Digital marketing is one of the most important ways to reach your customers and get your products or services out there. If you’ve been in business a while then many of the key methods will be familiar to you. At the same time, there’s always room for improvement and refinement. With that in mind, here’s a brief overview of the key channels to any successful digital marketing strategy:
1. SEO
If you have a website for your product, then you’ve heard a bit about search engine optimisation, but it might still be a bit mystifying. Basically, SEO is the process of optimising your website so that it shows up in searches related to your product or service. Since the internet is the #1 way for people to research new purchases, good SEO is essential for the success of your business.
SEO is oriented around keywords. Search algorithms look into your website to determine how relevant your site is for certain key words and phrases. You really need a keyword plan for the terms that your target audience is likely to enter in a search. For best results, you’ll want to include local terms in addition to product or service relevant terms. Then on-page, off-page, and technical elements are refined to reflect these terms.
Despite its importance, less than half of all companies invest in SEO. It’s a long-term strategy and won’t get you instant results, but if you want success in the long run, your ROI will surprise you. The best way to go about it is to find experienced digital marketing consultants to review your site and optimise it for best results.
2. Paid Ads and Search Engine Marketing
SEO is great for organic search results. But there are other elements that can make your site even more visible. One of those methods is paid advertisement. When you run a search, do you notice those ads that come up at the top of the page? It costs money, but by purchasing advertisement for key search terms, you can make sure your site is the first thing that someone sees in their results.
Paid ads or pay-per-click advertising (PPC) can be channeled through search engines, like Google, as well as through social media channels like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Ad campaigns can focus on certain terms, retarget previous customers, and increase your outreach in a number of other ways. Each channel is a little different and you’ll burn through quite a bit of money without much of a return if you don’t plan your campaign effectively. To get the most out of your PPC campaign, make sure to work with a social media management agency that’s familiar with the channels you use most.
3. Social Media Marketing
So we’ve mentioned ads on social media, but that’s just the beginning. Social media is one of the best ways to develop strong relationships with your customers, to show them that you value them as people and want to hear what they have to say. It’s also an ideal channel for building your brand and reaching new customers.
Social media marketing involves more than just putting up a post. It’s important to know the best times to post on each service and to respond to your customers when they send messages. Plus, each platform offers analytics to help you learn which posts are most effective. To top it off, most social media channels now allow you to sell your products or services directly, providing a whole new sales channel.
4. Content Marketing
It’s old knowledge that content is king. Even though it’s an oldie, it’s still a goodies. Content marketing is basically the practice of providing content to your audience in order to generate leads or sales. This can be any type of content. Blogs and articles are standard, but you can also use posts or stories on social media channels, YouTube videos, infographics, Tweets, e-books, and white-papers.
To get the best results, you’ll want to combine content marketing with other social media communications. Make the language simple, and educate your customers before you sell. Make sure that the information that you provide is valuable to them. Content creation is a specialised niche, so it’s best to get someone who knows the field well and can speak to your audience. A professional online marketing company will make sure that you have regular content uploaded to your site or social media channel, keywords friendly and targeted to your customers.
5. Email Marketing
These days, email has become an essential part of how we communicate. When you market through email, you nurture leads and develop stronger bonds with existing customers. It’s important to make it personal, and, to get best results, include beautiful images and clickable links. Email campaigns are also ideal for creating sales funnels and keeping customers aware of your brand. Think newsletters, deals, and news relevant to the field.
6. Conversational chatbots
The previous five marketing channels are the classics, but as technology continues to evolve, there are more channels available to you. One of the up and coming trends is the use of conversational chatbots. With the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence, chatbots are smarter than ever. They let you increase engagement with your customers, even when you can’t be online to monitor the site in person. Conversational chatbots are great as recommendation engines, to nurture leads, and to offer customer support.
7. Marketing through Influencers
With the increased importance of social media, influencers are difficult to ignore. These people with significant social media followings can showcase your brand or service. They add a personal touch and bring in more trust and legitimacy to your brand. They are so important for marketing that influencers with huge followings are being paid top dollar by big companies to showcase their products.
However, the key in the current market is to use micro-influencers. Social media engagement can top out after you reach a certain number of followers, and huge influencers can offer so many recommendations that they lose connection with their audience. Instead of looking for an influencer with 100,000 followers, keep an eye out for micro-influencers with more than 1000 followers. If you find someone that connects with your target audience, you can massively increase engagement while still getting a reasonable price for their services. Plus, the micro-influencer trend is still a new thing, so you can jump on top of it before the market is flooded.
If you’d like to know more about real estate marketing or you’re looking to make your social media marketing more effective, feel free to contact us. At Reputation by Design, we specialise in digital marketing for financial services and real estate companies, and we can help you take your business to the next level.
