Did you know that nearly half of all organizations don’t have a clearly defined marketing strategy? Yikes!
We get it, marketing usually ends-up being a lot more work than what you thought you were signing up for. It’s really not as easy as just whipping-up and shoving out emails and status updates.
Well, it can be that easy, but usually, that kind of marketing doesn’t actually get you anywhere.
If your business is ready to get your marketing efforts organized, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 9 important digital marketing tips.
Start with a Holistic Connected Strategy with Clear Goals
Successful marketing strategies are holistic, in that every aspect—branding, social media, search engine optimation(SEO), etc.—has aligning strategies. This makes marketing run optimally. There is an overlap between all types of digital marketing.
If your strategies work completely independently of each other, it’s going to take more time and cost more money. Sharing knowledge and knowing what has already been done (or not), and what the results are is highly valuable. A holistic marketing approach ensures brand and messaging consistency.
If your company has a handful of core goals why not put everyone in motion towards that goal together? Having a clear five-year, and annual goals leave no margin for misunderstanding. Establish specific goals and communicate them from the bottom up.
Meet with your team quarterly to set milestones that will move your company forward. Check-in every month to organize projects and assign deadlines. Follow-up every week to ensure the plan is on-track.
Define Your Target Audience
When a company is suffering a disconnect with their audience, one of two main causes is usually at play.
The first is that your audience is too broad. Sometimes brands are afraid to define their audience too specifically in fear of polarizing themselves. Or, they just don’t want to do the work it takes to put together more detailed audience demographics. Either way, companies today need to be specific with who they are targeting.
The second reason there is usually a disconnect is that brands are targeting who they think their audience is or who they want them to be not who they actually are. Businesses need to check-in with your audience and use data to get a clear grip on who their audience actually is. Assuming it can be an OK starting place, but eventually, you’re going to need to do the research.
Have a Transcendent Brand
The brand of your company should transcend beyond something you discuss at meetings and should be integrating into literally everything your business does. It’s not just a color palette and a name. A brand is also feelings, values, and attitudes.
Really think about your brand in a deeper way, and make sure all the actions are taken in your business reflect your core messaging. Everything from managerial styles, to company culture and your social media posts, should feel like it’s all coming from the same person.
Make Your Brand Visual
Half of the human brain is dedicated to processing visual information. Do not purchase a generic logo that’s likely used by 100 other companies. Establish a strong name and a memorable, unique design to go with it.
The goal is to make everything your company does rather it’s a press release, newsletter or booth at a trade show be distinctive. You want people to think of your company whenever they see something similar, like Coca-Cola and their polar bears.
Give Your Brand a Voice
It’s just as important for your messaging to be consistent as it is to have your colors and typeface. No matter what kind of content your company makes it’s going to make people feel something.
People might feel bored, disconnected or annoyed when they look at your Facebook status. Or maybe they feel happy, understood and entertained. That feeling is the reason they engage and buy or not.
Companies can better manage this by crafting a strong voice that really speaks to their audience. Your brand’s voice should mirror the beliefs, lingo, and status of your audience. A brand’s voice needs to be reliable so that whether or not someone opens an email from you or visits a store they are getting the same feeling and experience.
Invest in a High-Quality Website
Think of your website as your home on the internet.
Do you want your address to be hidden behind overgrown plants on your property? Or your car parked in your lawn and an overstuffed (and smelly) garbage can sitting on the curb?
If you invite people into your home, would you want it to be messy? Would you want the walking path to be disrupted with boxes and piles? Or your food spoiled?
Probably not. So why do small businesses let their internet homes go? Users experience your website in a very similar way to how they experience your home. A website, like a home, is often an important and lasting impression you make on people.
You will be judged based on your website. So make it purposeful, simple and clear. Make it a nice, safe happy place that people like to go to.
Audit and Optimize Your Website
People need to be able to find your website. A website isn’t something you make once and never really think about it again. Websites need to be optimized for search engines, and updates are happening all of the time.
When people think about “optimization” in terms of digital marketing they usually think of keywords. While optimization does deal with keywords, that’s only a small part of what it actually means.
There are three types of SEO, technical, on and off-page. Depending on your background, you might only see “optimization” as one or two of those things. Website optimization falls into technical and on-page SEO.
Technical SEO runs reports of your site and makes architectural changes that align with the behaviors of search algorithms. On-page optimizes your website’s copy and visual presence so that it’s easier to be found and understand. Run a comprehensive SEO report, that encompasses all types of SEO at least once every year.
Set Your Business Up on Google Maps
Create, claim and verify your business on Google Maps. Location is a very important factor in how search engines deliver results to users. Your company needs to have a locational tie to the markets it wants to serve, your business needs to be findable. Online businesses can also utilize maps. Purchases business addresses in your target markets and create a listing.
Business listings should be optimized so that the name of your business, description, and details all include something located to the locality. But don’t fall victim to keyword stuffing. It’s possible to write copy for a listing that’s appealing to both search engines and users.
Only Enlist in Relevant Social Media Networks that You Can Actually Upkeep
Many social media networks, like Facebook and YouTube, have become search engines within themselves. People will often search these sites first for information, before typing into Google search.
That’s why it’s important for every brand to have a social media presence. But don’t take the word “presence” for meaning you need to be a viral influencer. Your company simply needs to exist, and consistently contribute to the social media platform it’s on.
If you don’t have a good video strategy or a budget to produce well-made videos, don’t start a YouTube channel yet. Only invest in social media networks that are audience is actually in, and that you are capable of managing.
It looks bad if you have a Twitter account that hasn’t been updated in two years. But don’t post mindlessly just to post something, or use social media as a hype man for yourself.
Whichever social media networks you choose, optimize them. Integrate your branding into the imagery and voice. Develop a purpose for each specific social media network.
Your audience on LinkedIn might be slightly different than the one on Facebook. Who you are won’t be different, but what you talk about, and to who might be. If you really want to expand your social media presence, you’ll need to invest in paid ads.
Use These Digital Marketing Tips With A Strong Team
You’re only as strong as your weakest player. You’ll need a strong, connected team to be able to execute these digital marketing tips and to evolve your strategies.
But small businesses rarely have the bandwidth to put an internal team like this together. Or, the know-how to hire exceptional marketers.
That’s where working with an agency really shines. We can look at your business from an unbiased perspective and help you implement the strategies you need to grow.
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