To Stand Out Online You Need Great Digital Marketing Strategies
If you are in business then 9 times out of 10 you need to be online! However you didn’t start a business to become an online marketer. If you are overwhelmed with what you need to do to grow your business, in this blog we are going to cover 7 Great Digital Marketing Strategies to help you grow online. However before we get start there are two very important things you need to know …
Be Specific About Who You Are
There is so much noise online between social media and the online space in general, so your potential clients have very limited attention spans. To stand out in this noise of competition you need to be giving potential clients something to remember you by. The best way to stand out and be remembered, is to be specific about who you are. You need to be crystal clear on who you are as that dictates your message.
What makes you different to your competitors? Why should potential clients work with you or buy from you rather than your competitors. Know what it is that makes you different, know who you are in business, your personal story and why you do what you. This why and what are not only great attention grabbers, but they are a fantastic testimony about your expertise. Weave your story into your marketing story and in turn, into your marketing strategy. Where businesses get lost before they start is when they can’t define themselves, their story and what’s different about the way they do business. So in a nutshell, you need to know what’s different about you and start to share it.
Know Who You Serve & Be What’s Missing
Knowing who you serve, simply makes it easier to CONNECT! If you are speaking to one person, rather than “everybody” you become succinct … you become clear … your message is on point … you STAND OUT! You can’t focus your marketing trying to speak to everybody. It is no different to trying to tailor your service to a one size fits all, you waste more time trying to please everybody and getting NOTHING done!
Having a targeted audience makes creating authentic and emotional connections so much easier. Your clients STATISTICALLY have the attention span of less than a goldfish. Developing the ‘know, like & trust factor helps cut through the social media noise and shows HOW you serve your ideal client. Marketing is all about how you serve your ideal client and how you make their lives better. Knowing WHO you serve goes a big way towards marketing your service so that it sells itself.
So now that we have covered the basics of being specific in your messaging and who you are, as well as who you serve … lets talk about the 7 great digital marketing strategies to grow your business online. These are seven elements that every business needs to have clear strategies online:
- Your Digital Marketing Strategy – Map your online footprint
- Develop a Content Marketing Strategy
- Develop Your Social Media Strategy
- Email Marketing Best Practices
- DO Video & get used to it
- SEO – Develop a Search Marketing Strategy
- Use Digital Advertising Strategically
In short Marketing is simply you SHOWING your clients you fill THEIR need! It is all about building relationships. Telling stories and weaving magic and ALWAYS giving value! So effectively digital marketing for business is how you now get your message in front of your best prospects and customers.
1. Your Digital Marketing Strategy – Map your online footprint
Now you know who you serve, you can determine exactly which platform(s) to show up on regularly. Let’s face it if your ideal customer is not on Facebook, but spends hours on Pinterest … guess where you should be spending your time! If you are not sure of the demographic for each Social media platform download the Social Media Infographic which ensures you show up where your ideal customers are already hanging out.
Knowing where you are online and mapping out each platform helps you make sure you only focus your precious time on where your ideal client is. From there you need to map out your entire customer acquisition process so you show up in the right way through each step in your Customer Journey. In this way you are building a relationship and developing the know like and trust factor without overtly selling. This customer acquisition process becomes effectively your “conversion funnel,” your digital marketing strategy that seamlessly and subtly leads your potential client to either working with or buying from you. The right strategy will step your potential client through the 3 conversion funnel stages: Awareness, Evaluation, and Conversion, and do this in a way that builds trust and customer loyalty.
2. Develop a Content Marketing Strategy
Everything online is based around content, so it is important to actually map out a content marketing strategy. The right content marketing will not only attract prospects but also help them through their customer journey (your marketing funnel) to increase sales and grow your business.
This is so much more than randomly throwing up a blog post or Social Posts when you ‘feel like’ it. This is providing the most relevant information and answering your potential clients questions so you start developing the know, like and trust factor and moving them further down the conversion funnel.
Remember Google is constantly updating it’s algorithms and A.I. to keep up with emerging technology and most importantly, Voice Search. Map out a Content strategy that answers questions your potential clients have and keeps bringing them back to engage and learn from you.
3. Develop Your Social Media Strategy
“Being on social media” isn’t simply about posting quotes or pretty pictures on Facebook and Twitter. It’s about showing up and ENGAGING where your target audience is. It is showing your expertise and area of authority, it is building relationships, and when the time is right providing offers your followers will love.
You aren’t on social media to get more “Likes.” Social media is there to firstly BE SOCIAL! Its about being consistent when you show up, consistent messaging, consistent branding. It is showing your area of expertise and giving value. I personally love, Tippingpoint Labs’ 4-1-1 rule. It was originally developed for Twitter but can help you control and balance your Social Media content so that your posts benefit both your brand and your followers.
The easiest way to remember with your social media posts is posts is: Give value – Give value – Give value – Give value – Educate (soft sell) – Promote (hard sell)
Again you don’t need to be on every network! You simply need to be where your ideal client is. Focus on one social network and spend time building a following. If you are not sure of the demographic for each Social media platform download the Social Media Infographic which ensures you show up where your ideal customers are already hanging out. Regardless of the platform you choose, you need to make an effort to understand why your audience is there and how you can serve them.
4. Email Marketing Best Practices
Email marketing works! Full stop … Like everything though you need to give value not just simply spam and sell. According to the Direct Marketing Association email marketing has a median that is 4 times higher than any other marketing channel!
