Internet Marketing Partnerships Fuel Small Business Growth

Internet marketing strategies and success just isn’t for global companies or national brands; if anything, it has opened up growth opportunities for many small business owners who can take advantage of some of the same marketing tools as larger companies without needing the powerhouse marketing budget to go with it.

Case Study: Carithers Flowers

Take Carithers Flowers, for example, an award-winning, 37-year old family-owned business with retail headquarters at Powers Ferry in Georgia. They are a full-service florist offering same-day delivery to Acworth, Alpharetta, Buckhead, Canton, Decatur, Duluth, Kennesaw, Marietta, Sandy Springs, Smyrna, Tucker and Woodstock. Not only does Carithers Flowers offer a beautiful selection of floral arrangements and gifts both online and at retail locations, but the company also works with environmentally sustainable farms and gives extensively to charity and community programs.

 Being voted the Number One Florist in Atlanta did not just happen by chance for Carithers Flowers. The local florist has been working for years to nurture its relationships with customers and offers a friendly and knowledgeable place to shop for flowers. Although a lot of great word-of-mouth marketing has helped grow the company, Carithers realized that the Internet could become an excellent way to fertilize its business for long-term growth.

The comprehensive marketing approach employed by Flyline Search Marketing is an invaluable asset, allowing Carithers Flowers to reach the broadest possible audience and, as a result, give back even more to the community. The Internet Marketing program for Carithers consists of a turn-key solution that has helped deliver a number of benefits for a minimal marketing investment, including blogging, social media, online advertising, search engine optimization, and more. The results have achieved the program’s main goals:

·        Generate more sales revenue;

·        Increase the flow of customer leads;

·        Improve organic placement opportunities on the major search engines;

·        Create natural in-bound links to their website; and

·        Enhance their brand image online and offline.

Lessons Learned

A small business owner like Carithers Flowers has learned the advantages of forming an alliance with an Internet Marketing specialist like Flyline, which can provide good lessons for other small business owners out there who are currently considering if they should try an Internet Marketing program:

• Develop an approach that addresses both short-term objectives and long-term results.
• Focus on Internet marketing objectives that are targeted to each customer segment. 
• Combine numerous Internet marketing channels, including social media, online advertising, fresh content, and ongoing press releases and publicity for online and offline audiences.
• Evolve strategies as customers change their interests to keep them interested and loyal. 

Finally, look for a partner who wants to establish lasting, mutually beneficial relationships versus one that just wants to offer a quick campaign that doesn’t build marketing or brand momentum. Having an expert who understands Internet Marketing and who can combine the best strategies is worth their weight in gold. Before you know it, you’ll have more customers in bloom just like Carithers Flowers.

Send us your questions on how your small business might use Internet Marketing or share your success stories with our readers by providing your comments below.