Grow your business through digital marketing!
Jonathan MARCELLINE
Experienced project coordinator and marketing professional specializing in finance, client relations, leadership, digital marketing strategies and communications.
Your digital presence starts with owning a piece of internet real estate.
For most people, the internet is the first port of call when looking for products or services. This makes being online essential for business owners. If a business doesn’t have a website or an email address, it’s going to miss out on a large number of potential customers.
Being online not only helps people learn more about a business, it also makes the business look more professional. And building this professional image starts with a dedicated domain name.
Business websites must be universally accessible and appeal to a target market.
A website can be a real asset for a business. It’s a space to connect with potential customers, and even sell your products or services.
There are many things to consider when planning a website. You can hire a reputable designer or developer to build it, or create a simple site yourself with a platform like Squarespace or WordPress. If you plan to sell products you can add an e-commerce section, or build the whole website as an online store. It’s also possible to sell on an online marketplace like Amazon or Etsy.
Different businesses will have different needs. But regardless of who builds a website, or what functionalities it has, everyone should be able to use it.
The right keywords and content will get you noticed and improve your site’s ranking.
Creating website content that captures the attention of visitors is one thing, but how do they find it in the first place? This is where Search Engine Optimization comes in, or, as it’s more commonly known, SEO.
When people run a search on Google, a list of the top-ranked relevant websites will appear. SEO is the process of making sure a website ranks highly on that list and can be discovered by more people. Fortunately, there’s an easy-to-follow formula for SEO.
For social media success, find platforms that resonate with your market and follow the rules of engagement.
Think of the brands you love, the products you use daily, and even your local supermarket. Chances are they’re all on social media, and if not, they should be! Whatever the size or budget, any business can and should benefit from social media. But there’s a trick.
Social media platforms are like cliques in a school, each has its own characteristics and social dynamics, and each kid finds the clique they have the most in common with. Likewise, you should join the social media platforms that are most popular with your target market.
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Effective email marketing means creating value for your audience and knowing when and how to hook them.
Off the top of your head, how many marketing emails are you subscribed to? With so many businesses inviting you to sign-up, it can be hard to keep track. But there’s a good reason why email marketing is so popular.
Email marketing doesn’t require much money or technology, and it allows businesses to communicate any information that serves their goals and needs. This can be news about products or services, industry insights, or special offers to entice customers.
Building an email marketing list is also fairly easy. Simple sign-up forms on a website and invitations on social media do work, as do physical sign-up sheets in stores or at events. But to get the most out of email marketing, your content should be worthwhile and hard to miss.
To win at online advertising, offer people something they want and experiment to find the right platform.
How many ads do you think you see every day? Five? Five hundred?
If you live in a city, then according to an article in the?New York Times,?you come across more than 5,000 ads on a daily basis! Throw online ads, across all our devices, into the mix and it seems like we're completely surrounded by advertising images and messaging.
For a business, the thought of trying to stand out in this crowded space can be daunting. But it is possible. Online advertising shares some basic principles with email marketing. That is, every ad campaign has to support your business goal, offer people something they value, and invite them to take action. Once you’re clear on the goals of your ads and the value they bring to customers, the next question is where to place them.
Keep an eye on the metrics that have a tangible impact on your business.
The previous blinks covered various ways of marketing a business in the digital world. But once you’ve set up a website, are sending off emails, and navigating social media, how will you know if it’s actually growing your business?
The answer is by looking at the numbers. Whether on your website or Facebook, you have access to every metric related to your digital marketing activity. One or even several of these metrics will relate to your business goals.
Final summary
Your digital marketing efforts should always be based on your business needs and goals. Decide what you’re working toward and choose platforms and metrics that best align with this. Whether you opt for a website, social media, emails, or ads, your content should be valuable to your audience, and should encourage them to engage with the business.
Actionable advice:
Build relationships for wider reach.
Finding partnerships and communities in the industry can significantly widen your online audience. Introduce yourself to business owners and bloggers with audiences that are similar to yours, while making sure you're not in direct competition. Offer to write for their websites or feature in their videos and podcasts, in exchange for links to your content. Then, give them opportunities on your own platforms.