Digital Marketing

Time, money, trust. There are a million reasons not to outsource. Except things have changed radically. It’s a jungle out there! Yes, indeed. You need a social media marketing pro!

Talk public relations. Consider brand reputation. What about customer recruitment and retention?  How about free advertising? Time to burnish your brand?

Social media marketing is all of these things and much more wrapped into one!

Social media marketing is so vital to businesses these days that you need to ask yourself – do you really have time to do all this kind of time-intensive marketing yourself?

8 Reasons You Need a Social Media Marketing Pro

1. It’s a jungle out there.
   What platform should you be on? What does the latest update mean? How do we know which insights to look at? A social media manager will know when to post, where to post it, what to say, what the insights mean, and how to tweak their strategy based on the latest stats and updates.
   
2. It’s not your priority.
   Is your social media at the bottom of your to-do list?  A  social media manager will always have the time to do your social. Strategically planned and part of a long-term growth plan.
   
3. You need to go beyond brand awareness.
   A good social media marketer will know the different types of content your business needs and will be sharing them with a defined strategy.
   
4. The good old days are gone.
   Engagement is key on your social platforms.  Your social media manager will be actively engaging with people to grow your audience.
   
5. Get eyes on your content.
   Social media managers know which apps to use to create the best content. Many offer content creation as part of their services.
   
6. You don’t really want a huge agency!
   Freelance social media managers are not big agencies, and that’s a GREAT thing.  It means they aren’t juggling 10 clients and are as invested in your success as you are.
   
7. Faster response times for your customers.
   People want answers before they buy. Having a social media manager who monitors your platforms, responds to comments and messages, and gives people the answers they need quickly will help stop them from going elsewhere.
   
8. You need to focus on the things that make you money.
   Having a social media manager on your team frees up some time to focus on the things you need to do to make your business work.
   

MORE READING

CMOs: Adapt Your Social Media Strategy for a Post-Pandemic World

“2021 cemented a lot of changes in our professional lives. Zoom became our default meeting room, and webinars are regular events. But the most impactful change was how social media became the go-to window to learn, find new career opportunities, and grow our brands.” – The Importance of Social Media Marketing in 2022

Landing pages are the superstar salespeople in your online business. Download your free landing page guide here.

No matter what stage of business you’re in, landing pages come in handy for a wide range of different marketing purposes.

Each landing page is designed with a single purpose: to convince visitors to convert. This means eliminating anything that is distracting like navigation menus and other unrelated content.

Successful landing pages share a few common elements. You can read more about how to design winning landing pages in our guide to landing page best practices. Here’s a quick overview:

• Create a new landing page for each offer. Landing pages with more than one CTA see dramatically lower conversions, so keep each landing page focused on a single offer.
• Keep your design clean and simple. The best landing pages are aesthetically pleasing, easy to read, and have clear messaging.
• Attract visitors with pictures and video. Great imagery evokes emotion, and emotion helps drive landing page conversions.
• Write persuasive copy. Focus on the pain your audience is experiencing and how your offer will help solve that pain.
• Add social proof and testimonials. The power of storytelling is mighty. Testimonials and case studies from existing customers build credibility and boost customer loyalty.
• Answer your visitors’ burning questions. Your copy should leave no stone unturned, answering the most common questions and concerns your audience might have.
• Include a strong call-to-action. Your CTA is crucial to your conversion rate, so it needs to be crystal clear.
• Track and optimize for conversions. Understand what success looks like, measure your results, and work on improving your landing pages over time.

Download our free Landing Page Guide below. It includes the following chapters:

1. What is a Landing Page?
2. 13 Landing Page Best Practices to Help You Make Your Mark
3. How to Write a Great Landing Page
4. 4 Essential Landing Page Elements
5. How to Use a Landing Page to Test a New Idea
6. What is a Good Landing Page Conversion Rate
7. 8 Call-to-Action Examples for Your Next Landing Page
8. How to Create Lead Generation Landing Pages that Convert
9. How to Use Landing Pages with Email Marketing
10. How to Grow Your Email List with Free Landing Pages in 2020

1 in three new businesses that are launched is successful after two years. Your small business digital marketing plan is one of the most critical elements to make sure you are The One of three!

Here is a basic digital marketing plan to assist start-up businesses or any business looking to include digital marketing as a part of a larger marketing plan.

When developing a marketing plan, four considerations are key:

• Campaign components are low-risk with a low entry price tag and a high chance of success.
• The campaign is scalable. It grows with you.
• The campaign can easily be terminated.
• Your campaign components allow for performance tracking.

How to Get Started with Your Digital Marketing Plan

First, you need a website. If you already have a website, it may need to be redesigned to ensure that it is mobile-friendly, resourceful and that it looks as good as your competitors’ websites.

