Everyone seems to have a suggestion as to which digital marketing strategies are best for businesses to use. This can make it difficult for small business owners to decide where to focus their digital marketing efforts at a time when driving online leads is more important than ever. Fortunately, there are a number of marketing strategies available that have proven their effectiveness over time.
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Search Engine Optimization
If you have experienced any exposure to digital marketing before reading this article, you are not surprised to see SEO at the top of any list pertaining to digital marketing strategies.
SEO is a group of strategies that make it easier for major search engines to find your business website online. And while it can seem a little complicated at times to learn the ins and outs of SEO, it is well worth the time it takes to do so
A few concepts that will get you started with SEO are keyword research, creation of a sitemap, and setting up both Google analytics and Google search console.
Local Search Marketing
Local business owners have paid much more attention to local search marketing over the last few years and they have a good reason to do so. There is no way to overemphasize the benefits of having customers locate your brick and mortar business online.
You can begin your local search marketing efforts by making sure you complete your Google My Business profile. This Google service makes it possible for search engine users to see businesses within a certain proximity to their present location when they search for relevant keywords. You can always update the information in your Google My Business profile and never have to worry about this information becoming outdated
Content Marketing
A pattern of providing website visitors with useful and valuable content is the best way to ensure your target audience will interact with your website on a regular basis. It is becoming more and more important as the marketing environment online becomes more competitive to provide users with content that is evergreen and helps them address a pressing problem they possess.
The content you provide should address a particular concern that visitors to your website may have. Doing this consistently will build both appreciation and trust. For example, a person who is concerned with filing their income taxes and has not received their W2 form from their employer will appreciate an article from you that provides instructions regarding what they should do next. This will make these visitors more likely to return to your website.
Key terms to remember as you devise your content marketing strategy include native marketing, marketing augmentation, and influencer marketing.
Remarketing
Most business owners will see the benefit of making contact with a website visitor in the near future if the visitor showed interest but did not take action upon their first visit. Remarketing works by tracking website visitors with cookies and then delivering a targeted ad from your business to the visitor at a later time.
Remarketing will allow you to connect more with potential customers, increase awareness for your brand, and produce more conversions.
Social Media Marketing
Most business owners are now posting at least occasionally on social media. But you may be among the many business owners who want to know how you can make the time you spend on social media more effective.
Consistency is a major factor in social media marketing. You should know what time your target audience is online each day and devise a plan to interact with them at every opportunity. The message you deliver should also be directly targeted to your intended demographic.
Other things you should consider for social media marketing include being watchful of social trends and being sure to measure and analyze the results of your social media marketing efforts often.
Email Marketing
Many seasoned digital marketing experts feel email marketing is the most effective way businesses can use digital marketing to reach their intended audience at desired times. Email marketing has also proven effective at increasing both sales and conversions.
Email marketing can be counted as one of the most cost and time-effective digital marketing strategies. In fact, email marketing can be of no cost if you develop your own list of contacts.
One more benefit of email marketing is it is perfectly suited for integration with other marketing efforts. It does not take much to add social media share icons or links to your website in each email you send.
Influencer Marketing
Hiring an influencer to help promote your business is another effective digital marketing method that can be extremely cost-effective. Many business owners equate influencer marketing to paying celebrities or other famous people to plug their brands.
However, one simple and effective way to take advantage of influencer marketing is to employ the services of a popular online personality. Many of these influencers already possess a proven track record for promoting products and services. They will also not cost you nearly as much to work with as an A-list Hollywood celebrity.
You will need to do your research before betting your money on a particular internet personality. One way to do this is to spend a little time on Twitter to see what conversations you find after submitting a few hashtag search terms relative to your industry. Once you have a few targets, you can contact these influencers using social media.
Video
Consumers have shown their interest in video advertisement and marketers have taken note. A recent study showed that nearly 90 per cent of digital marketers presently make use of video in their work.
A great deal of this video advertising takes place on YouTube but where you post your advertisement will not matter much if you do not produce quality content
Much of the video content produced by marketers is intended to address the pain points of consumers. Video content is also great for making businesses seem more human. Video content suggestions include behind the scenes looks at your company in action or testimonials from customers and employees.
Final Thoughts
There is no need to tell any business owner in 2020 how important digital marketing will be to the success of his or her business. The problem is there are so many options and so much information circulating regarding digital marketing it can be difficult for businesses to gauge what is right for their particular situation. The eight tips above will provide business owners with a solid group of digital marketing strategies that have proven the ability the bring results over time.