Marketing Techniques to Use in 2020

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Marketing Techniques|Marketing Techniques to Use in 2020There are some marketing techniques that you should always try to use in your business no matter what sector your company might operate in. These techniques and strategies will help push your business to the next level. Let’s take a look at some of the things you should be including in your marketing strategy, regardless of your business.

Education

There is always room for you to include a little education with your content to create the best possible posts that you can be certain your audience are going to want to see. Consumers nowadays want to know where their products are coming from, and they want to know more about the companies that they are buying from. It is incredibly important that you offer your customers the chance to learn more about your brand when coming to you.

This education does not have to compromise your trade secrets in any way. If you are a Fairtrade company, put in a page about how you achieve this status. Make content explaining the benefits of your products or services. You will often find that customers want to build trustworthy relationships with their favourite brands. Education is an excellent way to do it.

Personalisation

In 2020, consumers expect their communications with brands to be a little more personalised than it might have been in previous years. This goes far beyond just slapping a customer’s name on their emails or messages. It needs to be tailored to that customer and their preferences.

There are so many tools that you can use nowadays to collect data about your customers that you can then use to create more personalised marketing for them. You can even ask them to complete small questionnaires that will help your teams to come up with content that is going to suit them. You should get to know your customers as individuals and treat them as such. Offering small deals that lead to a more personalised experience as a company is always going to be better.

Use Video

Video content is some of the best you could include on your site. There are so many interesting ways that you could incorporate video content in your business, and you should try to add some as soon as you can. From tutorials to testimonials, or even some behind-the-scenes footage that shows you take a product from design to shipment, there are so many interesting paths to follow.

Making video content can be a lot more complicated that just creating images. Reaching out to a digital marketing service might be the right choice for your company. If you want an all-round service, try these digital experts. Not only can they help you make high-quality video content but they can also help you to properly upload it to your site do it can be used with the latest SEO strategies.

Livestreams

In addition to traditional video content, your brand might also want to look into some of the benefits of livestreaming. This is easily done through your social media. Both Facebook and Instagram carry the capabilities to go live. It is easy to set up and can reach a lot of your audience in a short amount of time with a lot of engagement in return.

Live content can be used to make special announcements, or even to showcase different products or services that might be on offer through the company. You might even decide to simply have a live “catch-up”, where you just sit and answer questions as they come in. It is definitely something worth looking into.

Concentrate on Your Local SEO

Since many businesses have made the jump to e-commerce in the past few years, there has been a large concentration of SEO outreach for a more general audience. People want to be able to rank well for their chosen sectors, and so they try to focus their SEO on reaching these goals even if it means going up against some of the biggest companies around.

However, you also need to make sure that you concentrate on your local SEO too. Fill out your Google My Business listing, and make sure that you optimise your local SEO so new customers can actually find you. If you are not a wholly digital company, you might still get a lot of foot traffic from people in your local area. All brick and mortar businesses need to ensure that potential local patrons are able to find them online.

These are all key points that all businesses need to be able to cover in 2020. Make sure you add some of the above marketing strategies to your business soon. You might be surprised to see the difference it can make to your brand overall. Marketing is one of those disciplines that few businesses can allow to slide.

Localised Vs Generalised SEO Campaigns: What’s Best For Your Business

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |SEO Campaign|Localised Vs Generalised SEO Campaigns: What's Best For Your BusinessFor your business to be discovered online, it’s important to ensure that your website is optimised for search engines, and this is where SEO comes into your marketing strategy.

Without an SEO strategy, your business could be missing out on valuable traffic, so it’s important to consider how you’re going to structure your SEO strategies and campaigns.

Many factors come into play when you’re looking to do SEO for small businesses, particularly if you’re looking to attract international, national or local customers. The type of customer you’re trying to attract will play a role in deciding whether you should focus your SEO efforts on a general SEO campaign or a localised SEO campaign.

To help you decide on whether a localised or general SEO campaign is right for your business, let’s take a look at some of the common factors to keep in mind if you’re weighing up whether to run a localised or generalised SEO campaign.

Local SEO vs Generalised SEO: What Are the Differences?

Both general and local SEO focus on improving your search ranking in online search results so more people can find, contact and buy from your business. While both types of SEO have similar aims, there are subtle differences.

The main difference being that general or traditional SEO is the process of increasing both the quantity and quality of organic traffic to your website, not specifically from a particular area. While local SEO focuses on specialised solutions that help you connect you with searchers in your local area and attract local traffic to your website, but also physical locations if your business has them.

Should You Focus on General or Local SEO?

The first question you should ask before deciding on whether you should run a general or local SEO is making sure that your website is optimised with SEO best practices in mind.

After you’ve done this, you can decide on the type of traffic you want to attract to your website. Ask yourself these questions before deciding whether you should focus on local or general SEO:

  • Is your business located in one particular town or region?
  • Does your business serve customers locally, nationally or internationally?
  • Does your business have one or multiple physical locations?

