2015 is time to embrace Digital

Digital technology is rapidly transforming businesses and empowering customers like never before. We no longer need to leave our home to catch up with friends, buy groceries or book a holiday. It is transforming how customers discover, buy and engage with brands. I read a statistic that said there are now more devices connected to the internet than there are people on the planet, so now is the time to embrace digital – if not your competition will.

So what is digital marketing?

Digital marketing applies platforms such as social networks, websites, e-marketing, apps & smartphones. Speaking of smartphones, in 2008, it was predicted that mobile will take over fixed internet access by 2014. Looking at the mobile phone I had in 2008, I would have thought this prediction was a little outrageous, but here we are.

Most small businesses are overwhelmed by digital marketing, and struggle to truly leverage the digital landscape to meet the expectations of their customers. Our clients have questions like what platform should I be using? How many hours a day should I spend utilising digital marketing? What content should I be promoting? How do I measure if it’s effective?

Now, I’m not saying that the way we utilising digital marketing is gospel (although we do achieve fantastic results for our clients)!! However, we have learnt many tricks along the way through experience as well as constant research.

Content is key

It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about a website, an app or social media 
– the right content is so important!! Make sure you’re providing and sharing valuable content with your audience, and measuring what content your audience is loving. 

With regard to your website, lots of valuable content will help your SEO, and position your website as a valuable resource for your customers. On social media, people want to feel a part of the community and the brand they follow. If you continuously post a sales message, you will lose them. We like to follow the 80/20 rule – Share 80% of engaging content, and 20% including a sales message.

Be mobile friendly

The number of searches made via a mobile phone is growing at a much faster rate than desktop searches. In fact, 80% of internet searches are done on a smartphone! If you’re website isn’t mobile friendly, your missing out on sales!

A study has shown that consumers who do local searches on their smartphone are more likely to take action. In this digital age, customers expect to be able to access and consume information readily. Make sure you create a fast, user-friendly version of your site for mobile viewers. If you aren't sure what we mean, grab your phone and check out www.adloyalty.com.au.

Email isn't dead

As a small business, e-marketing can offer the highest ROI (when done correctly of course). By properly we mean don’t overload your audience’s inbox and make sure you share valuable content – remember our content rule!! Free tools such as Mailchimp are fantastic, and allow you to design your own template, provide links to your website and social media as well as analyse opens and clicks!

Analyse your data

You may have heard the word data getting around, and they’re not talking 
about your internet data. It is now even easier to measure your marketing efforts with the utilisation of tools such as Google Analytics & social media insights. Make sure you’re looking at how many people are visiting your website, and most importantly your bounce rate. It is also important to analyse your social media effort through your insights. Pay attention to your reach, and experiment with posting at different times of the day. It's all trial and error, but hey, it's free!!

Need help embracing Digital Marketing? Sign up now for a Digital Health Check!!