There is no question that digital marketing is a critically important part of any overall marketing strategy. Big or small, you need to understand and properly execute a digital marketing campaign if you want to be competitive.
The good news is that it’s easier than ever before for small businesses and solopreneurs to conduct digital marketing themselves — as long as you’re willing to put in the effort.
The following are some useful tips and suggestions for getting the most out of your social media and online marketing efforts:
Know who your target audience is
Before investing time and money into digital marketing, ask yourself who you are trying to reach. What are your customer’s interests? What do they like to read about? What kind of content do they share with their family and friends? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you target customers as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Business owners and accountants looking to find an online accounts software solution are our core audiences. They are our target audience(s). It’ ok to have more than one.
Reach out via email when possible
When promoting your business, or a piece of content you’ve created for your business, try to reach out via email first. While social media is a great way to contact people, a well-crafted email tends to make more of an impression. It might take some effort to find an email address, but it’s often worth it. Plus, if you manage to find a hard-to-find email address, chances are you’re one of the few who made the effort.
Don’t believe the reports that claim email is dead, it’s far from it; email is still a superb communication medium.
Personalise your communications
It’s ok to have a general template when reaching out to bloggers and websites, however it is absolutely imperative that your outreach is personalised to the individual. Show you know who they are, and that you’ve read some of their recent content.
Conduct A/B testing
Even the most seasoned marketing experts use A/B testing. A/B testing is particularly useful in digital marketing because you can compare results almost in real-time. A/B testing might sound scientific and far too complicated but it’s a prerequisite for modern online marketing and here’s the thing – it’s not that difficult.
The team over at Unbounce have a pretty good definition on what A/B testing is. Check it out.
Know what your goals are
It’s important to know what your goals are with digital marketing. Is it to build brand awareness? Perhaps you want to market directly to customers, and sales conversions are a key performance indicator. Whatever your goals, make sure you know what they are, and have a way to measure your success or failure. Success, great, you’re on the right track. Failure, time to regroup and evaluate your shortcomings and restart the process until you get it right. That’s one of the great attractions of digital marketing – the real-time analysis that empowers you to make changes immediately it’s apparent that your campaign tactics are not working.
Don’t underestimate the time required. While many of the tools are relatively free/ inexpensive, it’s your time that may turn out to be the big expense.
