These last few weeks have been tough on everybody. If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur or even if you have a small-scale side hustle, you could be in the position where you have a lot of free time where projects once stood.
The reality is that for the most part, there is little you can do about the situation other than adapt your business model wherever possible. However, it’s also important to factor in what drives people to your business in the first place, which includes your digital marketing.
Here’s the thing. In normal circumstances, a surprising amount of people don’t give their digital marketing much of a thought. Plus with the many different digital marketing strategies available, you might not be fully aware of all the techniques you can employ in the first place. After all, why would you if your background isn’t in digital marketing?
In today’s post, we want to share with you the reasons why digital marketing is still an important factor to consider, even during these challenging times. While everything is grinding to a halt and the uncertainty brings forward many challenges for businesses, it’s also a rare opportunity to address your overall marketing strategy. After all, when all this is over, having a great strategy will be more important than ever before.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
The best way to describe SEO is to imagine someone is typing something into Google. SEO or search engine optimisation is content that has been created with that exact search in mind. For example, ‘hairdressers in Nottingham’, or ‘What time is Pointless on tonight’ – these search terms will lead directly to optimised content, whether that be a service provider or even a particular newspaper headline. It’s not enough to just hope someone will stumble across your content, you have to create a way of joining the dots especially as Google will be combing for the exact information the user is looking for.
In our opinion, SEO/organic is the standout marketing tactic that is ideal for the current climate. It’s a long-term strategy in that what you do today will continue to pay off 6 months down the line. SEO also takes time, so putting the work in now (while your competitors are sleeping) means you can position yourself for when we’re out of lockdown.
There are many ways you can improve your SEO, and if your business isn’t among the first few results or you’re not getting much web traffic then it’s time to ensure yours is working as it should. This starts with ensuring that your content is optimised correctly through the correct use of keywords and meta tags. That’s because the more opportunities you give Google or a social media website to pick up on what you do, the more likely they are to link that to somebody searching for it. SEO should be implemented throughout your website, social media and wider digital strategies. So, whether you choose to utilise content marketing strategies, on-page optimisations or a plethora of other tactics, we’re here to help.
PPC (Pay Per Click)
If you need traffic and you need it now, PPC is where you should look. Have you ever typed in a search term and noticed highlighted suggestions at the top? This is PPC, or pay per click. Essentially, that business owner has paid Google (or a social media website who also has PPC services) to display their ads. Every time someone clicks that link and lands on that business’s website, a pre-agreed amount will be paid to the platform.
Overall, PPC is a low-cost form of digital marketing, as you can control the total spend per day and the competition is low too. It pays to hire an agency to set up your PPC advertisements, as they focus on specific keywords related to your business. By combining an effective PPC campaign with the astronomical audiences that search engines and social media have between them, it can take your marketing campaign to some seriously new heights.
One of the biggest PPC platforms that you’ll benefit from is called Google Ads. This is how you get to the very top of a page when you search for almost anything in Google. For example; If you were to search for “Nike trainers” you’ll most likely see this ad first…
These ads are given to you as a priority so that they get you on their website first before any of the organic listings. If an activewear brand targeted “Nike trainers” they will show up at the top too.
Website Design
Last but not least, what are your customers actually landing on when your PPC, SEO and other marketing efforts have been successful? There’s so much we could say about website design here, but starting with the obvious, is your website responsive? If you’re not sure, open it up on a phone or tablet and compare it to how it looks on your computer. Your customers need to be able to see and understand everything you have to offer regardless of how they access your website. Otherwise, they will simply exit your site without taking any further action.
Take this opportunity to ensure your website is truly selling what you have to offer. After all, user experience is important. The information needs to be clear, as does the navigation. If anything is letting your website down, it could be costing you vital leads. It always helps to have a professional take a look for you, especially if it’s been a while since your website was designed. The good news is that you’ve landed in exactly the right place to be able to help you with that.
We’re Here To Help
If you would like any advice with your digital marketing, then Imaginaire is here to help. We are an independent design and marketing agency based in Nottingham. Our core passion is to help businesses attract more leads through their website, so if that sounds like something your business would benefit from, be sure to get in touch. You could even try affiliate marketing too.
Give us a call on 0115 971 8908 for help or advice on your digital marketing strategy.
