Top 10 Digital Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

1.  Focus on SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Focus on local search engine optimization.  You want to optimize your website for the area that you do business with, and the keywords that your customers are typing into the search engines.  There are a few ways to do this, and an agency that specializes in SEO will be able to give you an SEO strategy that will start working for you immediately. 

2. Do your research. 

You need to know exactly what your customers are searching for.  What keywords are they typing into the search engines?  Once you know what the keywords are, you can begin to point these customers towards your website. 

3. Know you your competitors are. 

A competitive analysis is where every reputable digital marketing agency will start.  You need to know how you measure up to them.  What are your strengths?  What are your weaknesses?  A good agency will help you find opportunities and incorporate these into your strategy.

4. Know who your audience is. 

 Who are you looking to do business with?  Is it residential, commercial or both?  Are you looking for small scale jobs or large ones?  Once you have identified your audience, your digital marketing strategy should follow.  You will be able to craft your message in a more personal way and use your marketing budget more effectively. 

5.  Write content for your industry. 

Content on your website shows your customers that you are an expert in your industry and that they can count on you for accurate and current information.  Include the most up to date information, articles, and infographics to create a page that is not only informative but engaging.  Most importantly, make sure that you include CTAs on your page.  Invite them to contact you, join your newsletter or follow you on social media.    

6. Use social media. 

One of the best things about social media is that it is a two-way conversation.  You have an opportunity to learn about your customers on these platforms.  You don’t always have to spend money to generate leads, you can simply spend your time.  A good digital marketing agency that specializes in social media marketing will be able to write you a strategy that you or an employee can implement.  Social media is also an excellent way to increase your SERP (Search Engine Ranking Position). 

7.  Don’t forget about Google

Google isn’t only a search engine, it’s a social media profile as well.  You need to stay up to date with your posts on this profile, just like any other.  You should be posting at least 3 times a week here as well as uploading photos regularly.  The photos should be optimized for your keywords for a better SERP.  This is a profile that is best managed by an agency for the best results.  A good digital marketing agency can get you thousands of visitors to this page in just a few months. 

8.  Use email marketing.

This form of marketing is still the most effective. According to a study done by McKinsey and Company, “it’s 40 times more effective than social media marketing”.  You can use your email marketing to nurture your client list.  These are people who have already done business with you.  If they had a good experience, you could rely on repeat clients for a huge portion of your revenue.  You can also use email to gain the trust from potential clients that you have not had an opportunity to do business with yet. 

9.  Use video marketing. 

Video marketing is a great way to impress your audience.  It also has an excellent ROI.   The statistics for video marketing are all the convincing that you need.  According to “Optinmonster, video marketers get 66% more qualified leads per year.”

10.  Have an optimized website. 

We saved the best for last!  An optimized website is the MOST important thing that you can do for your business.  All of the above will have been for nothing if your website is not optimized.  Your entire digital marketing strategy has one goal, get them to your website to contact you.  Your website needs to be visually exciting because the average person leaves your website in less than 2 seconds if they are not impressed.  Your website needs to also be able to be optimized for all devices, more than half of most audiences are going to be searching from phones and tablets and if your website isn’t mobile friendly, they will simply leave.  Your website should also have a UX/UI design.  The user experience is so important, so you should have your website built by designers that specialize in this.