It is 2018- everyone is on their mobile phones and social media – Twitter, Facebook, Google. No one is looking in the newspaper or a business jounral anymore. Sad? Sure, but entirely true.
According to the Local Consumer Review Survey, by BrightLocal, “97% of consumers looked online for local businesses, with 12% looking for a local business online every day”. Now more than ever, your presence online is extremely important. It is not just enough to exist on the internet, but be heard, be found, and deliver your value to the right audience. Here are 6 ways to revolutionize your digital marketing strategy:
1. Be Mobile Friendly
In a world where everything is now mobile, your business needs to be too. This means your website needs to function not only on a desktop, but also across all mobile devices. In order to do this, you must also optimize your site to work across Android and iOS devices. There is plenty of evidence showing how important mobile site performance is to business success.
Your images need to fit all device screen sizes and all of your functionalities must work the same way they would on a computer screen. Your business should be accessible to anyone, anywhere that is searching for your services or job types, not just when they’re idle on a computer.
2. Your Reviews Matter
Have you noticed Facebook now allows your friends to ask for recommendations for certain services on their wall? How many times have you found a business online based on looking at reviews?
Now, more than ever, people are turning to the internet for recommendations when they don’t know where to go. Even more importantly, reviews on websites like Google matter for SEO rankings.
According to BrightLocal, “88% of online consumers trust online reviews”. This shouldn’t be surprising. From Amazon, to Yelp, and Google, most businesses and products have reviews to guide consumers to make buying decisions.
Encourage your clients to leave you reviews to build your online reputation. This helps bring in new business and captivating someone who doesn’t already know where to go when searching for what you have or do. On top of this, showcase your positive reviews on your website and any other marketing collateral that you distribute. Be proud of your good reviews because they are extremely important and they matter.
3. Content, Content, Content
Ever notice that you may not have updated your online material in months, or sometimes even years? This is the same thing as leaving a box of cereal open in your cabinet for three weeks; it becomes stale and therefore, you go and get a new box.
In this case, if someone comes across a website with outdated, stale information, they’ll go to a new site or new business. They might not even come across your page at all because Google loves fresh and relevant information.
For example, let’s say your old blog posts are about outdated services or products you used to provide and they don’t match the services you offer now or the change in business practices. Keeping up to date gives customers trust in your brand and the assurance that you are using the best practices for your services.
Content is also crucial for reaching audiences across multiple platforms. Writing SEO friendly blogs, posting on social media, and just delivering value across the web will keep your site relevant, active, and engaging. By staying up to date on content, you’ll be able to compete for higher search placement and reach more people on a regular basis.
4. Search Engine Optimization = Being Found
While delivering content is key, you also want to be sure your content is seen, right? This is where SEO is critical. Search Engine Optimization helps the world of search engines figure out what a web page is about and how it might be useful for specific users and searches.
SEO provides clues so that search engines can use the content you’re providing. This will help your site come up under relevant keywords and searches. Websites are constantly competing for attention and ranking on search engine sites.
It is important that you understand how to optimize your website for search engines. Doing so will give you the best opportunity to get your website in front of users that are interested in your business. Check out these amazing SEO tips to get started on your optimization.
5. ChatBots
Aside from posting content and engaging with people online, it is also important to think about how you can capture a client or audience in real time. Many of us have been stuck on hold with customer services reps, likely with boring, elevator music burning our ears. Chatbots allow online businesses to be available 24/7 for their customers or potential clients. Genius.
As a business owner, you likely have a thousand things to be doing. Chatbots are able to work simultaneously, having conversations with multiple people on your site at once, and obtaining information of prospective customers, like their email addresses or answering specific questions. Save time, provide great customer service, and automate the mundane tasks to increase your own productivity.
6. Video Marketing
Ever spend time on YouTube browsing different topics or gaining valuable information? Sometimes even two hours, maybe just watching cat videos? You’re not alone.
According to YouTube, the average number of mobile YouTube video views per day is 1,000,000,000. It is safe to say, people love videos. Why are videos great for your business and website? They let you tell a story. They let you provide value in a fresh, new way.
Do you provide a service that is hard to explain via a blog post? Do you have an awesome customer testimonial you could display on video? Could you teach your audience something? Then do it and take advantage of the amazingly powerful engagement tool that is video.
0 Comments