Over the past decade we have witnessed an explosive supernova when it comes to the expanding world of digital marketing techniques. The sheer wealth of knowledge currently available on the internet is absolutely mind-boggling - which means it's getting harder and harder for individual businesses to find their footing online.
Although some of the points listed in this article are fairly obvious, I'm going to explain how you can use various online marketing strategies to outfox your competition and bag more clients!
Creating Juicy Content
Quick question: what is a book without words, characters and a plot? Take those things away and the item is no longer an interesting book, it's just plain paper. The same principle can be applied to your business' content marketing strategy. You must create engaging content that inspires your customers, otherwise what's the point in even creating the content in the first place?
Did you know that in recent years the way people search for information on the internet has changed? Instead of just Googling keywords like “broken fridge” people are now asking more complex questions on Google such as “How can I fix the flashing red light button on my X880 fridge?” This is massively important in terms of content optimisation and how your business publishes online content. Your content needs to be informative as well as solve a 'pain point' by giving your customers the answers they seek. Examples of this type of content include:
- Blogs which talk about relevant topics in your industry. Don't be afraid to inject a bit of personality and write with an informal tone as this will build a more personal connection with your audience. Great examples of blog titles include '5 Top Tips To...' / '3 Step Checklist On' / 'Did You Know' / 'How To...'
- Free downloadable content such as eBooks / checklists / templates
- Visuals like infographics, videos and charts (this type of content is brilliant to share with your social media followers)
- Interviews or podcasts. Keep in mind that your content doesn't need to be ridiculously long or have ultra HD 3D graphics, instead your content needs to be informative and provide value to the customer! If you're struggling with video marketing ideas then check out this article on 5 Types Of Video Marketing You Can Use As Part Of Your Business Strategy
- It's also worth noting that you can use your online reviews and customer testimonials as a springboard to engage new clients
When it comes to content marketing tactics quality will always beat quantity. Don't just push out mediocre, rushed blog articles or videos just because you feel like you have to. Instead focus on creating content that you can be proud of. Remember that your content will more than likely be the first thing your new customers 'sees' online – and as such it needs to pack-a-punch and make a great first impression!
The Importance Of SEO
There is a common misconception floating around the Internet that SEO is basically “keyword stuffing” to ensure your website is shown in the Google search results. This is false. Failing to correctly optimise your website and your content can cripple your online conversion rates and render your efforts completely useless. SEO is a massive topic which covers multiple areas, for an in-depth analysis I recommend reading the following articles below:
- 4 Important Things To Know About Technical SEO For Websites
- SEO For Images: How To Optimise Your Photos, Logos & Infographics
- How To Write A Great Meta Description To Improve Organic Click-Throughs!
Social Media Interaction
It is estimated that there will be around 2.67 billion social media users worldwide by 2018. With this statistic in mind it would be extremely stupid and naïve for your business to not part take in social media marketing!
Social media is a great way to interact and communicate with your customers on an intimate level. Here's a list of ways you can use social media to boost your online presence in order to gain new customers:
- We recommend aiming to reply and interact with your customers on social media every few hours (if possible) especially if a customer is asking you a question about your products or services. Replying to customers quickly will inspire confidence in your brand and show that you do care about what your customers think and say about you online.
- More to the point, if you were a new customer and you saw someone else's question on social media hadn't been answered in over 2 days would you feel inclined to invest in that business? The answer is no, you'd probably click off the page and go elsewhere!
- It's also a good idea to post regularly on your social media profiles. This can be once or twice a week, or even a few times a day. Shareable content includes links to your website, or links to your other online assets such as your infographics or blogs. Sharing your content demonstrates that you're proud of what you do!
- Moreover, the content you share doesn't necessarily have to be created by you. In fact, we recommend posting content from curated sources like newspaper articles to show you have a genuine passion for your industry. Although please be extra careful to not promote content from your competitors!
- You can also use social media to tease and promote your upcoming products and services.
When it comes to social media be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. Your business should only be present on the platforms which you can actually use to your advantage. There is no point in having a YouTube account if you only upload one video every 3 years! Any social media presence you have must be updated regularly with rich, industry-related content.
