It wasn’t that long ago that a small business just starting out couldn’t dream of outselling a large, established competitor. Back then, it took a lot of time, money, and patience to build a business. Start-ups had their work cut out for them, just trying to equal the sales of the Goliaths in their space. That was then.

Scott Gerber’s recent article for Entrepreneur.com tells of five ways small businesses can successfully brand themselves online. Scott explains that time spent optimizing your website, establishing social media channels, and participating in industry blogs and forums, is time well spent. These days, when David faces Goliath, he doesn’t need a slingshot, just a few well-placed mouse clicks.