If you’re a newbie to online marketing it can seem like a bit of a minefield.
All the jargon, the different channels and the speed at which trends change can leave you feeling lost when first starting out.
So, we’ve decided to strip things back and just run through the core elements you need for your SME online marketing.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Nowadays, everybody (and their mum!) is on social media. Creating a business page on Facebook, an account on Instagram and a profile on Twitter takes little time and opens up an enormous world of opportunity for your company.
But being present on social media is not the same as having a presence. You need to dress up your profiles with appropriate and relevant imagery, build an audience, and distribute the right information on a consistent schedule.
Be sure to take advantage of all the different profile images that you can use on your social media accounts. Put your profiles to work by advertising current specials or deals, or promoting current events that your company is involved with. Do the same with your posts and make sure to link back to your business’ website.
Keep people coming back with interesting content that ensures your organisation stays at the forefront of consumers’ minds.
The fast-paced world of social media means investing a fair amount of time and energy into your accounts, but it’s worth it when you see your audience grow, engagement increase and conversions climb.
A QUICK AND EASY ‘TO DO’ LIST FOR SOCIAL MEDIA:
- Create profiles on the ‘Big 4’ (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram)
- Use business-specific imagery for profile pictures and backgrounds. This means Facebook cover photos, Twitter backgrounds and general profile pictures. Use custom imagery if you can.
- Build your following by posting links to your profiles on your website, as well as adding follow buttons in any emails sent to current customers or through physical handouts at your business.
- Find your voice on social media and start posting content consistently. Try getting a post out about every day or so at first so that you can establish some sort of schedule. No one likes following a company that posts once a month; it just doesn’t make any sense for them.
- Offer variety in your posts. Ultimately you want customers, so you’ll need to promote your business and it’s products or services. But, audiences don’t just want to be sold to. They want useful, funny or informative content too. They want to get to know who you are as a company, not just what you sell. So, make sure to switch up the content you put out.
We explain how we support small businesses and their Social Media here.
BLOGGING
Blogging is a great way to reach out and inform new and current customers about your company and industry while also establishing credibility. The great thing about blogging is that it is relevant for almost any type of business – and it can easily fit into an SME owner’s schedule every week.
By taking the time once a week to sit down and write at least 600 words on a subject that’s relevant to your business, you can start educating your audience about your company, the industry and why your business beats the competition.
Take the time to optimise your articles by including industry-specific keywords that will help your blog and website show up higher in search engine results.
Finally, be sure to get eyes on your posts by distributing your articles on social media and through emails.
A QUICK AND EASY ‘TO DO’ LIST FOR YOUR BUSINESS BLOG
- Set up a blog (if you don’t already have one)
- Come up with a list of topics to write about that are relevant to your target audience and the services you want to promote via Google.
- Set aside a few hours per week to write and optimise a post
- Distribute your posts through all available channels such as social media and email.
SEO
While search engine optimisation can sound complex, there are various steps a small business owner can take that will help you become more relevant on Google without breaking the bank.
Create a primary list of service-specific search terms that potential customers will use when searching for your services. Optimise your service pages for these. Then create a number of blog posts/articles relating to questions and secondary search terms relating to the service. Ensure you link these articles through to the main service page you would like to be ranked on the first page. This tells Google the main page to be found for a valuable search term and it is backed up by a lot of quality content.
Once you have the content, share as much as possible and work with contacts you know to contribute content to their site, which links back to yours. The more websites that link to yours, the more likely Google will trust your site.
Along the same lines, be sure that your social media profiles include keywords in the About section. Keyword research and implementation are just the tip of the iceberg for SEO. But it’s an easy and manageable process that can produce noticeable results for small business owners if done correctly.
Remember, Google is wanting to understand which sites have the best content, user experience and trust.
We explain in a little more detail how we support small businesses and their SEO here.
A QUICK AND EASY SEO ‘TO DO’ LIST
- Create a list of industry-specific keywords. Google Ads Keyword Planner is very helpful here.
- Use relevant keywords on pages on your website so that they start to rank better in search results for those keywords.
- Track your results and make changes when needed.
Email marketing is a great way to remind your customers and prospects about your company and services. Not to mention, inform them about specific promotions. Establishing an effective email campaign that doesn’t overwhelm your contact list is a delicate process that requires a well thought out plan.
Come up with content that is relevant and useful to your audience (blog posts, industry updates, service reminders etc.). Then ensure to include a sales message for those ready to purchase.
Email campaigns should be carried out at least monthly. but be sure that you aren’t sending out too many emails though – you don’t want to be viewed as a spammer.
A QUICK AND EASY EMAIL MARKETING ‘TO DO’ LIST
- Build up a contact list by collecting email information from customers and potential customers. If it’s an eCommerce site, then 10% off your first order is always a good way. If you are a B2B service company then maybe lure people into a valuable free guide.
- Establish a fortnightly or monthly email that keeps your customers up to date with valuable information.
- Encourage your clients to return again through promotional items or coupons.
Digital Marketing provides so many different and inexpensive ways of reaching potential customers. By taking advantage of these different channels, you’ll not only bring in more customers but also save money.
Trying to implement all of these tactics from the get-go can be a bit daunting and time-consuming, so perhaps choose a few to start off with. This way you can put the time in to really understand the different channels and deliver high-quality content. It’s better to choose quality over quantity, after all.
If you’d like any further advice or support getting started, be sure to check Strategy Plus out.
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