As the world continues to rapidly gravitate to the online environment, the pressure is on for businesses to attract an audience and convert them to customers. No longer is it sufficient to simply through up a website and wait for customers. The internet is incredibly crowded with competitors fighting tooth and nail for attention and consumer dollars. In such an environment, choosing the right tools for digital strategy is critical. The right investment can reap huge dividends. Choose the wrong path and get used to crickets and tumbleweeds. Let’s look at how to choose the right digital marketing options for your business.
Mobile Apps
With people ever more dependent on their mobile devices, a quality app can be a powerful marketing tool. As one of the leading app developers in Melbourne put it: “apps allow you to live inside your consumers’ pockets and have them connect with your brand every time they open their phone.” Businesses big and small can benefit greatly by utilizing apps to communicate with their customers, operate loyalty programs and numerous other tactics. However, beware! You need to give serious thought to whether people will find it useful in their lives. Otherwise, you will simply end up another unused icon on a screen.
Social Media
The wonderful thing about social media is that everyone is on social media. The terrible thing about social media is…everyone is on social media. People’s feeds are so utterly saturated with information that unless you have something truly unique, engaging and interesting to say, you will get lost in the hubbub. Inspirational quotes and cheesy memes no longer cut it, so pay careful attention to the quality of your content and make sure that your select the right platform to target for your audience.
Search Engine Optimization
I’ve lost count of the number of self-righteous articles I’ve read online that boldly claim that Search is dead. It isn’t, and it is unlikely that it ever will be. Like everything else in the online world, SEO is evolving rapidly. However, with 90% of all product searches starting in the Google bar, getting your site to rank for the right keywords will continue to be an effective strategy for long to come. SEO requires patience and investment to be effective, so make sure that you have the budget and nerve to make it work for you.
Paid Search
Most people don’t click on paid ads on search engines. However, those that do are usually ready to buy, which makes paid search so effective. Fewer clicks with higher rates of conversion still mean commercial results, so paid search will continue to work for those that understand how to unlock its potential. This is especially true given that search engines continue to devote increased real estate to paid ads on results pages to generate more revenue and slowly change user behaviors. In highly competitive areas, however, prices per click can be astronomical. When prices reach $20 and $30/click or higher in some areas, companies can find that their budgets are chewed up within days or even hours with no guarantee of return.
Content Marketing
People love great content. Relevant, engaging and useful information is a perfect way to build your brand and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. Churning out continuous streams of quality content is a challenge. Do it right, and you can organically build a powerful web presence. Miss the mark, and you’ll have wasted lots of time and effort.
There are, of course, plenty of other tools online to help you grow your business. These should get your digital juices flowing and start you on the way to choosing the one that will fit you best.
