Digital marketing has changed the way that all companies approach their marketing plans. Whether you are in charge of a multi-million dollar business or own an Etsy shop, there are certain techniques that you should utilize to ensure success.
1.) Social networking:
No matter what size your business is, you need to embrace social networking. It is a good idea to have active accounts on all of the major social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter and Google+, but a Facebook fan page is absolutely essential. Use your fan page to interact with current and potential customers, and consider holding contests to encourage people to share your page with their friends.
2.) SEO:
Make sure that your website is designed to take full advantage of SEO. Without the proper keywords in place, it will be difficult to get your site to appear near the top of Google’s search results. Studies have shown that most people do not go past the first page of these results, so spend some of your marketing money on SEO if you are not able to take care of this crucial step for yourself.
3.) Advertising:
Google’s AdWords and Facebook’s ads have been proven to increase sales. Both sites frequently offer free advertising credits, so you can maximize your marketing budget by taking advantage of these offers. The most important thing to remember when you build an online ad campaign is that you should not sink all of your money into one ad. Say for example that you have $500 to spend each month. First, you should consult with your website’s analytics and determine which keywords are providing you with the most traffic. Next, split the $500 in half so that you can use both Facebook ads and AdWords. From there, divide the $250 per site into at least five different ads. Vary the wording and any attached images, and utilize different keywords for each ad. If there are 20 keyword strings that typically drive traffic to your site, then you should use two of them per ad. By using this approach you will not only capture a wider audience, but you can also track which ads work the best for you.
4.) Email campaigns:
Email is not quite as effective as it used to be, but you should still send out regular email newsletters and advertisements. You can safely walk the line between becoming annoying and getting lost in the shuffle by sending out messages approximately once per week. You can easily build your email list by adding customers to it when they make a purchase. Just make sure that you also provide them with the ability to opt out.
5.) Images:
Provide high quality images for all of your products, and link directly to where they can be purchased if you place those images on your social networking pages. By utilizing ecommerce software, you can easily turn your website into an online store, even if you are also trying to drive traffic to your brick and mortar location.
As you can see, each of these tips is easy to put into practice, and two of them will only cost time instead of money. Make sure that you are consistent in all of your efforts, and do not be afraid to try new things.
Mitchell Gavillion is a prolific business writer from Los Angeles, CA.
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