In the era of e-commerce, any small business needs to gain exposure in social media and search engines. People don´t go anymore to the main shopping street in town to get what they want, they open their search engine or social media profile and start looking for what they want.

Many entrepreneurs find themselves thinking on how to overcome their competitors, the big business who dominate the market, and while many seem to see that task as mission impossible, there are some effective ways to attract customers and convert, it only takes efforts and self-confidence.

That said, below I touch on 5 simple strategies I´ve been using for a while to find a space in my industry and grow a successful business through blogging.

1. Stop thinking big and looking at your big competitors, instead look forward and be honest with yourself and moreover your business. Think about that group of persons who will be interested in your products and make them your best friends. Create a buying persona and develop 10 topics for which she or he would be interested at. 

2. Research about the topics you found, read what is written on the internet and develop articles around them. Think what can you offer on top of what already exists, and add value, there is always something else that can complement a topic.

3. Draw and structure of what you intend to write and then start filling up the sections. Once you are done read your writing loudly, you´ll probably find areas to improve your text.

4. Amplify your content. Find 5 influencers who might be interested in your piece, ask for their opinion before publishing and use their feedback or inputs. Then publish and let them know, it is very likely that they will share it and you´ll get an amazing exposure to their audience.

5. Warm up social media. Talk about the topic on social media, share information from other sources, run polls, ask for people to share views or images, and share your piece. After a while re-share it and keep improving its content based on people´s feedback.

This article was contributed by Andre Arriaza - who is an avid traveler and blogs for his own business Barcelona Eat Local Guide.