5 small business Internet marketing strategies for 2013

No matter what your small business does, the one thing it must do well in 2013, is Internet marketing.

Get your business in a position to steal market share (in what will hopefully be a recovering and growing economy) in 2013 by putting the right marketing strategies in place now.

This article takes a look at how the Internet is changing in response to the prolific rise of mobile devices, changes in search engines (in particular, Google) and SEO, and the evolution of social trends.

5 best Internet marketing strategies, 2013

I've chosen to focus on marketing strategies that suit small business better - in other words, ones that are innovative, effective and affordable (or free).

While big business can afford to dominate the PPC (Pay Per Click) and other paid marketing channels with large advertising budgets, there is always scope for wiley small business marketers to out-compete their larger counterparts and win business.

1. Adopt mobile

It's estimated that by 2015 the majority of devices accessing the Internet will be mobile devices like tablets and smartphones.

This means that your website should be mobile friendly - preferably with responsive Web design in place.

It also means that there is scope to explore new mobile marketing ideas and strategies.

Learn more about responsive Web design and mobile marketing by reading the following articles:

• 5 top mobile marketing strategies for 2013
• 3 ways to upgrade to a mobile website with responsive Web design

2. Build social influence

A small business' capacity to deliver online marketing materials to a wide and engaged audience is amplified by social authority, trust and reach.

Building social influence is time consuming and requires focus, skill and experience. Consider it a medium term investment in the growth of your business.

To learn more about how your business can build social influence, or leverage other niche influencers, check out:

• How social influencers can grow your business online
• Bringing small business marketing & networking to life

3. Refine the sales funnel

Many small businesses fail to refine and improve their on-site SEO, landing pages and general conversion rates. Take stock of your traffic patterns and conversions and work on a plan to generate a higher ROI (Return on Investment) with a proper sales funnel strategy.

Check out Sales funnel marketing strategy for bloggers to learn more.

4. Offer a free eBook

Yes, creating an eBook takes a bit of time and effort. But, by creating a brilliant, useful, engaging and highly valuable resource for customers, potential clients, or strategic partners (or any group you care to target), you stand to gain trust and authority, which can be converted into market share.

Small businesses don't necessarily have the time and resources to devote to creating a professional eBook. However, there are some tricks you can use to make things easier.

Read 5 reasons why every business should offer a free eBook to learn more about making and offering free eBooks

5. Start giving freely

The world of business is changing from the old model of businesses telling consumers "You consume the products we offer", to consumers telling businesses "We'll buy from whoever we like".

One of the best ways to get potential clients to like and trust you is to offer them something of value for free. Fortunately, the Internet is the perfect medium to facilitate the offer of free goods and services in an affordable way.

There are many different ways to incorporate free stuff into your business model. Check out 5 top business ideas that use free stuff to make money online for more information.

That's my top 5 list of marketing strategies for small business in 2013. What strategies are you looking to implement for your business in the coming year(s). Share your ideas and advice on marketing, or join me on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ to get more great marketing and online business ideas.