Welcome to the wonderful world of digital marketing, where technologies, trends, and tactics are always changing. But when you’re busy running your small business, where do you find the time and resources to build your online presence? Here are nine digital marketing tips for beginners to help get you started.
Digital marketing is all about meeting your customers where they are. So, if they’re shopping around online, that’s where you need to be. Then, you need to understand how your products or services will solve their problems and what motivates them to buy. This information is critical for creating digital marketing strategies that resonate with your target audience.
There are a number of different ways to get to know your customers. You can send out surveys, run workshops, analyse any customer data you have, or look at what people are saying online. This will help you ensure that your marketing messages speak directly to the people you’re trying to reach.
Having a good understanding of your competitors is just as important as knowing your customers. A simple SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) can help you figure out your place in the market and how to differentiate yourself. Those are the opportunities you want to capitalise on.
Also, take note of the marketing strategies they’re using and look for areas where you can improve your own.
The thing that sets you apart from your competitors is your brand story. It’s what makes your business unique and tells your customers why they should choose you over the competition. Your story should be genuine and help you connect with your target audience. Show them how your values align with theirs.
How you tell that story will be a big part of your digital marketing strategy. Everything, from your website to your social posts and emails, should highlight what makes your business unique.
Your website is often the first point of call for your customers when they’re looking to buy. So, it needs to have all the basics right from the start to stop them from bouncing somewhere else. Your website needs to:
On the technical side of things, you’ll want your website to be found on search engines. So make sure you submit your sitemap to Google Search Console. Then, you can optimise it by including keywords, meta titles, descriptions, and alt tags on each page.
If you want to take your website to the next level, consider the customer experience, which maps out the entire buyer’s journey. You’ll find all of the different touchpoints of interaction that customers have with your business and uncover any pain points that need to be addressed.
Getting listed on Google is crucial for any business that wants to be found online. Start by creating a Google My Business profile so that your customers can find you through Google Search and Google Maps.
Once you’re set-up, you can start asking your loyal customers to provide Google Reviews for other potential customers to see.
When it comes to choosing which social media platforms to use for your business, it all comes back to where your customers are. You could have a business profile on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but the trick is not to spread yourself too thin. Make sure you have content that will engage your customers and the time to regularly post.
You can also look into paid social media advertising to reach a larger audience. If any of your organic posts are performing well, why not chuck some money behind them and see who else you can reach?
Email marketing is a relatively low-cost way to send out newsletters, product promotions, and updates about your business. Start small with more general content. Then, as you get to know more about your customers, you can send personalised emails with relevant information about what interests them. This is where tools and automation can help you segment your audiences and support them on their buying journey.
Writing articles, how-to’s, or blogs is an excellent way to establish your business as a thought leader in the industry and drive more traffic to your website. Your blogs could answer common questions, provide helpful tips and tricks, or share industry insights.
The best place to start is to open up Google and see what people are searching for. That is the basis of a great organic search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy.
When you’re stretched for time, the only marketing tactics you should invest in are the ones that work for your small business. How do you know what’s working? The beauty of digital marketing is in all the data you can access. Unlocking and understanding your marketing metrics will allow you to track your performance and switch up your strategy if you need to.
That’s a wrap on the nine digital marketing tips to help grow your business. These top tips aren’t just simple to set up; a lot of them won’t cost you a lot of money. That’s why the impact of digital marketing on small businesses can’t be overstated. Rather than investing heavily in traditional forms of marketing, you can make the most of your time and resources by organically connecting with your customers online.
We know the best digital marketing strategies for small businesses because we’ve tried and tested them. Leave the tough stuff to us and focus your energy and efforts on what matters most – growing your small business.
Eager to learn more about digital marketing? Here we share the latest industry tips and news from our digital experts right here at One Stop Media.
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