In the first place, if you are not online as a business, you are doing business wrong. Yes, I understand that you might think your customers are in your neighbourhood. I also get that you might be wondering why you need to fix something that isn’t broken.
This saying doesn’t work in all cases, though; sometimes, you need to fix what’s not broken because it can be better.
Even if you were comfortable being the neighbourhood store, your competitors are probably doing more to make shopping more convenient for your customers.
And although customers always go with quality, but they also go with the most convenient.
Therefore, being online in this age is crucial.
However, we cannot argue that being a one-man army doing everything alone, online marketing can feel overwhelming.
But it doesn’t have to be; you just need to get a hang of it. So, to help you as a solopreneur, I will be sharing important online marketing tips for solopreneurs.
With these tips, you can successfully win with online marketing as a solopreneur.
Vital Online Marketing Tips for Solopreneurs
Here are solopreneur marketing strategies to properly position your business online.
1. Identify Your Target Audience
The first thing you need to understand when it comes to marketing or even the business itself is that you are not selling to everyone; you are selling only to the people who need and want your product or service.
Therefore, you need to identify your ideal audience. Otherwise, you will be selling sunscreen in a snowstorm and won’t get far.
Before you post or promote anything, get crystal clear on who you’re talking to.
What do they look like?
What do they need?
Where do they hang out online?
What keeps them up at night?
The more specific you are, the more magnetic your message becomes, and the easier it will be to reach the right person.
To make it clearer, imagine wanting to sell a product to baby boomers and using Gen Z slangs; not only will they not understand you, they may think you’ve lost your mind. And you would have ended up wasting resources.
To avoid this, identifying your ideal audience is the first and one of the best things you can do for your business as a solopreneur.
2. Have a Website
Far too many times, I see sole entrepreneurs relying only on social media, but another important tip as it concerns marketing for solopreneurs is to own a website.
Social media is great, but your website is home. It’s the one place online that’s fully yours, where you don’t have to deal with algorithms, sudden bans, or distractions from cat videos.
Even if it’s just a clean one-pager with your offer, bio, and contact form, you need a website.
It makes you look legit and gives people a space to learn more about you, to shop, or book you.
Plus, when someone Googles you (and they will), you want them to find your narrative, not silence or a broken link.
3. Learn the Basics of SEO
I understand that simply hearing about SEO might seem like you are about to bite more than you can chew. But don’t worry, you don’t need to become an SEO wizard.
However, knowing a few basics would really help with your marketing.
SEO is basically optimising your website content to rank highly on Google and other search engines so that more people can find you when they search for businesses like yours or answers your kind of business can provide.
Think of search engines as a matchmaker trying to connect people with answers. If your content isn’t optimised, you’re basically hiding in the volume of information on the internet, hoping to be found.
However, rather than hoping to be found, how about you up your chances of being found? That’s what SEO does for you.
It teaches you to use the right keywords your audience is searching for so your content can live longer and reach farther.
Now, while basic SEO can help you get started, you need expert help if you want to scale. And that’s something I can help you with. Reach out and let’s help you increase the visibility of your business.
4. Use Email Marketing
Email marketing is still a very effective aspect of marketing. In fact, recent statistics show that the ROI is generally $36 for every dollar spent.
It, therefore, goes without saying that email marketing should be part of your marketing strategy as a new solopreneur. It is like your personal letter to people who chose to hear from you.
There’s really nothing like it because these are the people who signed up to hear from you. Surely, it will be wrong to disappoint them, right? Right!
So, start collecting emails early; even if it’s just 10 people at first. Use lead magnets like a freebie or discount to entice them to share their emails with you.
Then, you need to stay consistent. Share tips, stories, updates, or promotions. And don’t be salesy all the time; you will do better being human. Email is more effective when it’s personal.
5. Have a Content Strategy
Posting on the go might not seem like a big deal when you have just 2 customers, but I’m willing to bet you don’t want to stay there, or you might not be reading this.
If what you seek is high-converting digital marketing tips for solopreneurs, then you can’t afford to keep posting on the fly.
You must move beyond that to planning your content like you would a trip. You must know your destination and your route to get there.
