Digital Marketing Tactics for Startups and Small Businesses

There are billions of dollars that get spent on digital marketing each year, across the world. However, even with all of that being spent, only a small percentage of marketers think that digital marketing is working for them. Plus, for many small business startups, and entrepreneurs, building up a marketing capacity and expertise can be difficult. The good news is that there are plenty of ideas of how you can look to increase and improve marketing reach and the return on the investment spent on marketing. 

If you need advice on how to improve your digital marketing, and make it more worthwhile for your small business, then there are a range of free digital marketing courses that are out there to complete. When you have some more expertise in an area, then it will make your business thrive and make doing your job much easier. If you’re looking for some tips and advice, then here are some marketing tactics that can help to take your business digital marketing to the next level.

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Think strategically about what you spend on your marketing

There is no getting away from the fact that email marketing is something that is effective and definitely still relevant. However, for many customers, their email inboxes are going to get full each day. So you need to think about how you can make sure that your message is getting through and encourage people to take action. 

Something like direct mail is expensive, and not only that, it can be hard to track your return on your investment. Targeting your outreach is what needs to be done instead. Think about dividing up your customers with different demographics, and then reaching out to different customers in different ways; they aren’t going to react the same. 

The real value with this kind of strategy is when you channel your online marketing efforts in order to reach the customers that will be the most valuable to you offline. In order for marketing to be effective, you need to stop wasting money on direct mail that can be expensive and results in unqualified leads, but can still reach leads through multiple channels. Think about how to keep customers engaged, and don’t forget about just how important it can be to your brand to just keep mailing out emails to your contact list if you haven’t thought through the kind of call to action that you want from them, as well as what matters to them.

Focus on building genuine relationships with customers

If you want your digital marketing to be the most effective, then you need to think about building up your relationships with your customers. For effective marketing, a big part of it is making sure that you have a good outreach campaign that isn’t spammy and focuses on making sure that there is real value for the customers. One way to do that can be by looking at creating some new relationships with partners too. New business partners can work with you, referring your customers to each other, which is beneficial for both companies.

Assess your strategy for content marketing

Content marketing is something that makes up over 60% less than traditional marketing, but does actually generate up to three times more than any other leads. With that in mind, it is worth remembering that over 90% of B2B marketers help to use content marketing. Content marketing is something that is effective, and that has been super effective for B2B marketers. Many people are looking to change their content marketing, that volume is no longer the way to go; quality is more important than quantity when it comes to your business’ content marketing. Spend time creating fewer pieces of content, ensuring their quality, and then spend time and money marketing those pieces. 

Make use of video content to help increase engagement

Content marketing is something that is more than just blog posts, photos, and captions to go along with them. By using video content, you can help to increase a lot of effective and relevant engagement which can be vital to your marketing. Social media sites are also making a massive difference to promote video content, so now is the time to start to create some. 

With video, you can easily capture an audience, all the while making the process feel more organic, and getting across your key points. In short, video content is to the point, with no need for it to be long or excessive, making them ideal for consumers that are just looking for something quick to consume. It has been found that a lot of blog posts and content marketing will be over 1000 words. However, many consumers will spend on average thirty seconds on a page reading, so they’re not really taking it all in. When you use a video, one that is under thirty seconds, you can get the information out in a simple way, ideal for consumers with a short attention span. 

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Use influencer marketing

More and more small businesses are seeing the value and the power that comes from influencer marketing. By using influencers who have a value that is relevant to your small business, it can go a long way to helping to improve the image of your brand, and help to get your brand name out there. 

It isn’t all about just finding external influencers that are able to try, promote, and get behind your product or your brand. You can also look to use influencers who blog. By the content that is created online, with new and regular fresh content, it can help to improve the search rankings of your site. This can help you to rank better when someone searches for you online, which is something that is important for small businesses that are in competitive industries. 

Use automation where possible

If you want to improve your digital marketing, then automation can be ideal. It is often seen as a way to make sure that all of your marketing gets the maximum return on investment. Automation means that you can create content and get it out there, along with testing and creating your advertising, as well as email campaigns. This kind of automation of content helps to focus your content marketing to the best potential prospects that are going to engage with your business, improving your time and energy. 

Regularly look to improve the user experience

Many methods of traditional marketing tactics are not going to be effective for your business unless you have a product or service that helps to meet the needs of your customers. That means that instead of just focusing on other aspects of marketing that will mean things will differentiate from another, you should let the product aim to market itself, where possible. By improving the user experience, it will mean that more and more people are more likely to refer products to their friends, and so on. If consumers have a positive experience, then it does get shared. 

