In order to start the business with a bang and to drive more traffic, most of the new business owners try to put too many eggs in a basket by :
- Creating an account on 10 new social media platforms which they haven’t used in past
- Running a pay per click campaigns
- Blogging on the topics about which they have not researched properly
In the past, this rookie way of thinking was accepted by Google. But not now since it penalizes websites that abuse this practice which is not beneficial for a brand new website. Eventually, the small business owners fall flat on their faces and feel that they lag behind the competition since they cannot afford to hire an army of digital marketers to help them to be updated with all the latest digital marketing tips.
Before proceeding with the steps, let us first understand as to what does digital marketing mean.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is a form of inbound marketing in which businesses put content or ads out for individuals. One of the advantages of digital marketing is that the people become more familiar with the brand and develop a trust and a rapport with the business through its online presence. Some of the modes of this type of marketing are building a website, blogging, social media platforms, retargeting ads, search engine optimization. Its outreach is not restricted to a limited audience since it enables the business to throw more information in front of people. It helps a business to increase its brand awareness and to create a consistent image of the company since it allows one to engage the audience in real-time by enabling the business to chat and discuss the brand or company with the actual audience immediately. Furthermore, it also allow the company to have more visibility to a much wider audience and results in increasing of exposure in such a way so that more and more people know the brand and are familiar with what it does and can either recall it, recommend it or think about it or later in their time of need.
However, the article below provides weapons to create a one-man/woman army in digital marketing to drive more traffic and for the success of small-scale businesses.
Digital Marketing Tips for Small Business
Start with Your Website
Small business owners should have an updated, mobile-friendly website that is easy for users to navigate. It should include all the important information business addresses, phone numbers, hours of operation. The website should have a modern and clean design. The information should be included in such a manner so that users can find them right away.
Using familiar social media platforms to be social
Using social media to blast the followers with promotion turns off the consumers and makes them tune out of the posts. The aim of small businesses should be to find a place on those social media platforms in which they are comfortable to provide a social aspect in digital marketing and where they can note as to how many interactions they are getting. A business must engage with the audience to build trust and brand loyalty which can be done with being consistent on social media.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a form of marketing in which a business pays or inspires influential people in the niche to get a word about the business instead of targeting the audience directly. Social media considered the best platform for this marketing. A survey conducted in 2016, revealed that 62% of consumers were influenced by Facebook online. There was also an increase in offline purchases to 52%. 70% of the consumer millennials have been influenced by the recommendations of their peers while making a buying decision.
Creating auto respondents to thank email subscribers
One of the most effective tactics of digital marketing is email as everyone of any age group uses emails. We can spread newsletters or messages with special offers, news, and discounts as this can be an effective tactic of digital marketing for small businesses. Further, we can create autoresponders to send a welcome email with a coupon who has signed up the email newsletter.
Exploring Digital Advertising
A small business owner to stand apart and to amp up the volume with pay per click online ads and ads on social media channels should choose the right keywords to narrow the target audience. Doing this would help them to hone those prospective customers who want what the business is selling.
Paid Advertising
Small business owners should focus on getting more traffic rather than thinking about sales. They should focus on right idea and audience before spending money on advertising with the long-term strategy.
Enhancing User Experience
Enhancing the user experience is a glue that holds all the digital marketing strategies together. Some of the most common and popular ways of measuring user experience are :
- Content on the site
- Usage of communication channels
- Intuitive user interface
- The loading speed of the website
- Intuitive menu navigation
- The tone of the content
- Chatbots to assist in communication
Digital marketing tips for creating a good user experience are :
- Informing and inspiring the audience with content to make an everlasting impression of the company and to make engagement easier.
- Customer management strategy is better to connect with customers which helps the business to go through query and complaint management. Customer feedback will make them feel that they are a part of the brand’s community.
- With the rise of live streaming, the effectiveness of video marketing continues to trend upward in popularity. The businesses should engage with their audience on Facebook live, through Instagram and Snapchat stories.
The most important digital marketing tip for any business is to remember that more traffic is a great thing but a business be it small or big won’t get optimal results without a marketing funnel. B2B Or B2C have implemented their business strategy to grow their online presence and generate more conversions and sales.