Digital technology or digitization in recent times has drastically changed the way companies work. Now, campaigns and advertisements are approached in a remarkably different way. Corporate giants are not the only ones who benefit from digital marketing. It is, in fact, the key to success for a local or small business owner.
There are extensive strategies that apply to the digital marketing campaign and one would not be able to capture all. However, there are some essential ones which small business owners should surely embed in their business. To know the detailed key elements, taking a short online digital marketing course or joining a professional SEO firm to get SEO training is the best way for learning how to utilize effective strategies. Besides, look out for below essential digital marketing tips for small businesses.
Improve local SEO
Local SEO refers to the process of ‘optimizing’ the business’s online presence to attract more business from local searches. These searches are done on Google and other search engines. Google is the widely used search engine, use Google keyword planner to look out for relevant keywords. Optimize your Google My Business listings which are one of the essential parts of SEO. Make sure your existing citations are consistent and build more relevant citations. Work on your on-page SEO and link building for local websites.
Introduce Email marketing
Email marketing is considered to be one of the most fundamental strategies for small businesses. For email marketing, you should be well versed in the laws on email marketing. Follow the steps to ensure the best email marketing.
1. Set up an objective and create an email marketing plan
2. Chose your software provider and compare the best marketing services
3. Search out for your competitor’s work and analyze what they are doing.
4. Structure your emails and know about different email types which meet your objectives
5. Write a great email campaign
6. Increase your open rates with writing effective subject lines
7. Know the best time to send emails to your target audience
8. Be sure you have covered everything you want to communicate
9. Track the metrics and analyze your campaigns
10. Set up A/B email tests and split testing to perfect your email marketing
Monitor online reviews
There are more people out there who will trust online reviews than any personal recommendation. Customers now make you and your brand more visible out in the market with both negative and positive perceptions. They are also responsible for making you trustworthy. This is how you can monitor online reviews:
• Use tools like Google Alerts and Mention
• Keep a log of frequency of negative vs positive reviews
• Look out for phrases ‘helpful’ ‘good customer service’ ‘fast delivery.’
• Respond to reviews by using a tool or shaping an appropriate response
Implement User Experience(UX) design strategy
It is vital to establish a sit that will keep your reader engaged in what you have to offer. UX design helps to focus on how your users interact with your website in terms of what they are looking for. Well written content is an essential part of UX design which makes your site enjoyable and easy to use.
Go Social
Social media is an effective way through which you can reach your audience. There are multiple social media channels where you can market your products and services, but for efficient and result-oriented outcomes, you need to focus on the primary social media channel. Analyze which social platform can benefit your business and where your customers are most active. Find out how:
• If you have a B2B business, you can focus on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn
• If you have a B2C business, you can focus on Facebook and Instagram.
As a small business owner, you should have a primary social media channel which you will focus on growing. You probably do not want to waste your resources utilizing more than one channel initially.
Consider Google ads (formerly known as Google Adwords)
Google Ads are evolving with the same principles and fundamentals. Investing in an online advertising campaign can prove to be the best way to promote your website online. You can do so it with Google Ads, which is an online advertising tool that helps to attract people looking for businesses or products like yours.
Follow the simple process.
• Create compelling ad copy
• Choose the relevant keywords you would like to target
• Set up a daily maximum budget
• Select your start and end dates of campaigns
Google Ads will help you to customize your advertisements to reach specific locations and audiences. The data fetched from Google Analytics will help you develop efficient marketing strategies for your campaign.
Partner with local influencers
Micro or local influencers are the influencers with small following than celebrities and mega influencers. But, they have more engaged followers in a niche. They are better for your small business because
• They are authentic and more communicative with people
• They are affordable
• They have a more targeted audience by geography
• They are more accessible
Create Visual Content
Video, in the content area, is growing immensely, and they are now becoming shoppable. The video content accounted for 80% of internet traffic in 2019. Imagine the growth!
The video marketing strategy can be formed:
• By creating catchy titles yet informative
• By adding keywords to your video description
• By using tags properly
• By building several links that lead to your video
• By optimizing your video on mobile devices
• By creating short and creative content
Try Facebook Ads
For some companies, Facebook ads are winners. The ads are inexpensive, effective, and targeted. Facebook helps to connect with a targeted audience with similar interests and in a specific location. Some of the tips to use Facebook ads are;
• Create multiple sets of copy
• Keep high relevance and low frequency
• Focus on the mobile-first content
• Know your audience before targeting
• Use focused content with one call to action
Create Blogs
Content is the king, and content marketing is an entire industry on its own. Your content will form an essential part of your digital strategy. Write a perfect blog with the tips below;
• Put the audience first
• Create SEO friendly content
• Use correct tone
• Show readers that they can trust you
• Use catchy titles
So, these are the digital marketing strategies that small business owners can consider to improve their online presence and profits.