The digital marketing space can feel a little crowded, but by implementing these tactics, it can help to separate you from a small business just getting by, to a company that is looking to generate more leads and get maximum return on your investment. Depending on what you are looking for with your business, and what you want the business to be able to achieve, can help to create a stellar marketing plan and mean that you can determine which of these tactics are going to fit your business the best.

Shine A Brighter Digital Spotlight On Your Brand

When you’re marketing your business online, it’s important to understand that you are always going to be facing a heating competition. As such, you need to make sure that you explore the best ways to guarantee that you do stand out from the rest. Here are some options worth considering. 

Freebies 

There’s nothing that customers like more than getting things for free. As such, you could think about offering free promotional merch through your business website to generate a more positive buzz. You could also consider sampling solutions. A data-driven sampling agency will guarantee that your products do land in the hands of your target audience. They will pinpoint individuals who are going to write reviews and spread the word about your products. A positive review or recommendation like this can spread like wildfire, particularly if you have the right network profiles already in place. 

Fantastic Social Media Strategies

Next, you should explore social media. It’s fair to say that social media can deliver big results for your company. You just need to be ready and willing to take the right steps here. Social media is a powerful tool but it does need to be utilised the right way. One of the options that you can explore here is user generated content. Don’t forget that customers are always going to be more likely to trust the word of fellow buyers compared to direct marketing from your brand. UGC is also a way to earn brand loyalty which is going to be a great benefit to you. 

Blog Connections 

You could also think about exploring connecting with bloggers to boost your business brand. There are quite literally millions of blogs online so it’s never going to be particularly difficult to find one that is going to be relevant to your brand and your target audience. By connecting with bloggers, you can promote your business in a way that is fantastic for engagement. At the same time, this type of marketing won’t feel like direct promotion. It’s more discreet and thus more effective. This is just a case of finding the right blogger outreach service that is going to work in your best interest.

Show Some Skin

Finally, you need to think about how you can show some skin with your business brand. What do we mean by this? Essentially, you need to find a way to show what your business is about and this needs to be more than just crunching numbers or earning a positive profit margin. Instead, you need to show that your company and you are more than this. One of the best options here would be to support a charity or simply through your weight behind a commitment to green solutions. Both will earn you more positive receptions online. 

We hope this helps you understand some of the key steps that you can take to guarantee that you do get more attention with your brand online. If you explore this advice then you’ll have no trouble growing your customer ensuring that you reach new heights with your company. 

How To Make Your Business More Engaging

An engaging business is one that can attract and maintain loyal customers. It can also increase brand awareness and help the brand sell for itself. These factors can lead to greater success, which is the aim of any business. Thus, if you aim to reach new heights and make your business more engaging, here are some tips.

Video content

A Video Content Strategy will help put across your businesses message. Although images and words work, they may misconceive what you are trying to say. Through a video, the customers can acknowledge emotions and understand the tone of the message. It can also increase personal engagement, which can attain loyal customers.

You could share video content online through social media, a website, or even as an advert. Producing and promoting video content is achievable no matter your budget. Sharing your video online is free if it is through your own pages and sites. Or, if you want to reach more customers, you can place an advert on other websites and pages.

Social media presence

Social media will help your business stay connected with online customers. It is a free and strategic way of making your business available to any customer at any time of day.

To maximize the outcome of social media, it will help to post regular content. Daily content will maximize your business reach and ensure that customers do not forget you. 

Live chats

Your business most likely has a website. It is how you sell products/services and share new releases. On your website, it will help to have a live chat service. Even if you can only be available during business hours, it will improve your businesses customer engagement. 

Customers will be able to use your live chat to ask questions and ensure an immediate response. If your business has delayed response, then you may lose the customers interest. 

Host events

Hosting business events will help you reach out to more customers, get to know your customers, and show off your business. 

Whether or not you have a business space, you can host an event and engage with your customers. You can host virtual events, which allows more people to join and is ideal for small businesses that work remotely. 

When you host an event, ensure to be present and offer new ‘secret’ news or offer discounts. If you offer the customer something such as a discount, it will help them feel appreciated and likely lead to a purchase. Any incentive will help you create a better connection with your customers and improve their loyalty to you. 

Website simplicity

To maintain customer attention and engagement, you will want to ensure that your website is simple and easy to navigate. Clear and concise features will ensure that any customer can use the site and not feel confused. 

If your website is hard to navigate or function, then you might lose customer interest and hinder your sales and traffic. Keep it simple, clean, and fast to engage and maintain customers.