Create a strategy with a mix of educational posts, behind-the-scenes, customer stories, product highlights, and your own musings. Then create a calendar to know when to post what and on what platform.
What we usually do for clients is to have themes for different days of the week that we choose to post, whether implied or not.
For instance, we may post educational posts on Mondays and behind-the-scenes posts on Fridays, even though we don’t necessarily name the day by those themes. But the idea is to have something consistent that followers can look forward to.
Consistency is very important with marketing, and a content strategy and calendar help you achieve that without burning out.
6. Share Your Content on Social Media
You can have great content, product or service – but if you don’t put yourself out there, nobody will know it.
So, don’t be shy to put your content out there.
You worked hard on that blog post, video, or infographic. Repurpose it into bite-sized gems for Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or TikTok – wherever your people hang out. Make sure to also use visuals, captions, hashtags, and even your own voice to push it further.
Remember, not everyone checks your website, but they’re definitely scrolling. Make it easy for them to stumble on your brilliance. Let them know you are the best at what you do., because I mean, if you don’t blow your own trumpet, who will?
7. Choose the Right Platform
Being on the right platform is just as important as being on social media. Just because a particular platform is trending doesn’t mean it’s for you.
You must, therefore, find the right platform for your business. For instance, if you’re a business coach, LinkedIn might serve you better than TikTok, and if you sell handmade art, Instagram or Pinterest could be gold for you.
The point is that you don’t need to be everywhere; you just need to be where your audience is. Of course, that doesn’t mean you must use only one platform. Pick one or two platforms and show up properly there.
8. Build a Community
You’re not just building a brand; you’re building a community; that’s, of course, if you want loyal customers.
I bet you do; that’s why you need to do beyond pushing for a business, but for a community of people who will always ride with you.
To do that, you need to show up and not just to sell, but to connect. You need to ask questions, respond to comments, go live, share stories or even create spaces where your audience can engage with you and each other.
The great thing about a loyal community is that they become your biggest cheerleaders, your feedback loop, and sometimes, even your friends. But most importantly, it turns customers into advocates.
9. Invest in Good Visuals
One of the online marketing tips for solopreneurs to pay attention to is to invest in good visuals. I know what you may be thinking, but you don’t need Hollywood-level production. However, grainy photos and messy graphics won’t cut it.
Visual content does better than plain text, so you cannot afford not to have visual content. As a solopreneur who may not have the budget to keep a designer on contract, you can do basic design with Canva. Canva can help you create clean, eye-catching designs even without prior design knowledge.
However, you may need to hire a freelance designer for your logo and maybe product shots. The usual everyday social media posts? You should be able to handle on your own with a little practice.
Whatever the case, aim for a polished look in your designs. First impressions online are visual, so make yours count.
10. Build a Recognisable Brand
One marketing mistake I see from many small businesses is the inconsistency of their brand. But if you want to create a business that will outlast you, then you need to make sure your brand is recognisable across the board.
This is not limited to your logo, it includes your voice, colours, vibe, and values. It’s also what people feel when they see your content.
To determine this, think about how you want to be remembered. Are you playful and bold or calm and professional?
Once you lock that in, be consistent across the board, from your website and emails to social media captions. Over time, people will start recognising your content and colours before they even see your name.
That’s what we call powerful branding.
Also Read: 15 Common Marketing Mistakes to Avoid as a Small Business
11. Invest in Paid Advertising
Yes, organic reach is wonderful. But let’s be honest, sometimes you need a little boost. If you can afford it, a good marketing tip for solopreneurs is to include paid advertising in your strategy. You can use it to promote your best content, lead magnets, or products.
Leverage Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads as they all allow you to target your dream customer directly.
And fortunately, you don’t need a huge budget. Even $5/day can get your offer in front of fresh eyes. The key is to test, tweak, and improve.
Remember that you don’t have to start big; start with the little you can until you can scale.
Being a solopreneur isn’t for the faint of heart because you are everything in one – CEO, marketer, salesperson, financial accountant, customer service rep, and creative director.
But the beauty of online marketing is that it levels the playing field. With the right strategy and consistency, you can build a strong, memorable brand that reaches the right people.
And if you need help with your content marketing efforts, contact me. Let’s work together to grow your business.
great post , thank you for sharing.