How to modernize your marketing methods.
Remember the good ol’ days when you could take out an ad in the local newspaper or Yellow Pages and have clients lining up around the block for your services? Those days are gone. Sorry.
Nowadays it’s still possible to get a big bang from advertising, but the methods have changed. Today, it’s all about digital. If you’re newly arriving to the digital age, then pull up a chair, grab a cup of tea, and get ready to bring your biz up to speed with digital marketing.
Start with Your Website
If you’re just getting started with digital marketing we suggest you start with your website. Seriously, if you’ve got a sad little website that harkens back to the dawn of the internet, it’s time to whip that baby into shape.
If you can make one change to your site, make sure it is mobile responsive. This is an absolute must in order to attract your ideal customers (and keep Google happy). Why you ask? It’s no surprise that cellphone and tablet usage is on the rise (maybe even an epidemic?). That means that people are turning to their phones more than ever to search for what they need. If they land on an unreadable page, or one that is seriously hard to maneuver because it doesn’t work on their device, it’s not only bad feelings about your site they have – They start to distrust Google too. That, of course, makes Google unhappy. And when Google’s not happy, nobody’s happy.
Not sure your website fits the bill? You can actually check how mobile friendly your site is with this handy tool from Google.
Of course, you’ll also want to make sure you have swoonworthy graphics, up to date fonts (no Comic Sans!!!), and content that doesn’t put them to sleep.
SEO
Once you get your website working for you and your customers, you’ll want to think about search engine optimization aka SEO. What is SEO for? In a nutshell, it’s to improve how you get found on Google and other search engines. When someone types a phrase into the search bar, the results that show up are thanks to SEO. Of course, that means you need to have the right words on your site for Google to find you. By the way, if you believe that an SEO campaign consists of writing a keyphrase over and over until the end of time, think again!
While keyword phrases are still “key” to getting found by search engines, what matters most is that you have smart and helpful content that answers questions and solves problems for your ideal clients, while still making use of keywords. Please don’t write a bunch of mumbo jumbo and expect the Google Gods to send you an overflow of traffic. It doesn’t work that way and you’ll actually lose brownie points (and credibility too). So, get those keywords in your pages, but don’t overdo it. Everything in moderation.
If you’re just getting started with SEO, never fear. SEO giant Moz has an extensive beginner’s guide to SEO that you can check out and learn all you need to know.
Socially Aware – Get started with social media
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat – depending on what you sell, there are several social media platforms crawling with your ideal clients. But, does the idea of getting started on social make you nervous?
This is an area where many people throw in the towel because there are so many platforms, it’s enough to make your head spin. We suggest taking it slow. Choose one or two platforms and get really comfortable there. Start showing up, interacting with your audience, and then when you’re ready, you can move on to another platform.
Confused about what to say? Start by joining the conversation your clients already have going in their head. Not sure what that is? Ask them! And for a perfectly executed campaign, ask us!
Blogging
If you think of blogging as some sort of online diary and nothing more, you’re missing out on one of the greatest ways you can share information with your customers.
Blogging done right can help your target market see that you are the solution for their problem. How do you do that? By answering their questions.
Yep, the best way to get started with blog posts that will get you business is to ask your customers what they want to learn about and then teach them. Sure, you will be giving away free advice, but that will only increase your popularity and get you known, liked, and trusted. Plus, since it takes about 7 touchpoints before you turn a prospect into a client, you’ll stay top of mind when you continually put out awesome content. Win win!
PPC – Pay Per Click Ads
Your ideal clients are searching for what you sell on a daily basis. Sure, in the past they opened up that trusty ‘ol Yellow Pages, and flipped through the ads. They are still doing the same sort of search today, just not in some flimsy paged book. Instead, these days customers are searching Google, or asking Siri or Alexa to find what they need.
If we had to sum it up, we’d say that PPC ads are like taking out an ad in the Yellow Pages on steroids. Instead of showing up on paper to a handful of people, you show up all over the web to anyone who is searching for what you sell.
Of course great PPC campaigns begin with an understanding of SEO best practices (yep, that again), and a deep understanding of what your ideal customers are looking for, so don’t jump into PPC before doing that research.
Need a little help?
Are you ready to join the digital age and start marketing your business on the world wide web? The good news is, you don’t have to go it alone! Here at Zonion, we help business owners just like you get their marketing efforts online in a flash. We also don’t require an arm and a leg to get started. Phew!
TRIBE is the perfect solution for businesses who are ready to tackle the digital world without breaking the bank. <<Check out our membership specials>> to see how we can help you ramp up your digital efforts and start putting more cha-ching in your bank account.
