Digital marketing is a necessary weapon in your overall marketing arsenal. Simply posting online isn’t enough to make your digital marketing effective. You must be able to implement specific tactics to ensure you attract the right people and convert them to customers.
Below are 5 digital marketing tactics we suggest following to help you attract new customers.
Digital Content Marketing
To attract and convert new customers, you have to clearly communicate what you offer and why you’re the expert in your field. One effective way to do this is through content marketing.
Content marketing is the creation of digital content that’s relevant to and useful for your targeted audience, with the purpose of education — not promotion. This content can take a variety of formats: blog posts, infographics, e-books, podcasts, webinars, and videos (more on that shortly).
No matter what industry you’re in, by providing your audience with consistent value through digital content marketing, you’re establishing yourself as a trustworthy, knowledgeable source they’ll want to do business with. The Content Marketing Institute notes, “By becoming a credible, authoritative resource on topics that matter to potential customers, your business is more likely to get discovered by the right audience and earn their loyalty and trust — which, in turn, enables your brand to strengthen its customer relationships, grow an active and engaged subscriber base, and even increase its profits.”
#1: Build Your Email List
Another way to market to your audience is through building an email list. Your target market may be on a variety of social media platforms, but your email list helps you connect with those who are genuinely interested in your content, products, and services. Did you know 99% of consumers check their email every day? More than 50% of people check their email more than 10 times a day, preferring it as the way to get updates from their favorite brands.
If you think email is spammy, then you’re not buying from the right people, or being the right business! Email is just another form of communication, and when email marketing is done right, you’re giving your customers something they don’t mind getting in their inbox — or even better, ENJOY getting in their inbox — rather than something they just delete, or unsubscribe from.
By opting in to your email list, they are allowing you closer access and increased visibility. You can then provide value through education, connection, product details, and sales.
Your email list is your most powerful digital selling tool and the best place to start in your digital marketing strategy.
#2: Try A/B Testing
As with any strategy, it’s best practice to test the strategy to ensure it’s working well for you. Testing gives you the chance to adjust your plan as needed, boost strategies that are working for you, and find the optimal digital marketing plan for your business needs.
A method of testing we suggest is A/B testing. According to HubSpot, “A/B testing helps marketers observe how one version of a piece of marketing content performs alongside another.” You can do this with any type of content that you produce, including:
- Blog posts
- Social media posts
- Email headlines and copy
A/B testing is all about reviewing your digital marketing efforts to confirm that the strategy you’re using and the content you’re creating is what works best for your business. Through A/B testing, you can improve your website traffic, boost your conversion rates, and lower your bounce rates.
#3: Establish a Presence on Social Media
If there’s one thing we know, it’s that everyone is online these days. So whether you love social media or can’t stand it, it’s something that can help your business.
Your digital marketing strategy should include a strong social media presence across multiple platforms. If you want to get in front of a greater audience, connect with your target market, generate leads, and establish your brand as a thought leader, you need your business to be on social media.
If you’re not taking advantage of social media, here are a few examples of what you can do when you establish your business presence online:
- Stay top of mind with your followers so you’re their first thought when making a purchase.
- Generate leads and website traffic by getting in front of a larger audience.
- Increase awareness of your brand, products, and services.
- Promote your content to establish your expertise in your field.
Marketing on social media also allows you to view up-to-date and highly detailed metrics about your marketing strategy. Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, and more all have extensive data available for you to review as you roll out your marketing strategy. This lets you see what’s working, try A/B testing like we discussed above, and refine your marketing strategy to be as effective as it can be.
#4: Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the process of growing the quality and quantity of your website traffic by increasing your website visibility. SEO doesn’t use ads or paid placement, but uses keywords in your content to draw your target market to your products or services online.
Google’s search results use a complex algorithm that looks for the highest-quality, most relevant information to present to the user. So every time your customers search something on Google, they’re going to be given the best results, which just might include you!
WordStream says, “Google’s algorithm determines relevance by “crawling” (or reading) your website’s content and evaluating (algorithmically) whether that content is relevant to what the searcher is looking for, based on the keywords it contains and other factors.” Your goal with SEO is to craft your website and content in such a way that it ranks highly in Google search results, increasing your website traffic, and helping you to connect with the right people.
To get the most value out of SEO, you have to understand your target market. The better you know your target market, the better you can tailor your marketing tactics to attract them and consequently grow your business.
Know your demographic, what they’re investing their time in, and what they’re looking for. You should also know the questions they’re asking so you can include these in your content. This content gets them into the door and gives you the opportunity to build a relationship with the customer.
Then, once you demonstrate that you understand their questions (through content like blog posts, webinars, and videos), you provide your offering as the solution. This establishes you as a thought leader and shows potential customers that you know what you’re talking about and can be trusted to help solve their problems
#5: Develop Video Content
When was the last time you shared a video with someone, or someone shared a video with you? It probably wasn’t too long ago! We’re constantly sharing videos, and that’s because they’re interesting! So it should come as no surprise that one of the most effective forms of content is video.
Video content is more personal than text, as it can put a human face with the content you’re delivering. The numbers back this up: 82% of Twitter users engage with video content and, 59% of executives favor video content over text-based content, and 52% of marketers say video content produces the best ROI.
It’s also incredibly versatile. Below are just a few ways you can use video to bolster your digital marketing:
- User testimonials.
- Product demonstrations.
- Virtual tour of your storefront, office front, or manufacturing space.
- Subject matter expert tutorials, where a representative from your business explains a topic in your chosen field.
There’s no limit to the ways video can attract and impress new customers, so get started filming! You can always go the DIY route, but if you want to get a little fancy, you can hire a pro.
Get Attention, Acquire Customers, and Grow Your Business!
Integrating the concepts listed above into your digital marketing strategy can go a long way toward attracting new customers. For more on how you can grow your business through digital marketing, visit our blog for more tips.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with creating and implementing your own marketing strategy and want to work with a team of industry experts, book a 15-minute call with us to find out how we can help you get attention, acquire customers, and grow your business!
