Now that you have the ball rolling and your business is up and running, the next step is looking ahead to invest in the future growth of your company. Even though the business may be doing well at the start, translating your business into an online format is critical. The best time to get started on strategic marketing is sooner rather than later.
This term is slightly different than just purchasing a basic marketing package and starting from there. Investing involves proper planning while insuring that your strategy will increase and maintain profits for your business in the future.
Taking the plunge into any business investment can feel like an indulgence, especially when your budget is only designed to cover the bare necessities. In being a smaller business, it might not feel like a necessity to have a strong online presence either- as you are more focused on the local audience. But in our current digital world, if you do not have a strong online presence, you will loose out on potential long form growth. Investing in development of a results-driven digital marketing strategy will boost current engagement and produce long term growth and stability.
The best thing about content marketing is that it allows your business to have a voice and speak for itself. You can also come across as a master of your field when you are producing content that is relevant and helpful to consumers rather than reiterating the same old brand slogan. This also allows you to reach adjacent markets that expand your brand awareness rather than over saturation of the same pool.
Telling your brand story can take many forms, whether it be through blogs, graphics, photographs, videos, twitter stories, email series and how-to resources. There are so many ways in which you can take your brand to the next level through creative content that it is truly worth collaborating to find new outlets and ways to express your ideas.
Something as simple as setting goals is statistically shown to result in higher success rates than those who don’t. When you have a clear idea of how you want your business to grow, you can create a program that specifically targets your desired results.
When these goals are physically written down, they are able to be tracked and followed up on at a later date, giving a sense of accountability to your own success.
When planning on investing in digital marketing, you need to have a clear outline in order to begin to strategize how you are going to get there. There are some great websites that can digitally help you organize like Trello, Slack (setting reminders) and Evernote.If your business relies on people answering phone calls or being physically in a brick and mortar store, you are loosing out on business when the doors are closed and the phones are off. Not suggesting that you need to stay open longer, but when you have an easy to use and informative website- you are able to keep those business channels strong and maybe even take a day off! When your website accurately portrays your business tone, and is easy to navigate, your usage of marketing strategies will undoubtedly grow sales.
Your website should reflect all aspects of your business, from pricing to delivery and how all of these services work. Having a professional design your website will assure that it is sleek and easy to understand, fitting in with the industry standard. When these aspects align, it makes your business look and feel even more trustworthy to the point where a customer is more likely to buy products online or inquire further about services through your online channels.
In our bustling world where most of our screen time is on our phones, making sure your business website is mobile compatible is critical. People discover new products and services on the fly with Google searches, having a website that is SEO (Search Engine Optimized) will ensure that your site is popping up and the top of a quick search. Mobile searches look different than regular internet searches, and therefore having a website that is built for mobile phones as well, you are making sure that you are reaching all potential customers.
Social media marketing has made a name for itself since it is incredibly impactful when it is used in addition to a well thought out marketing strategy. Some businesses disregard current social media marketing statistics and think that it might be just too complicated or too much work for not enough profit. When you use social media marketing to a specific audience, and use the algorithms to appeal to a smaller community, you will strengthen your brand awareness.
Social media is a fun platform and you can have a move casual and interactive experience with potential clients, with comments, contests and more. Capitalizing on the mood of social media makes your brand more appealing and approachable to people in a more familiar setting.