In the last few years, an innumerable amount of businesses have developed their digital strategies and made the move to selling or marketing entirely online.
Whether they are global fortune 500 businesses or local independent companies, having an online presence is vital for current and potential customers to come to your door.
How can digital marketing actually help my business?
In the past when someone needed the services of business, the phonebook was the first place to look. Now all of that is online; from online directories to direct finds. This is where digital marketing comes into play, because without it, you won’t be found online. So what are the steps needed to have a digital marketing strategy?
Optimisation
Not being fully optimised on Search Engines is one of the biggest ways that companies lose out. How often do you go to the second or third pages of Google when you are looking for something? 75% of people don’t search past the first page on a search engine. So if you are not optimised, you will be missing out on potential customers.
Website
Having a visually attractive and user friendly website is a great signifier of a company’s professionalism. Websites allow consumers or clients to freely access information such as contact details, products or services you offer. To ensure that your website is being seen, optimisation plays a big part in doing that. From blog writing to keywords, optimising your website will increase the footfall and bring more customers to you.
Email Campaigns
Creating and sending email campaigns to various businesses and/or consumers, is a great way to market directly to your business’ audience. 3.9 Billion people now have an email account; so if you don’t have an email marketing strategy, your business will definitely miss out.
Advertisement
Marketing digitally is often a cheaper form to advertise your business and could potentially reach a wider audience. You don’t have to pay for printing or distribution costs, unless you choose to run pay-per-click campaigns. 3.6 billion people across the world have a social media account, which means that hundreds maybe even thousands could view your adverts every day.
Social Media
Tapping into Social Media can be a hugely advantageous aspect of your marketing strategy. Social Media is a great way to connect with smaller businesses and customers/clients; it allows your company to develop better relationships with your audience.
Producing content and posting on social media can help you reach your target audience specifically. From here you can utilise insights to find out who is viewing your content and potentially interested in your products or services.
Posting regularly will help your business become immediately recognisable and associated with your industry – the more your name and branding is seen, the more your audience will remember you as you stay in their subconscious. If images of your work, goods or services are easily viewed, this gives evidence of the legitimacy of your company and the standard of what you produce.
Social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are making it easier for businesses to sell their products through the use of click-through links on posts, videos and even collaborations with other brands.
Reviews
If your company is delivering excellent customer service or products, you could be missing out on getting excellent reviews on Google and social media. Before using, visiting, buying from or working with a business, people are more likely to check reviews to ensure the company offers great quality service or has a good reputation.
Competitors
Lastly, your biggest competitors are probably already doing everything listed above! But if you really don’t know how to start, you can always research into what your competitors are doing. What works well for them?Do they have something that may work well for you? But be careful not to copy them, you need to be unique to bring in the business
Conclusion
So what is the fastest way to get your digital marketing strategy in play?
Digital Marketing is very time consuming, and involves a lot more than you first realise. This can put many employers off from starting to create a social presence. Yet there is one way to not just free up your time, but to also keep your online presence on top and keep growing; that is to hire a Digital Marketing Apprentice!
We have some amazing candidates often with graphic design A -Levels, related degrees or impressive self-taught experience online who are looking for a chance to get some on-the-job experience in the sector.
How 360 Apprenticeships can help
Whether you are looking to start an apprentice or start your apprenticeship journey, 360 Apprenticeships can help. We provide a free service from first point of contact to the successful placement of each apprentice. Every apprentice who is successful will only be placed with the best training providers (Graded 1 and/or 2 by Ofsted) so you know that everyone is in safe hands.
You can find out more regarding the apprenticeship scheme on our website. To speak to one of our recruiters directly, you can contact us on:
or email us at [email protected]. You can also find us on social media:
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