This article will give a broad overview on how to market your business online in Trinidad and Tobago. I’ll give strategies I’ve used on my business as well as client’s businesses.
If your business isn’t visible online then does it really exist in this day and age? Just as in years past your customer would have searched the yellow pages, customers in the modern world turn to Google and Social Media to find what they need. I hope I drove that point home!
Social Media
Most people turn to social media for their businesses because it’s free (not exactly) and it’s the “go to” solution everyone suggests when marketing your business online. Please ensure your profiles are not private when doing this! Please ensure to use business profiles on the platforms you decide to use! In Trinidad and Tobago those platforms are likely to be a Facebook page and an Instagram account. TikTok use is on the rise here in Trinidad and Tobago so it’s an option you should be looking into. Please choose the platforms your users are most likely to use!
How to use social media for your business
How you use social media largely depends on the platform you use. Instagram is picture dominant, though if you have reels available to you then use that feature as well. Content on Instagram tends to be very curated and very high quality. Facebook on the other hand tends to be a mix of picture and video but luckily those don’t need to be as curated as Instagram. TikTok on the other hand is a video only platform for now. TikTok videos tend to be less curated and less focused on quality and being professional. My advice when creating content is to emulate the type and level of quality you will find on said platform. Please create specifically for the platforms you are going to use.
When to pay for ads
Be prepared to pay for ads on Facebook and Instagram from the beginning. One of the most overlooked aspects of using these platforms is that they require you to pay to reach more people. Their organic reach is usually very low with engagement coming from only 2% of your audience as a best case scenario. So… please prepare an ad budget!!!
TikTok for the time being still has great reach out of all the platforms and hasn’t began limiting business account reach as yet.
Google my business and SEO
Getting your business recognised by the top search engines is basically the holy grail of online marketing! Those search engines remain in business by providing high quality results when their users search, therefore they are incentivised to recommend your business!!!
Having a website for your business is extremely important in this online world. This is the reason we at Pellau Media offer websites for as little as $850TTD and in some cases only $250TTD. Your business needs to place a website at the centre of its online strategy. If my above points aren’t enough let me tell you the reason I’m writing this article… I’m expecting 100’s if not 1000’s of potential clients to discover this article through search. (Maybe you are one of them?)
E-commerce
While we are in the topic of the importance of a website; I must mention e-commerce! For those selling physical products or even a service which someone can pay for online, an e-commerce website is a must! As I mentioned above, a website should be the centre of your online strategy. It’s the place your customers are able to learn about your business and to be able to take it to the next level with your business. Most if not all industries can definitely benefit from having a website for their businesses.
The strategy
Since I’m “an expert in e-commerce” let me help you to tie in your e-commerce website into the full strategy.
Your social media, your blog and all other content is used to draw in attention from your potential customers. You are going to create content to build trust so that they are ready to buy from you. You are going to help sell the dream; e.g. if you sell mountain climbing equipment then rather than post the rope you should post the person climbing a mountain or if you sell sneakers you should post the athlete running in them rather than just a picture of the shoe. Let social media be a showcase for your products demonstrating why people should want them.
Encourage your new fans and followers to visit your website to purchase. This can either be in the form of a promotion or ensuring they know that the way to purchase your products is through the website. One of the mistakes I hear over and over from local businesses is “my clients want to talk to me and not visit a website”. When I ask them if they ever gave the customers the option of buying online… the answer is always NO. Think about it… does Amazon DM their customers?
You MUST offer delivery
Make it easier for your customers to do business with you. (Btw my business mission is to make it easier for small businesses to do business.. I just needed to mention that). As of 2021, customers expect businesses to be online and to offer delivery. Once the delivery fee isn’t too ridiculous then your customers will be willing to pay it in return for convenience. There are many various courier services which you can check out in my other article here. Multiple options make it more convenient. Maybe give them the option for pickup (for free) and a paid option for delivery.
You must accept payments online
Ok “must” is a bit strong. However for merchants selling physical items online… then yes this is a must! I’ve written articles explaining this process so check this link to read more. Ensure that all of work you did in the above steps pays off for you by being able to instantly close the sale. Imagine that there is a customer who wants your product at 11:59pm on a Saturday. What are you going to do? Wait until Monday when the impulse is gone or do you close your sale right away and collect the payment?
I hope this article gives at-least a general idea of how we as business owners in Trinidad and Tobago can take our businesses to the next level. I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to WhatsApp me at 1-868-264-1936 or even send a DM via Instagram @ pellaumedia with your comments and feedback on this article.
