Web based advertising, generally referred to as digital marketing, changes like crazy from year to year. When you think about it, it was just over 20 years ago that Google didn’t even exist, and less than 10 years since Instagram was just a twinkle in Mike and Kevin’s eyes and yet today if you’re selling goods or services online these two platforms are your best friend.
In December last year I posted an article on three tips to make the internet work for you, but today I thought we would focus on online marketing trends and strategies. What worked for you a year ago won’t necessarily work for you this year or next. What got you this far won’t get you to where you need to be.
Leads you acquire, sales you get or the clients you draw in are the soul of your business, and it’s never a wise move to hedge your bets on one advertising channel and anticipate your profits to soar.
Your ability to build trust with your potential customers or clients is a major determining factor when persuading them that you’re the business to buy from. You need to convince them you are the right choice, the most relevant and the most reliable. This is exactly what these five digital marketing strategies can help you do!
1: Relevancy, relevancy, relevancy
For years you may have been collecting email addresses and adding them to a massive marketing list, and while that still has its place your customers are starting to unsubscribe. I know you’ve noticed this. But why? It’s not that you’re doing anything wrong with your email campaigns; it’s just they’re not relevant to them anymore.
In 2019, relevance is what is going to get you business. If you’re looking to expand and grow this year and generate more and more leads you are going to need to focus on building a greater level of intimacy and relevancy with your communications. Providing the right solution, to the right people, at the right time.
I know that sounds difficult and I’m not telling you it’s easy. But let’s consider a client of ours, Stella Beauty, who sell cruelty free beauty products through their WooCommerce store. How can we make sure that we get in front of the right people at the right time? Well firstly, don’t throw away your email list, let’s keep that handy and use it anyway. But consider the time of year, what beauty products are people likely to purchase during summer? Perhaps a waterproof mascara or water-resistant sunscreen. Brilliant, focus on those products, create a story or a narrative around them and put it out there to drive traffic specifically to those offerings.
2: People crave attention, give it to them
Think quickly about the term social media. We all know what it is, but do we understand it? Yes it’s a collection of different online services where we can make friends and talk with other people or share things that amuse us; but it’s also a tool for self-fulfillment, somewhere we go to feel good about ourselves and our lives by interacting with people or organisations which have similar beliefs and morals.
The key word there was “interacting”. As a business you should take the time to engage your audience on social media, get them involved with what you do. Ask them questions, ask for their opinion, even ask for their help with something. Interactions between your business and your customers will help solidify your name in their mind and they’ll remember you for it. So don’t just throw an image up on Facebook and think your job is done. Engage your audience. People are overwhelmed by the amount of information and messages that are just thrown in their face on the internet so you need to stick out. Do something that grabs their attention and gets them to interact with you in a positive way.
No longer can you just force your message out and push it to as many people as far and wide as you can. You have to get your message in front of the right people and let them push it to their friends and then their friends, all the time your name is being shown to more and more of the right people.