Of course there are some essentials you need to cover to generate that return on investment such as:
- Have the correct address so the email actually gets delivered
- Making your headline enticing so your email gets opened
- Have compelling information and Call to actions, so your prospect takes the action you’re asking for
- Automating your email process so you can STILL run your business.
So how do you build your list, through your social media, content strategy and SEO you get people to your website. Give them something in return for their email address (have I mentioned my infographic yet?) or show the value they receive by signing up to your newsletter. There are plenty of ways but that’s a separate blog on its own.
The biggest thing with email is to GIVE VALUE, once someone unsubscribes its very hard to get them back. The ultimate goal is to create an engaged, responsive list of people that actually enjoy hearing from you. If you would like to learn more about Email Marketing read this blog.
5. DO Video & get used to it
Every social media platform is focusing on video. As mentioned throughout this blog know where your audience is hanging out online and SHOW UP there! Your ideal client is becoming blind to static images and video is one of the fastest ways to build rapport. Your ideal client gets to see and hear you and very quickly decide whether you are somebody they would like to work with. It is also one of the fastest ways to create content to share across the Social Media platforms that your ideal client is on. Here’s a tip … nobody (well almost nobody) is comfortable in front of the camera – feeling uncomfortable is no excuse not to get started!
Obviously the first stop is to upload to YouTube and optimise your work, to get found. Make sure you embed the video on your website – even better if you embed the from YouTube as it adds to your view time. The next stop is to share on Facebook. If you do a live video or upload a video natively (directly) on your page, share the love into groups you belong to. Just make sure it is giving value – not just self promotion.
Share on IGTV and use 15 – 60 second snippets on Instagram. Also note that when you do upload to IGTV it will create a post in your Instagram feed. Share in your weekly, fortnightly or monthly newsletters. If you would like to learn more about video read this blog here.
I use a specific Content Flowchart for my team and my clients, to ensure nothing gets missed in this process. If you would like a copy of this Client Video Content Flowchart, simply click the button below:
6. SEO – Develop a Search Marketing Strategy
With 93% of ALL online experiences beginning with organic search, you want to be found as part of those 67K searches every second. To do that, your SEO in 2019 should be increasingly focused on what your target group or ideal client wants to know when searching the web for the services you have to offer. .ideal client goes searching for information, your job is to supply the most RELEVANT answer and that is where SEO comes in.
Another approach especially with the latest BERT algorithm update is to ask what information your clients want to find with their search. The way the search algorithms work, the more you meet your ideal clients need with your content, the better your ranking chances will be. This is in fact the simplified explanation for Search Intent. The sole purpose of the Google BERT algorithm search is to be ready for screenless or voice activated searches from Siri, Google Home, Alexa and the like.
If you would like to learn more about SEO you can read this great blog here.
7. Use Digital Advertising Strategically
Most online platforms are becoming ‘pay to play’. From Google to YouTube, to Facebook, Instagram, now even Pinterest. Its all about the money! This is where having a strategy and a plan is crucial … otherwise it is too easy to spend more than your realise and break the bank. Regardless of what platform your focus on – and remember you should ONLY spend time where your ideal clients are – there are always advertising options. Make sure you are clear on the outcome you want, the amount of money you are willing to spend, as well as who your target audience is.
Keeping it general, there are three core types of digital advertising across most platforms:
- Sales – direct conversion
- Leads – into a funnel
- Retargeting audiences who have clicked, or interacted with your brand (almost as good as an email list)
Being clear on your strategy and required outcome will save a lot of wasted time, money and heart ache!
Final Thoughts on the 7 Great Digital Marketing Strategies
While digital marketing seems like a massive confusing beast to most business owners, the reality is you need to have an understanding of what to do to grow your business. ALWAYS start with a clear concise and specific message that shows who you are, as well as who you serve. The seven elements simply ensure that you can meet your ideal clients where they are in YOUR business “conversion funnel.” Your digital marketing strategy will then seamlessly and subtly lead your potential client to either working with or buying from you stepping them through the 3 conversion funnel stages of Awareness, Evaluation, and Conversion, in a way that builds trust and customer loyalty.
Remember, Marketing is simply you SHOWING your clients you fill THEIR need! It is all about building relationships. Telling stories and weaving magic and ALWAYS giving value! It is how you now get your message in front of your best prospects and customers.
If You Are Ready to OWN Your Digital Marketing Strategy for Your Business – Discover Your Ideal Client – Lock Down Your Branding – Get A Clear Message – Know Where To Market & Why! Connect with me today or comment below.
Stop Chasing the Latest Bright Shiny Thing & Wasting Money! The Digital Success Mentor Program is a 12 week 1-on-1 Mentoring Program to step you through your Digital Marketing Strategy. The core of any program is to “GET IT DONE” with scheduled weekly meetings either face-to-face or via Zoom. Workbooks, notes or templates are provided at each stage, as you learn not only what you need to GROW your business online, but HOW.
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- Clarity: Your Message & Overall Strategy
- Website That Works: Web – Social – Google
- Recharge Your Lead Gen: The Attraction Model
- Turn Leads Into Paying Clients
- Get Your Life Back: Learn Systems & Processes
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So, if you are stuck or overwhelmed with Digital Marketing or simply creating the right Marketing strategy for you and your ideal clients, I have Strategy Sessions available. If its time to get a Clear Action Plan, Digital Strategy Map & Checklists, you can check out the details here!
