders and I don’t soak in all the information, but every little bit helps, and I love learning while I’m doing other day-to-day tasks.

So what podcasts have helped me grow as an entrepreneur? Here are the top 3 podcasts I would recommend for any online business…

How My Business Pivoted in the Pandemic

As I've started to reflect on the last few months and what changes have happened, my initial thought was that nothing really changed in my business. After all, I run my business entirely online, and even local client communication is done via email and phone calls - so what did I even have to change?

Despite that fact, I actually did need to pivot my business in a few different ways, and when I started to really dig in I was surprised at all the things I changed to not only stay afloat, but keep moving forward. Here's what I did:

Five Creative Ways to Announce Your Business Re-Opening

Maybe it’s been months since your business had to close its doors, but now things are finally starting to re-open! The problem is that this is true for everyone in your niche, and it’s easy to get drowned out in the noise of announcements from every corner of the internet. How can you stand out as your business opens its doors again? Here are five creative ways to make your announcement and get attention from past and future customers.

The Most Basic Aspect of SEO | Five Minute Marketing

Now that you know why Search Engine Optimization is so important, your next thought might be, “So what do I do about it?” When I first jumped into the world of finding out about SEO, I was admittedly a little overwhelmed. It seemed extremely technical and a bit over my head. Although at first I felt like I would never understand it, and while there is always more I could learn, I can now confidently say I have a good grasp of the concepts and what it means for small businesses.

There are a lot of different ways you can invest time into improving SEO, but the most basic piece of improving your website for Google is simply content. This is both the copy (words) that are on your website and the new content you are producing and sharing online with your audience. Both are foundational elements to creating and maintaining a robust search presence. So let me break that down just a little!

Why Bother with Search Engine Optimization? | Five Minute Marketing

As a business owner, you’ve got a million things on your plate…you have clients to keep happy, products and services to create, a thousand emails to answer (per DAY!), fires to put out, employees and contractors to deal with…and it’s already tax season again somehow! When it comes to marketing, the big push is to be visible on social media, and for now even that may feel like too much to handle!

Today, I am making a case for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and why it is even more important than social media marketing. Almost every business has a website, but very few business owners prioritize key updates needed to make their business show up on Google to potential customers. These are the top reasons why SEO matters as you consider your online success…

What Google and the Super Bowl have in Common

If you’re like me and almost every single person I know, you spent a few hours this Sunday sitting on your couch watching football…or at least, talking with a lot of people who were there for the purpose of watching Super Bowl 54 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. It’s a day that unites sports fanatics and non-football fans alike and, as with most things in life, it inspired my own thoughts about marketing and search engine optimization.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the Super Bowl and Search Engine Optimization actually have a lot in common. Confused? Don’t worry, I’ll explain…

How to Create a Marketing Strategy, Part 3

Congratulations! You’ve evaluated your marketing efforts, researched your target market and found out who follows you and what kind of content they’re looking for, and now you’re ready for the final step: actually creating a marketing strategy for your small business!

I hope by now it has become obvious what platforms work best for you, where your time has been well spent (and where you might need to shift away some time), and what kind of content you can create that speaks to your audience. Now let’s talk about creating an actual marketing strategy for the entire year ahead! Grab a year-long planner or calendar (I use this one and love it - plus it has an instant download!) and let’s get to work.

How to Create a Marketing Strategy, Part 2

Now that you’ve evaluated your marketing efforts, let’s move to the next step: research. Now before you close your browser and go running for the hills, know that this step does not have to be complicated or take a very long time, but it is crucial in finding out where to market, and will give you a clear ‘why’ behind the marketing. You can post on Instagram all day long, but if your target marketing doesn’t live there, it’s not a good use of your time! Regardless of what decisions you make, you should at least know where you can go to reach your ideal customers.

There are a few different types of research you can conduct, so I’ll break down the basics here…although I can’t possibly exhaust every option in one blog post!

How to Create a Marketing Strategy, Part 1

If you’re reading this, I know you have heard of marketing before…in fact, you’re probably actively working to market something, whether you are a small business owner or you simply have a side hobby that makes a little extra cash. The key element that so many people are missing, however, is a clear marketing strategy that gives a path forward for what to do and how to do it. Most of our marketing efforts involve wasted time, energy, and possibly even money, and a marketing strategy is the most effective way to prevent this from happening.

One of my main roles is to create a marketing strategy for clients, from a landscaping company to a local day spa to photographers and everyone in between. The hardest part is knowing where to begin, so I wanted to write a series addressing the how-to of creating an effective marketing strategy that will serve you for years to come.

The first step in creating a marketing strategy is looking back at what worked and what didn’t for your business. Let’s break down what an actual business evaluation looks like.

Five Minute Marketing: How to Get More Online Reviews

Trust. It’s one of the top factors to getting people to buy your product or service. The bigger the investment, the more trust you have to earn in order to gain new customers. Besides word-of-mouth, one of the best ways to earn trust online is through reviews. Google, Facebook, and Yelp are some of the top platforms that allow customers to review your services, but there are a million more, and many industry-specific sites. I’m certain that your customers have looked at your online reviews at some point, and if there are crickets there…well, it may have ruined a sale or two.

So what is the best way to get online reviews - especially the good ones? It takes a little bit of strategy and a little bit of time, but increasing the trust factor among potential customers is so worth the investment. Here’s what you need to do:

Maria Grace, LLC
Online Marketing Solutions for Small Businesses
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday; 8am-5pm

Copyright 2023 Maria Grace, LLC

Maria Grace, LLCOnline Marketing Solutions for Small BusinessesHours of Operation: Monday-Friday; 8am-5pm

Maria Grace, LLC
Online Marketing Solutions for Small Businesses
Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday; 8am-5pm