As business owners, freelancers, and side-hustle extraordinaires, we are constantly being bombarded with advice and opinions on the best ways to market our businesses. And in the age of digital marketing, there seems to be a constant flow of new and shiny platforms popping up each and every month.
So let’s get back to basics. Let’s look at 5 of the key digital marketing tactics that no business – of any size or shape – should ignore. These are the bread and butter of your digital marketing strategy.
(PS: Let us know your thoughts in the comments on Women On Topp!)
Utilise Social Media
There is no doubt that social media marketing is one of the most important (yet widely neglected) forms of marketing for businesses. Although with so many options and strategies available on how to use social media to your best advantage, it can get a little overwhelming with where to start.
So, choose to focus on the social media platforms that are best suited to your type of business/industry and where your target audience is most likely to be found online. For example, a business selling baby products and clothing may choose to focus on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. A law firm may choose to focus on Facebook and LinkedIn. Build these up first with consistent and high-quality (i.e. engaging) content before you branch out into other platforms and paid social media advertising
Have A Solid Website
One of the key objectives of social media is to drive traffic to your website (or funnel). Your potential customers need a place where they can look more in-depth at you/your business, what you do and what you offer. Your website is your prime piece of internet ‘real estate’, so it should feature engaging copywriting, content, and be good user experience. And you don’t need to pay an arm and a leg for a good quality one, too! Look into WordPress or Squarespace or hire one of your fellow local businesswomen to make you a slick site.
Build an Email List
Furthermore, one of the key objectives of your website is to encourage these website visitors onto your email list! An email list is crucial to navigating interested potential customers down your “sales funnel” – and of course getting their email address is absolute gold. By building your own email list (something that you “own” – unlike your social media accounts which could be deactivated at any time) and sending these contacts exclusive content, this allows you to further build relationships with your potential customers and bring them closer to the sale (or signing up as a client).
Put Out Great Content
Great social media, websites and email lists wouldn’t be great without some solid content! (you’ve heard the saying “content is king”, right? Well for good reason!). Content can be a very broad term and can include everything from a singular social media post, to a “how-to” video, to a lengthy news article. But essentially, we want to put out high-quality and authoritative content in order to portray you (or your business) as the expert and go-to business in your industry!
A great way to do this is to start a blog section on your website. Each week put out a thought-leadership or educational blog posts to do with your product/service/industry. Make sure you share this blog on your social media to get as many eyes on it as possible (a blog will of course also help with the SEO of your website – winning!).
If you’re more akin to the video and multi-media side of things, start a YouTube channel (or at least start putting out video content on your other social media channels – including Live videos and Stories). Video is one of the most engaging forms of content and if you’re a small business it doesn’t even need to be a super expensive investment. Film with your smartphone, download a video editing app, and start sharing your knowledge with the world!
Engage Influencers or Collabs
And no – I’m not talking the high profile (and costly) influencers such as Kylie Jenner. Unless you have the budget for that of course! I’m talking about micro-influencers – i.e. people or brands that have a smaller but still engaged audience, which can be anywhere from 1000 to 10,000 followers – and even collaborations with other businesses. Team up with another person or brand (that is of course in line with your own) for a mutually beneficial collaboration that helps grow both of your audiences. Whether it’s a giveaway, or a sponsored post, just make sure you are being upfront about any monetary exchange that has been made (the use of the hashtag #sponsored is used a lot). Influencers and collabs work the best when it’s authentic and in alignment with your business! And the more authentic you are online, the more your audience will repay you in loyalty and custom.
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