Next, it’s time to find an SEO company. A reputable SEO company will make sure that the new website you are investing in will be SEO friendly. Be wary of website design firms that claim they know SEO. Choose a firm that puts SEO on the top of their list of services.

When choosing your SEO firm, be very thorough. Find search ranking examples, speak with their clients, talk with the owner of the SEO firm and get as technical as you can.

SEO will likely provide the best ROI of all of the components of your digital marketing plan. The downside? If you have a new website and you are a new business, it could take a few months for it to start showing results.

Be sure to check out our High-Performance Small Business SEO Package. No contract with a Performance Guarantee.

Quick But Complicated PPC Campaigns

Next, you will want to look at setting up a PPC campaign with Google AdWords. Google AdWords can generate major volumes of business for you while draining your bank account.

To be safe, not sorry we recommend that you hire a professional! PPC will drive instant business and allow for managed growth.

Higher Risk Digital Marketing Tasks

Blogging and Content Marketing – Blogs help grow the footprint of your website. The more content that you have, the more there is out there to be found. It also can help to build your online reputation and to establish you as a thought-leader.

The quality of your content is important, so make your blogs count.

Social Media – Few companies actually have profitable social media campaigns. In certain circumstances, social media can be very effective, but for most, it won’t.

So why bother with Social Media? It helps your customers communicate with you. Happy clients can pass your information on to others (referrals) and it builds your overall online image.

Display Advertising – If you do want to tackle display advertising, we recommend that you use Google AdWords, where you can pay on a cost-per-click performance basis, rather than on a CPM basis. Be sure that you can track the performance of your campaign.

The solutions outlined above represent the core components of a digital marketing plan. There are certainly other things out there, but we recommend that you focus on the proven technologies before experimenting.

Eventually, you’ll come to master these components, and you’ll have a sense of what will and won’t work.

Why would you choose to postpone putting time and effort into digital marketing?
Small business owners often believe that they don’t have the time or money to be competitive online. Many solo entrepreneurs prefer to take things slowly and stick with one or two basic forms of advertising, assuming their business will evolve as time passes.
Case in point. I have a client, who after 13 years online, still would rather spend lots of money on seasonal exhibitions, shows, and direct mail brochures, than beef up his now very outdated website.
Meet Your Customers Where They Live
Do you think you’re simply not ready for digital marketing? Maybe you just need some time to get established and then you’ll figure it out!
Problem is your potential customers are already online. Right now. Today.
They expect to find you there with a website and a social media presence. They may be looking for reviews so they can learn what other people are saying about your company and whether it is a good place to do business.
If a potential customer can’t find you online, they will quickly head somewhere else.
Your Competitors Are Online
When you look at what your competitors are doing, you will get an idea of what is working and what isn’t. Most likely, whatever type of business you are in, your competitors have a web presence. What kind of content are they using? Are they blogging, or are they using a lot of graphics and videos?
How do they communicate their brand and what makes them unique? How well do they engage with the audience? Do you think you can do better? You can’t if you don’t participate in competing in the digital world.
If your prospects begin to search for a business similar to yours and are able to find your competitors’ website but not yours, your business is not even in the running.  Your competitors have just raced ahead of you regardless of whether they have an effective website or a clear message.

Let Your Customers Come To You

If you have an online presence but your competitors are easier to find and are found first, you still might not be found at all. Besides creating a website,  search engine optimization is a strategy that helps you move ahead of your competitors.

What is Digital Marketing?

This is an umbrella term for all of your online marketing efforts.
Digital marketing is a way to make yourself accessible to the people you are trying to reach to offer your products and services. You are able to attract a much larger audience than you possibly could by just catering to local prospects.
Businesses leverage digital channels such as Google search, social media, email and their websites to connect with current and prospective customers. From your website to your online assets like digital advertising, content marketing, email marketing, online brochures and beyond.
The best digital marketers have a clear picture of how each asset supports their overarching goals.
Are You A Tortoise or A Hare?
Here is a tale of slow and steady wins the race and why it matters to small business owners. 
“One day, Tortoise and Hare agreed to a long and difficult race. Stretching over miles and miles of rough terrain, hidden pitfalls and unknown enemies, the path before them rewarded only those travelers who could survive its impending dangers. Those who successfully navigated the course were richly rewarded at the finish line.
It was that reward that enticed the unlikely competitors to approach the starting line and embark on a course neither had traveled before.
Hare, the quicker and better looking of the two, appeared at the start carrying a large backpack. Tortoise, an aging and average turtle, carried only his shell on his back.” Read the rest of this inventive tale here:  Digital Marketing Allegory
Be A Tortoise
Few forms of advertising are as cost-effective as digital marketing. Patience is a virtue. Digital marketing in all of its forms takes time, a plan, commitment, and measurement.
Call Marcia at 561-906-3436 to learn more about how to fashion a Digital Marketing Plan for your business.