The Internet has leveled the playing field. Gone are the days when businesses relied solely on TV, radio, and print advertising to get the word out about their services. Now, anyone with Internet access can market to thousands of potential customers.
From social media to search engines, there are dozens of methods brands can incorporate into their digital marketing strategy. It’s a matter of identifying what your target market wants to see and where that market can be found—information that most brands already know in the first place. If you’re unsure where to start your digital marketing journey, ppcprofessionals.com has a great SEO and PPC consulting service to help launch your business in the right direction.
These tips on creating a successful digital marketing strategy are your game plan for winning.
Cover all your bases: Finding the best methods for communicating with customers
With all the digital marketing strategies you can use, it might be tempting to try your hand at every technique there is. Here’s our first tip: don’t.
With digital marketing, trial and error shouldn’t be your philosophy. Instead, make decisions based on data. Here’s how to start:
- Identify your target market. If you haven’t yet, now’s the time to select who you want to cater to.
- Get to know your target market. Say, you’re marketing database software to law firms in the USA. List down law firms you’d like to get as a client. Study which social media platforms they’re on, what content they would like to consume, and what websites they go visit. Do they keep their attorney websites updated? How many hours a day are they online?
- Make your brand accessible. Set up your Facebook page and your website if you haven’t yet. Customers often use Facebook and your website to connect with you.
- Determine the best strategies to approach them. Given what you know about your target market, try and answer the following questions:
- What kind of content does your target market like to consume? Around what topics should you center your content? In what format: long-form text, photos, videos, podcasts, etc.?
- Aside from Facebook, on which other social media sites can you connect with your target market—Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc?
- How does your target market feel about email and direct mail marketing? What content do you have to offer to get them interested in signing up for a mailing list? How often should you send out your newsletter?
- What websites does your target market often visit? What call-to-action is most likely to generate a response from them?
After going through this list, you can now identify which strategies you should use.
As a general rule, your social media and website should always have updated information. Think of them as the front desk of your office—if the receptionist isn’t there, then how will customers find what they’re looking for?
The ball’s in your court: What to do to get customers engaged
With your channels and methods down pat, it’s time to focus on content.
Customers trust a brand who knows what it’s doing. If your service-based company offers valuable content, then more people will pay attention to what you’re saying and what you’re doing—and, inevitably, what you’re offering.
Here are a few tips to get the ball rolling:
Find the right keywords and use them
Keywords are crucial. They’re what you use to determine your blog posts, your pay-per-click campaign keywords, and your social media posts.
If you’re a starting business, don’t use general keywords that more established brands already use. Find a niche keyword, and use that to drive visitors to your blog.
Try including your location in your keyword or phrasing the keyword as a question. You can also use keyword tools to find keywords that can help you rank on search engines.
Run a great blog
With the right keywords and a great writer, customers will be flocking your website in no time. Keep customers engaged with valuable, well-written, and entertaining content. Try to have a variety of content on your blog as well; blocks of text can get unappealing after a while. Shoot for how-tos, listicles, and even podcasts to keep things fresh.
Remember to publish only original content. Search engines will not rank duplicate or plagiarized content.
Get customer reviews
Have your customers leave reviews on your Facebook page and on your Yelp and Google Maps listings. Try as brands might, to convince potential customers, sometimes the tipping point is other people’s opinions.
Good reviews demonstrate that customers loved your service so much they had to write about it. The more reviews your service has, the more trustworthy your brand appears.
Conclusion
Partnered with excellent service, a well-made digital marketing plan will help launch your business to success. Keep updated with marketing techniques and strategies on websites like One400 so your business can always put its game face on.
More on this topic: Snapchat IPO – How does Snapchat Make Money?