Small fish in a big pond? Make these business moves to boost credibility

Small businesses may be the drivers of the U.S. economy, but few of them got that way by calling attention to their size.

These days, 99.7 percent of U.S. companies employ fewer than 500 workers, and nearly 90 percent employ fewer than 20. As such, they carry a lot of collective clout. Individually, however, they can face myriad challenges, especially when competing with larger corporations.

That’s why many play down their size, instead fostering customer trust by maintaining the appearance of a larger and/or nationwide presence that reassures clients they can provide all needed resources. A few tips for making that happen:

– Maintain a professional, SEO-optimized website: As of last year, half of all small businesses in the U.S. still lacked a website of any kind. That’s crazy, given the exponential rise in mobile and Internet use over the last decade. Eighty-nine percent of Americans now have home access to the Internet, and mobile accounts for 65 percent of all digital media time; thus you’re missing huge marketing opportunities if they can’t reach your website anytime on demand. “Whether you are a one-man or -woman show or operate with 100 employees, your website should appear as if you have a team dedicated exclusively to keeping your online presence strong and noteworthy,” advises Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle in Forbes.

– Choose a relevant web address: A domain name that makes sense for your business helps customers find you online and goes a long way toward boosting your credibility.

– Optimize a custom toll-free phone number: A 1-800 prefix strongly implies a nationwide presence for your firm, and call routing tools can conveniently funnel calls by branch or call center. A memorable vanity number that leverages words associated with your business makes you even easier to contact.

– Spend on marketing: Companies that are stingy with promotions can be seen as small-time by media-focused customers, some of whom may be skeptical if they’ve never heard of your brand. Marketing budgets typically are based on 1 to 30 percent of a company’s sales, though smaller businesses often just aim to match the spending of direct competitors.

– Invest in social media: Customers who can’t find you on social media may wonder why you don’t care enough to step up. Pew reported last year that nearly eight in 10 online Americans now use Facebook, while 24 percent use Twitter, 31 percent Pinterest, 32 percent Instagram and 29 percent LinkedIn. Savvy U.S. businesses are on board: A 2016 study predicts the share of marketing budgets devoted to social media marketing will grow from 10 percent to 25 percent between 2016 and 2021. And of small-business owners who use social media, 92 percent of respondents agreed “Social media marketing is important for my business.”

Devoting time, money and energy to some of those efforts can be challenging for small businesses, but they’re competitive differentiators when trying to maintain market share against bigger players.

“Big brands invest in their business every day,” notes Stephen Sheinbaum in Entrepreneur. “The right website, consistent marketing and the use of modern marketing tools like social media are all key — and are easier than ever for small businesses to have.”