If you want your business to survive and thrive after the pandemic, you must keep marketing. I read in an article that running a business without marketing is like a guy winking at a girl in the dark. Only he knows what he is doing, but no one else can see him.
I thought it was brilliant and hit the nail on the head with how important marketing is for your business.
If you are not making people aware of your business, they will not be able to find you. Therefore, it is so important to have a marketing plan, even with limited resources. You need to ensure that your business has an online presence and claim your share of the digital economy for survival.
The internet provides opportunity for you to showcase your business, even on a budget. When you invest your time in the right channels, you can help your clients discover you. Building a solid online reputation can serve your business well.
Let me help you get started.
Here are key elements you should include in your online marketing approach.
1. Setup your CRM system
The starting point for any business is a platform to handle client information.
CRM stands for customer relationship management and it does live up to its name. It helps with better customer relationships so you can provide a better service.
It can help you track actions completed, orders and interaction with your website. You can also track prior steps of communication to help you close your deals.
2. Work on your website
A website is your shop window and does the selling for your business.
Every business needs a website that capturers a visitor’s attention. Look at your content and make sure it describes your unique selling point. Ask yourself ” What is the initial impact when your visitors land on your website?” Do your visitors understand your key message?
When you explain your product describe the benefits, not the features. Your prospects want to know how you can solve their problem.
3. Analytics
Software tools like SEM Rush or Google Analytics help you track traffic statistics. You will be able to track which channels bring the best leads so you can optimize your spend. You can also optimize your SEO rankings with reports and keyword tracking.
SEMRush also helps you to watch your competitor’s marketing strategy. You can get information about their social media, seo rankings and google ad spend. This can help you plan your topics for content and social media so you can connect with your audience on a deeper level.
4. Social media
Social media is buzzing. It has a high online presence that you need to access for your business. A lot of businesses make the mistake of trying to sell on social media. This is not the right strategy because social media was never meant for sales. It is for engaging and being part of a community that you can connect with.
You should use social media to share your knowledge and demonstrate your expertise. Your active pages help build your brand awareness and shows customers you are active in your business and the community. This is important for social proof and trust, so clients are more willing to do business with you.
The 3 top social platforms are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
4. Blogs
A blog is a good way that you can create awareness of your website and business. You can write articles to provide more insight about your products and services. A blog gives your website personality and it’s a great way to generate interest.
You can write articles on your website and share them on your social media pages. This will help get traffic to your website without a sales pitch.
Content is king. When you use it wisely it can bridge the gap in your sales process, so you generate more conversions. Make sure you maintain regular posts to keep your readers interested in your brand.
5. Lead capture forms
You can embed lead capture forms on your website to capture information about leads. You can either use an email marketing system or crm system to create lead forms.
When a person enters their details the form links their information to your database.
A great way to attract attention and collect data is to have a free offer on your website. The idea is to offer content of value in exchange for your visitor’s email address. This will help you to attract more visitors so you can grow your database.
6. Email marketing
Use email marketing to warm up and close sales once you have your visitor’s details. An email funnel system will warm up your leads and direct them to take a desired action.
Email newsletters are a great way to share information about your company. You can direct your followers to your blog to read articles or make a purchase.
A good marketing strategy will include all the above elements for a full online presence. Even if you don’t have advertising budget, you can still build a community with the right channels. All you need is creativity, great content and the desire to make a difference in your prospect’s lives.
I hope this guideline helps you with your marketing planning and where to build your online presence.
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Thanks’ for reading my article. If you found this helpful, please do share this on social media. It will go a long way to help me keep sharing with you.
Thank you for helping me grow.
Happy Marketing.
Regards,
Judy Hayes
Founder
JK Marketing Solutions