Almost half of all small businesses spend two hours a week on marketing activities.
Are you one of them? Do you want to grow your business? Then you need to have the right digital marketing strategies in place to make the most of your time.
It can be even more confusing if you’re new to digital marketing. There are so many ways to use digital marketing, you might not know where to start.
Read on to learn the top digital marketing tips to optimize your marketing efforts.
1. Start With Your Website
Your website serves as the centerpiece of your marketing activities. If you can market your business well, then you can certainly get enough traffic to make a difference in your business.
That’s not guaranteed, though. A website that delivers a horrible user experience will do more to lose business than anything else.
You need to design your website in a way that gets people to stay on your site and take action.
What are the elements of a good website? The colors and fonts should be easy to read and match your brand.
2. Pick the Right Social Networks
Do you feel like you need to be on every single social network? You don’t need to get a Clubhouse invite! You do need to know who your audience is and where they hang out online.
Does your target audience consist of mostly men? Then you can get on Reddit, which is about two-thirds male, and contribute to the conversation. If you target women, then utilize Pinterest.
You should only pick about three social networks that your target market uses, and post regularly on each platform.
3. Identify Your Marketing Funnel
Online marketing has to be thought of as a funnel. It’s very rare that a person will come across your company for the first time and make a purchase.
Most small business owners target this small slice of the audience because it means an instant sale. You need to be smart and think about the long game.
What usually happens is that people learn about your brand on one social media platform or in a search. They may follow you if you provide good content or join a Facebook group that you run.
As they get to know you, they’ll keep you in mind for when they have a need for your product or service. It could be months or even years before they buy.
You need to make sure that you value them as followers and don’t always go for a quick sale.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Go Live
Live streaming is the big thing in digital marketing. It’s not just for gamers, either. Since the coronavirus pandemic started, event planners and fitness professionals turned to technology to deliver content.
Live workouts became a lifeline and events went virtual. People got used to the idea of tuning in to an online broadcast.
What should you do live? You can give real estate tours or share your thoughts about a topic that’s important to your audience.
You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a studio to create high-quality live streams. You just need to have a phone, a good internet connection, and a microphone to capture quality sound.
5. Search Engines Drive Leads
Search engines do a great job at driving traffic to your website. The thing to remember is that they drive high-quality traffic to your site, too.
That’s because people are looking for solutions and answers to questions. They want to know if a product is worth getting, how products compare, and how to get the product at the best price.
For example, someone who wants to compare products will do so by the brand names. You can have an article on your site that compares the two products in your niche.
6. Email Still Works
Don’t write off email marketing. It still works and your email list can be the most important marketing asset in your business.
Why? It’s an asset that you control.
You can spend years building up your following of thousands of users and you can have your account pulled with no warning. An algorithm change to a search engine or social network can cause your content to be seen by fewer people.
Traffic drops along with your sales.
Email marketing lets you connect with your audience as often as you want and you can give your list exclusive discounts and information about your business.
7. Consistency and Value Win
Small business owners wear a lot of hats. That makes digital marketing incredibly difficult. One person can only do so much. You may need to do administrative work, serve customers, and put out fires every day.
Social media and digital marketing tactics aren’t the priority. That’s why people don’t see results from digital marketing.
You need to be consistent in order to win. You don’t need to post on four social media channels every day. You do need to have a schedule that works for you and be consistent with it. That helps with your engagement and you can build enough momentum to get a good following.
The other part of the equation is to have content that adds value. Content that seems transactional instead of personal will do nothing for your business.
Make a list of the common questions that you get from your customers and prospects. Think about their challenges and fears. That is the basis of your content because you can address specific pain points that your customers experience.
Make Digital Marketing Work for Your Business
Digital marketing is one of the best tools you can use to generate sales and drive traffic to your site. To make it work, you need to know your audience, pick the right channels, and get creative.
Do those things and sprinkle a lot of consistency on top, and you have yourself a thriving business.
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