Digital marketing is often viewed as a complex world of algorithm updates, revenue funnels and backlink profiles, among other weird and wonderful things. The unnecessary use of jargon, as I’ve just demonstrated, can make it even more confusing. Business owners with zero or limited digital marketing experience can sometimes be put off by its cloak-and-dagger tag, preferring instead to outsource all the work to an agency or freelancer. If this sounds familiar, here are five easy digital marketing strategies you should implement yourself before shouting for help!
1. Claim/Update Your Google Business Profile
If you have a brick-and-mortar business, there’s a good chance you already have a Google Business Profile. Claim your Google Business Profile by requesting a code from Google that will be sent to your business address. Inputting the code will get you up and running. You can then update your profile to ensure all the relevant information, including address, business hours, contact details and the services/products you offer are accurate. An optimised Google Business Profile may result in higher Google Map Pack rankings, making it easier for people from your area to find your business.
2. Post On Social Media
Nobody knows more about your business than you, making you the perfect person to post on your social media channels. This especially applies if you are hands-on in the day-to-day running of your company, as you can provide insights about what is going on in your business in real-time. Discovering the best times for your business to post on social sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram can ensure your posts gain more traction. Posting on social media may also increase your brand awareness and direct traffic to your website.
3. Focus On Your Online Reputation
What your customers say about your business is hugely important. According to Qualtrics, 93% of customers read online reviews prior to buying a product. Encouraging your customers to leave reviews about your business is the first step you should take. We talked about the importance of setting up and updating your Google Business Profile earlier, and this is one place your customers can leave reviews, in addition to social sites like Facebook. There are also third-party customer review websites like Trustpilot and TripAdvisor which provide customers with the opportunity to write reviews about your business. Whether it’s a good or bad rating for your business, it’s always important that you respond to each review as this demonstrates a proactive and courteous attitude. Your website can also be a great place to enhance your online reputation as you can go into more detail about customer experiences via testimonials and case studies.
4. Make It Easy For Your Customers To Contact You
This one applies to any online platform that you use to promote your business, including your website, social media channels, Google Business Profile or directory site listings. On your website, it’s important to have clear Call To Actions (CTA). This will ensure customers can take action easily, whether that’s to fill out an enquiry form, make an online purchase or contact you with a query. If your business receives a lot of calls, then your phone number should also be prominent on your website. With regards to other channels, make sure as much contact information is provided as possible and check that the info is accurate.
5. Reduce Image File Sizes On Your Website
Size matters when it comes to the images on your website. If the file sizes are too large this will slow your page load speed down and drive visitors away from your site. If you haven’t been checking the file size before uploading images to your website, there’s a good chance that some of them will exceed the optimal size. According to Shopify, anything bigger than 20 megabytes in size can have a detrimental effect on your webpage speed. Instead, they recommend a file size of two megabytes or below. Reducing your image files to ensure they fall within these recommended sizes can prevent visitors from leaving your site straight away and improve user experience.
Conclusion
You might acquire the services of a qualified tradesperson for an entire kitchen renovation, for example, but for easier and less time-consuming tasks you may feel like you can carry out the work yourself to a proficient standard (not me though, I’m terrible at DIY!). Digital marketing is very much the same. These easy digital marketing strategies can be implemented by yourself without having to outsource. If you find, however, that digital marketing is taking up too much of your time or you require a greater level of expertise, get in touch with Alpaca Marketing and we’ll discuss the best ways to grow your online presence.
Andrew is the owner of Alpaca Marketing, the digital marketing agency which specialises in local SEO and website content.