Networking Tips
Exchanging information and interacting with other businesses / people is exceptionally important for a number of reasons. Firstly, if your business refuses to make the effort to actually talk to other people in the industry then why on earth would a customer make the effort to talk to you?
Networking is all about give and take. It's vitally important to try new things and put yourself out there by saying “Hey world - here I am! This is what I have to offer and this is why I'm the best option for what you're looking for!”
One thing many businesses tend to forget is the fact that networking doesn't just happen online through email or social media. Networking can also take place offline at industry events or conferences through getting stuck in and speaking to people face-to-face. We recommend you promote your attendance on your social media, through email or create a new landing page. Even if no new leads come from attending the event itself you could always write a blog article about what you learned from the event!
Stop Spamming Through Email
Email marketing can sometimes be an absolute minefield. The whole process of writing emails to your subscribers can be confusing at times, so much so that after a while it can feel like you're simply going through the motions and hitting 'send' just because you have to.
To help make the process clearer here are some simple tips:
- Stop wasting people's time. You should only send an email when you have sometime valuable to say. Constantly spamming your subscribers with the same offers and the same content is tedious and frankly pointless.
- Be trustworthy and reliable. Always make it clear who is sending the email and why. Your full name, business name, address and contact details should be in the email to ensure your subscribers know you're not trying to scam them.
- Don't be too forward or creepy. It's a good idea to personalise your emails by adding the person's name and a bit of information about what actions they've taken on your website, however be careful not to go overboard. Something like this would be perfect: 'Hello Lisa – We saw you downloaded our eBook on Topic X last week from our website – what were your thoughts? Here is another piece of content you might be interested in...'
- Finally, give people a reward for reading your emails such as a special offer. Make sure that each customer feels valued and appreciated, rather than just another subscriber in your mailing list.
Be Proud Of Your Pay-Per-Click Campaigns
Pay-Per-Click campaigns are those colourful adverts which appear at the top of your search engine results page. Pay-Per-Click campaigns (otherwise known as Google AdWords) is an extremely effective way of gaining new customers for both B2B and B2C companies. The purpose of the Google ads is to drive traffic to your website.
Here's a list of ways Google AdWords can help you grow your client base:
- Unlike annoying random pop-ups, PPC ads will only appear in the search results when a customer types in a relevant keyword. This means your ads have a higher chance of attracting customers that are genuinely interested in your products and services.
- PPC campaigns help build your online presence, regardless of whether your business is just starting out in the industry, or if you've been running a solid client base for a number of years.
- Let's be honest – how many times have you clicked on the first advert in the search results just because it's easy and convenient? The closer your advert is to the top of the page the more clicks you will get. It's true that Google AdWords does carry a cost, however when used correctly Google AdWords can give your business the boost it needs to get noticed by new customers.
- PPC is the best way to attract pre-qualified leads! A pre-qualified lead is a website user that is already interested in buying your product. A paid ad wouldn't have appeared in the search results if the user wasn't already typing in relevant keywords on Google!
- Google AdWords can help you improve your SEO strategy. Google AdWords allows you to look at your key performance indicators (KPIs) such as the number of impressions (how many people see the advert), the number of clicks, click-through rate, cost per click and the conversion rate. After analysing your KPIs you can assess whether your current marketing strategy is working to get you noticed online, and if not you can start changing your strategy!
- Finally, did you know Google AdWords allows you to target specific geographical locations? PPC advertising allows your business to harness the power of GPS. If you wanted to, your business can choose to have different paid ads shown in different areas. This point is particularly important when you consider the importance of mobile marketing with a huge number of people browsing their mobiles while out and about.
Final Thoughts
As a general rule of thumb quality content will always be the best way to grab the attention of new customers. Instead of moving through the motions for the fun of it, we suggest looking at your content (your social media, your emails, your website design and your offers) and asking yourself “If I was a new customer would I be interested or would I go elsewhere?” The best online marketing strategies focus on building a strong relationship with the customer to boost the chances of securing the sale.
If you'd like help with any aspect of your marketing please don't hesitate to get in touch with one experts at The JDR Group, Derby. Our team can answer any of your questions and review your current marketing strategy to give you some helpful tips on how to improve!
