To increase your business and have a strong, viable online presence in today’s massive digital landscape, you must be highly visible, searchable, and accessible to your current and potential customers in the online space. We’re here to tell you that it’s possible without search engine optimization.

And while some short-sighted SEO experts might argue that it’s not possible for a business to gain significant visibility online without SEO, that simply isn’t the case. Whether or not you have any online marketing expertise, here are 3 great ideas to increase your business without resorting to SEO:

1. Editorial sponsorship

One of the best ways to grow your business online is to sponsor, or buy ad space, from an established online publisher in your niche. For example, if you’re a cloud service provider, you could increase your business by partnering with a renowned technology website to sponsor one of their articles or to have one of your own well-designed business ads appear on their website for an agreed upon length of time. This will familiarize their large audience with your business’ name, drive traffic to your website, and even lead to sales, all without any SEO involved.

2. Trade Shows

As much as the online world has transformed the way we think of business growth, there are a few traditional areas of marketing that came way before SEO that remain highly effective ways to increase business. One of those areas is trade shows. For virtually every business niche imaginable you can find trade shows, conferences and conventions filled with your business peers and potential customers on a local and national level, and all you have to do is find these events, attend them with a handful of your business cards and company signage, and fully engage – no SEO required!

Are you overwhelmed by the idea of starting a blog? Let us help you. Check out our website design and blogging packages to see how easy and affordable it can be!

3. Thoughtful Networking

The third, but possibly the most effective and non-location specific way to increase your business without resorting to SEO is thoughtful networking. While networking is an age-old marketing concept, it’s something that you can leverage today’s technology to make an even bigger impact with. For instance, you can network by:

• Building an email list for current customers and reaching out to them with news and special offers (building customer loyalty)
• Researching various relevant online forums for prospective customers and clients, and reaching out to them to cultivate new business relationships
• Reaching out to non-direct competitors in your niche to establish mutually beneficial partnerships and campaigns
• Exploring popular social media channels in your industry and engaging with potential customers on those platforms
• Growing your own social media following and making stronger, individual connections with your followers on different channels

While SEO is, indeed, a powerful area of marketing for businesses online today to invest in, just remember that SEO is certainly not the only means of meaningful online growth. Thankfully, business owners who want to increase business without resorting to SEO can find success by trying whichever of these three ideas that works for them.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to check out these others:

5 Reasons NOT To Develop a Marketing Budget
How to Target Large Clients with Little to No Money
3 Lessons From The Entrepreneurship of Lemonade Stands
5 Inspirational Women in Business
The 10 Most Watched Ads on YouTube in 2014
Why a Blog is Critical to Your Marketing Strategy
15 Website Mistakes You Should Avoid (Part 1)
5 Tips for Successful Business networking
Is There Still Gold in Cold Calling?

This article is published by Will Sherwood | The Sherwood Group |Website Design | Graphic Design | Marketing Communications: The Sherwood Group has over 30 years of experience working with all sorts of companies, small and large. Our clients range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, in nearly every business sector, from across the street to around the world (and yes, even Europe, China, and South America). Our goal is to create advertising,  graphic design, website design, and marketing communication that still looks fresh and relevant 10-15 years later. Our mission is to stir your imagination and leave your competition shaken and wondering,  Now what do we do?”  We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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