Online marketing provides myriad options that can confuse even the tech-savvy entrepreneur amongst us. But before you find yourself overwhelmed with all the information and options, look at your business and what services you offer. Then decide where most of your target market is in the digital world. Are they on Facebook and Twitter, or will they respond better to e-mails and SMS? The answer could be yes to all of these.
All you need to do is leverage all the digital marketing possibilities and make them work for you;online marketing plays a vital role in getting new customers and retaining the existing ones. That is why your marketing mix may include more than one form of digital marketing.
● Free trials and giveaways
The service experience is quite different from the shopping experience because no tangible product is purchased. In this case, excellent customer service becomes even more crucial. So, a better way for a customer to know what you offer than offering a free trial. Software businesses and gyms benefit significantly from this.
● Make use of UGC
User-generated content is natural organic content created by customers who have experienced your service and share it with their friends, family, and followers. When this happens, you can retweet or mention their post on your social media account. This will encourage others to share their experience, and you can even reward the user with a free service or gift card.
● Request Reviews and Testimonials
You can ask for reviews, use platforms like Google or TrustPilot for dedicated service reviews, and repost them on your website. Positive reviews help build confidence in your business.
● Content Creation
Content creation is central to any digital marketing plan, and you need to have a blog on your website. Blogs are meant to be informative and interactive, and they can have a fun element to them as well. If you offer photographic services, you could blog about beautiful places to take your wedding photos or the best time of day for modelling photoshoots.
Remember, blogging is a long-term investment, but as long as you post quality content regularly, eventually, it will pay off.
● List Your Business
Before Google was a thing, people used yellow pages to find a plumber, electrician, or salon. Even in these digital times, there are digital yellow pages like Yelp, Thomson Local, and Yell where you can list your services. Just make sure you list in the location or industry-specific directories.
● Use sites like Medium and Quora
Remember that blog you wrote with high-quality content on your site? All you need to do is go to a content site like Medium or Quora and post something insightful, helpful, and worth reading, then add a link to the blog on your business site. This way, you will add value to the readers and create traffic to your site.
This method is beneficial for new businesses that have been in operation for less than two years. Just make sure your content is unique and has strategically placed keywords.
● Make use of Hashtags.
You can post photos and videos with relevant hashtags on social media sites like Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram and follow others in your industry. Make sure you have detailed descriptions and categorize your hashtags correctly. Soon enough, you will get mentions and generate a following.
● Have an App
There is an application for everything these days, and if you want to reach more customers, then having a mobile app is the way to go. Depending on your services, you can have an interactive showcase app where clients can build the kind of package they want. Or it can show videos and pictures of what you offer, and there is no limit to what you can do with it.
Ensure your app is available on reputable app stores like Google Play, Apple app store, and Amazon marketplace.
Last Thought
Remember, there is no quick fix in digital or otherwise marketing, but as long as you publish unique quality content and are consistent in your strategy, your efforts are bound to pay off. Always strive to add value to your customers’ life and be respectful of their time and space. In turn, they will not only remain loyal to your brand, but they will refer new business to you.
Customers would rather pay more to a service provider they know and trust than pay less to a new provider. So in your search for new business and more clients, please don’t neglect your existing loyal clients. It costs more to find new business than to retain existing business.
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