Having a solid online presence is practically a necessity for your business. While most business owners are familiar with this, it’s also something that can take some work to develop, and without the right basis, can end up becoming nothing more than a mixed bag of guesswork. However, that’s why we’re presenting a few helpful tips on the basics of upping your digital marketing game; check them out below:
Do An Evaluation Of Your Branding
If you’re going to be presenting yourself more online, one of the first steps you need to take is evaluating your branding. Although our brand is something we’ve emotionally invested in, it’s goal is to be effective as well as display a story driven by emotion. As your brand is something that should stick with you for years to come, it’s well worth the initial investment to get right the first time, especially as an item that you’re going to display in your digital marketing.
When assessing your brand, it’s smart to have an objective view by someone with less emotional investment; asking them what they think of your brand, what type of company they believe it represents, and what type of attitude it has. This is a crucial first step because as noted by LucidPress, 64 percent of consumers cite shared values as the primary reason they do business with a brand. If the feedback you receive is that a rebrand or some tweaks are in order, that’s okay, as it gives you the chance to go after the best designer to help boost your presence. Remember, as much as you put into your business, you want its authenticity to stand on its own.
Keep Consistent With Social
Another important aspect of digital marketing is getting more plugged into your efforts on social media, aiming to increase your engagement as much as you can. Even if your business has been posting more daily, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s been a useful means of communication, especially if you’re not keeping track of your ROI, or return you’re seeing from the amount of time/money you’re spending on your social efforts. No matter if your goal is to attract more Instagram followers or get more people to buy directly from your posts, social is a game that deals a lot with how much you invest into it.
One of the first steps you should take in upping your social media is figuring out which platforms are going to be best in regards to engagement with your brand. For example, according to Hootsuite, Instagram has 250 million daily users (as well as one of the most active audiences in regards to engagement), which if you’re selling a consumer good, then visually showcasing lifestyle shots is key. Furthermore, make a calendar of when to post on the most engaging social networks and stick to it, as consistency on social media is half the battle. Although this process might feel a little different than the usage you otherwise take on regularly, the more you get into it, the more intuitive and natural this process will be.
Don’t Forget About Email
Although it may seem antiquated, email is one of the most effective means of digital marketing out. In fact, as noted by ConstantContact, for every dollar spent on email marketing, $38 is seen in return, which is quite the significant number considering how much effort this process takes. If this has been something you either haven’t set up or have been avoiding, then the process can be much more simple than you might think.
A great place to start with email marketing is by using one of the email platforms such as MailChimp or MixMax. Not only do most of them have custom templates you can start designing from, but also give you analytics and results of campaigns, which can help you improve upon your efforts in later campaigns. Furthermore, don’t forget to implement calls-to-action into your email copy, inciting a specific purchase you’re looking for someone to make. After a few iterations, your email marketing will feel like second nature, giving you the best chances of landing more sales amongst your subscriber base.
Establish a Foundation With SEO
Finally, if there’s one digital marketing practice that is often overlooked, SEO would be the top contender. If you’re not familiar, SEO is essentially trying to get yourself towards the top of results on search engines like Google. This is a huge opportunity to meet customers because as noted by Junto Digital, 93 percent of online experiences begin with search, and if you’re trying to capitalize on it, then getting started with your keywords is the first step.
With keywords, the name of the game is what niche category you can find. For example, if I’m the only pizza place in a town that does Chicago style, then owning “pizza+chicago style+(name of the town)” then that’d bolster you higher up in the rankings. It’s a balancing act, with seeking out which keywords people are using versus how they can tie to your business. Start doing some research on how you can implement these keywords into your website, as this is a practice that can help tremendously in the long run.
What are some strategies you’ve found successful in upping your digital marketing game? Comment with your answers below!
