Getting the word out there that you’re open for business can be hard.
But creating an effective digital marketing strategy can help you stand out from the crowd. Here are some digital marketing tools and techniques that’ll help you do just that.
Google’s decision to place your website on the front page is based purely on the quality of your website. Making it to “first page” of organic search results is incredibly powerful as this page accounts for 71% of organic traffic, with page two and three getting just 5%.
SEO is the art of improving your organic (unpaid) ranking on search engines by making your website look as attractive as possible to Google’s algorithms.
Here are some things to know:
XLM sitemap and robots.txt are also useful for website optimisation. Learn more about useful optimisation tools in our blog on getting the most out of your website
It can take some time to really nail down the mystical art of SEO; you may do everything right and still not make it to the front page of search results. So, to ensure that customers are aware of your business, it’s also sensible to make sure you have some paid ads out there.
This is what SEM is all about – how you buy and manage paid ads that show up on search engine result pages. Paid ads may not be as popular as organic searches, but they do place you on that prized front page, which is still incredibly useful in making you visible to your audience.
These ads come in different formats; from small, basic product listings, to larger product-based ads that often include prices and reviews.
Remember – you don’t have to spend a lot to get paid ads that work. If a certain ad is looking expensive in an auction, that’s likely because it is a really popular set of keywords. Think about niche phrases applicable to your business to get more for your money.
Using our plumber as an example again, we might want to avoid an ad referencing ‘plumbers in London’ (expensive and competitive) and instead focus on the local area and type of jobs, like ‘Plumber fixing blocked drains in Camden’ (less expensive and more specific).
Social media is another digital marketing tactic that can really pay off if done well. This allows you to get your business in front of the right eyes, and develop a relationship with your customer base in a more natural way.
However, it requires research into individual platforms and the demographics that use them:
These are the classic banner ads that appear in designated areas of third-party websites (publisher websites), which means your display ads have to really stand out.
What you should know about display advertising:
Email marketing is the original digital marketing approach. It’s still a very personal way of connecting with your customers and fostering relationships with them – when done right.
Here’s what to remember when creating an email campaign:
Being able to see how well your strategies are working is the key to optimising your website. Through measurement, you’ll find out where your marketing spend is going and which platforms are performing best, allowing you to figure out which channels to invest more in:
Optimising your digital marketing strategy will take time – but it’s more than worth the effort. For more ideas around the topic, take a look at our blog on how to build your initial digital marketing presence
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