Digital Marketing Client Education Series Announcement
Beginning next week, October 30, 2017, we will be launching our Digital Marketing Education Series. We will cover specific industries and business categories, providing valuable marketing tips, definitions, and options to enhance your business. Stay tuned for related posts, articles, video’s, and webinars to help you understand digital marketing and it’s impact on your business. Next week, we will begin with a daily article on our category specific recommendations.
Digital Marketing- What is it? Why is it more important than ever?
Digital marketing (also known as data-driven marketing) is the marketing of products or services using digital technologies, mainly on the Internet, but also including mobile phones, display advertising, and any other digital medium. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_marketing)
So why is it so important? Well, let’s look at some statistics:
- The average person spends 5.2 hours per day on their mobile device
- 74% of people are more likely to visit mobile-optimized sites
- 85% of customers expect businesses to be active on social media
- There are 3.4 billion Google searches per day. 61% are for local searches
- 88% of consumers read online reviews to determine the quality of a local business
So let’s face it, EVERYONE is “Plugged in.” We are all consumers of the internet in some way, shape or form! The world is online, and businesses and organizations need solutions to compete. With so many businesses competing for consumer’s attention, what are the most important things to consider when developing a digital marketing strategy?
Creating a strong sense of branding, consistency, and information that speaks to both your existing clients, as well as prospective customers is a must. There’s a saying that “Content is King.” However, it can’t be all about content. More than ever in this fast-paced environment, it is more about context and relevance, which will increase the number one thing businesses must focus on, ENGAGEMENT. What are the pieces to this puzzle?
- Well-designed (and maintained) responsive website
- Social media presence
- Ranking on search engines and listing sites
- Reviews and your online reputation
- Communication channels with your customers
Website Design Options (stay tuned for a future post on this subject)
Do it yourself on a discount website hosting provider
Build yourself using a website building software
Professionally designed website customized to suit your needs
Website Management Options
Manage your website yourself
Hire someone or a firm to maintain your website
What is Responsive Design?
A responsive website looks great and is easy to use across all devices including laptops, phones and tablets. It seamlessly adjusts to the user’s device.
Why is Responsive Design Important?
“A lot of Smartphone use seems to be habitual, automatic behaviors that we have no awareness of.” – Huffington Post. In fact according to experts, people spend an average of 5.2 hours per day on their Smartphones. Mobile optimized sites are critical for engaging your viewers.
- 40 percent abandon a site if takes too long to load
- 67 percent are more likely to purchase from mobile optimized sites
- 74 percent are more likely to revisit mobile optimized sites
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization, commonly referred to as SEO, is a process that ensures that your business ranks highly on search engines like Google and Yahoo. The goal is to maximize the number of website visitors through visibility on search engine results.
Why is SEO Important?
A website is only effective if people can find it!
- 33 percent of organic search clicks go to the first results
- 60 percent of organic search clicks go to the top three search results
- 50 percent of mobile searches are conducted looking for local results, of which 61 percent result in a purchase
SEO Options
Do it yourself SEO tools and Site Submissions
Print & Media Company tied to an advertising program
SEO firm
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
What are is SEM?
Search Engine Marketing, commonly referred to as SEM, is a process where paid advertising can boost traffic and get your site off the ground running quickly. Search engine giant, Google, offers its paid AdWords services to businesses who are looking to enhance their internet marketing efforts.
Why Google Adwords?
When people search for products, services and/or information, they “Google” it.
- There are 3.4 billion Google searches per day
- 88 percent of consumers who search for a local business on their mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours
- 61 percent of searchers find local results more relevant
Google AdWords Options:
Do it yourself with Google Tools
Advertising Agency that “manages” your campaign
Google AdWords trained professionals
Why is Social Media so important to businesses?
Social Media can act as a digital word-of-mouth advertising campaign. There are the various ways to use social media to enhance your digital marketing program. In order to leverage this channel, you must be present to start.
What is Social Media Management?
Websites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram have become incredibly important communication channels for sharing information and staying in touch with your audience.
Do I really need to be on Social Media?
Did you know that millennials check their phones more than 157 times per day? Americans spend an average of 5.2 hours per day online with the most popular activity being social networking. 20 years ago, people went to printed periodicals for up-to-date news and referrals, but today they go to social media which is why businesses need have a social media strategy.
- There are 1.65 billion active mobile social accounts globally with 1 million new active mobile social users added every day.
- 85 percent of customers expect businesses to be active on social media
- 71 percent of consumers who have a good social media customer service experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others
Social Media Management Options:
Manage your accounts yourself
Have employees manage these accounts
Hire a professional social media firm to post, engage, and boost results
What about Facebook Sponsored Ads?
Like Google Adwords, Facebook ads are a form of SEM. They are paid ads that can appear in News Feed on desktop, News Feed on mobile, and in the right column of Facebook on desktop.
Why do I need Facebook Ads?
Word-of-mouth advertising is the most cost effective marketing a business organization can have. Facebook can act as a digital word-of-mouth advertising campaign. Billions of people are on Facebook, so you can be sure you’ll have an audience.
- Facebook has over 1 billion active users
- 92 percent of people trust word-of-mouth referrals from friends and family
- 70 percent of businesses have had a 3x or greater return on adspend
Facebook Advertising Options:
Set-up and manage yourself
Advertising Agency that “manages” your campaign
Hire trained professionals to boost your ROI
Online Reputation (Review and Listing Sites)
What is an Online Reputation?
People rely on reviews to make buying decisions. Online reputation management is about improving or restoring your name or your brand’s good standing online.
Do I need Online Reputation Management?
Customer-review websites like Yelp, TripAdvisor and many more are increasingly being used by potential customers who are deciding whether or not to do business with a company. A business can either hope for good luck and the absence of negative reviews or take a proactive approach to knowing and maintaining a positive online reputation. These reviews and listings can also impact your search results.
- 88 percent of consumers read online reviews to determine the quality of a local business
- Restaurants with a 3.5 star rating on Yelp are 63 percent more likely to be full than those with only 3 stars
- 52 percent of businesses found inaccurate listings for their business online
Online Reputation Management Options:
Manually check 1,000’s of listing sites
Google Review notification service
Subscribe to various websites that provide insight
Hire an Online Reputation Management company that can correct, engage, and react in a timely fashion
SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES & RECOMMENDATIONS
Though there are certainly unique insights into the hundreds of industries that exist, many of them have commonalities when it comes to successful websites and digital strategies. With all of the places that a local business needs to market itself today, it can be a daunting task to decide where to begin. Identifying successful website strategies, digital strategies as well as continuing to manage traditional business operations, sales, and marketing may seem like a juggling act. In our client education series, we will breakdown each industry category for you and provide best-practices. Join us next week to learn more! Each business is unique and is also invited to attend a free consultation where we can discuss your specific needs and make a more personalized recommendation for your business. Our proven system provides all of the tools, training, marketing, and our web experts to make running your business simple and effective
We invite you to a FREE CONSULTATION where we can discuss your specific needs.
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