You Can’t Run a Successful Business Without These Four Digital Marketing Tactics
Companies without digital strategies are often drifting, aimlessly through the search engine world, consistently shoved out of the way and trampled by focused brands who are utilizing every strategy within their reach. Don’t be that company! There are tools out there just waiting to be harnessed to amplify your company. If you are a business there is no excuse to not be using them:
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engines WANT to be able to find you. Throw them a bone! If you’re a perfect match for a consumer Google wants them to find you. If they can’t find you, you’re missing that connection and that person’s business.
SEO is the process of gaining free, organic website traffic. Free being the key word! But anything that is free means competition. You’re going to have to work for this. Search engine algorithms are determining who is showing up first. And let’s face it, no one is browsing past the first page, so do everything you can to snag those coveted spots. Search engines will never give away their algorithm secrets but there are some across the board things you can be doing to up your chances of showing up.
Creating quality content that is purposeful and relevant. Using great keywords when appropriate. Updating content regularly. Building an easily crawlable website. Quick site loading time. Creating meaningful URLs. Linking to trusted authorities. Making sure your site is being shared by social channels. Writing gripping meta descriptions. Giving users a secure connection.
This stuff is free. You can do it. You should be doing it.
2. Content Marketing
It’s not all about you. Consumers are wanting to follow and purchase from companies that they feel a connection with. It’s not all about what you do, your products, your history (well, a little bit). Becoming an industry expert and promoting important industry content is how you snag those long-term customers. When brainstorming blogs and social posts sprinkle in industry news and topics. Consumers will keep coming back for the info they’re interested in, creating a relationship with your brand and leading to long-term customers.
3. Pay-Per-Click Marketing (PPC)
PPC basically means that you pay a small fee for every click from a consumer. The most popular PPC tool is Google Ads (formerly Google Adwords). If you create an awesome campaign, you appear above the organic search results. Is your mouth watering over this prime position? It should be. Don’t be fooled into thinking you can throw some money at this and start appearing first in searches. A lot goes into creating successful PPC campaigns, so invest your time and resources. Selecting the right keywords, organizing campaigns and ad groups and setting up successful landing pages are all a must. Once everything is working together smoothly, expect to see results.
4. Review Management
It’s been proven most shoppers check out online reviews before making a purchase. Think you can just bury your head in the sand and ignore this part of owning a successful company? Nope. People will be out there reviewing your business left and right and you need to be engaged. The negative reviewers expect a response, the positive reviewers expect to be acknowledged and those who are browsing expect to see an engaged business that is responding to reviews. Often times only those who have a negative experience will leave reviews. Encourage a more balanced view by reaching out to satisfied past clients and customers. You can do your best to respond to reviews by making sure that you’re monitoring the most important sites and channels in your industry or you can outsource and hire a company to do it all for you.
It’s time to get into the game and start competing with the big boys. If you’re not utilizing these digital strategies you’re not doing your best work.