If you run a local business, then your primary focus should be on ensuring that your local audience can find your website. If your business is national/international or you don’t have any particular location requirements for your business, then focus on a more generalised SEO campaign.

Getting Started With Local SEO:

As we’ve already mentioned, Local SEO is the process of optimizing a website to generate leads, traffic and brand awareness from local searches.

Local SEO works particularly well for small businesses that aim to target its customer in a particular location or specific area. Local SEO also works well for brick-and-mortar businesses with physical locations, like supermarkets, dentists, a local electrician or a local cleaning company.

If you’re looking to get started with local SEO, then it’s good to be aware of some general Local SEO tips.

Here are three Local SEO tips to get you started:

Optimise for Google My Business

Google My Business is Google’s tool to help verify a business as authentic. Through Google My Business, you can claim and update your business information which increases your chances of showing up in Google’s Local Pack, Local Finder, Google Maps and organic search results.

You can get started with Google My Business here.

Make Your Website Mobile Friendly

Research by SlideShare indicates that up to nine out of ten smartphone users conduct local searches on their devices. With stats like this showing the importance of a mobile-friendly way you want to make sure it’s easy for prospects and customers to navigate your website.

An effective way to see the mobile-friendliness of your website is to drop your website’s URL into Google’s mobile-friendly testing tool. Google will then provide you with a quick answer on whether or not your website is mobile-friendly. You’ll also be provided with a screenshot of how your webpage looks on a smartphone screen and a list of recommendations on how to make the mobile experience better.

Add Location Pages To Your Website

If your business has more than one physical location, then you can create unique location pages for each physical location your business is in. Remember to include your business location address, phone number, opening hours, parking information and reviews/testimonials from previous customers in every location page you create.

For more guidance on creating SEO friendly location pages, check out this guide from Search Engine Journal.

What Is General SEO?

General SEO refers to using traditional SEO methods to increase the amount of organic traffic to your site. If a business has an international customer base or is looking to attract customers nationally, then local SEO is probably not too much of a concern.

If this is the case for your business, then you’ll want to take a look at running a more generalised SEO campaign.

Before you launch any type of SEO campaign, it’s important to keep in mind the type of customer you’re trying to bring to your website and the geographical area you’re looking to target.

While you may not be targeting a specific geographical area, it’s still important to be aware of national and international SEO best practices. After you’ve decided on the type of customer/traffic, you’re looking to bring to your website; you can begin the process of carrying out a more general SEO campaign.

Here are some General SEO tips to get you started:

Evaluate Your Existing Website

The first step to any general SEO campaign is to evaluate where your website currently stands in terms of SEO and how your website is currently found from a search engine. The best way to do this is by using a few different SEO tools.

Free tools such as Google’s Search Console and Google Analytics allow you to maintain your website and check it’s presence. Other tools such as Screaming Frogs SEO Spider and Moz Pro can help you get an understanding of how your website is ranking and what improvements you can make.

SEO tools can take a little while to get the hang of, so take your time to get used to each tool.

Start Thinking of Relevant Keywords You Want to Rank for

After evaluating your website, you can start thinking of ideas and researching relevant keywords to create highly valuable content for your customers and audience. To carry out keyword research:

  • Define relevant topics related to your business.
  • Check keyword volumes and see what your competitors are ranking for.
  • Start planning your content.

To carry out your keyword research use tools such as Ahrefs and Google Ads Keyword Planner.

Is a Localised or Generalised SEO Campaign Right for Your Business?

The most important factor that will decide whether you should focus on local SEO is if you want to grow local traffic to your website or physical business. Local SEO can be hugely effective for local businesses, and if a local business can get their local SEO strategy right, they may not have to compete with businesses from all over the internet in local searches.

If your business is not location dependent or your customer base is widespread, then a general SEO campaign will be more effective for your business. A more General SEO campaign allows you to focus on traditional SEO practices to ensure you’re attracting as much quality traffic to your site as possible.

There may well be some overlap between local and general SEO practice in your SEO strategy. Most likely, your business marketing plan will include a variety of different tactics, so don’t be disheartened if you need to test and optimise your SEO and wider marketing efforts as you move forward and find the best strategies for your business.

App Vs. Website: Which Is Better for Your Business?

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |App vs Website|App Vs. Website: Which Is Better for Your Business?As the number of people accessing content using a mobile phone rises, you may find yourself asking whether an app or website is the better option for your business. After all, responsive web design has come a long way over the past few years, with developers able to provide a satisfactory experience on mobile. However, a website cannot replace an app and neither can an app replace a website. Both of them come with their own pros and cons and it takes careful consideration to choose between either.

Responsive Website Vs. App

Many businesses that want an app often start with a website. Why? A website is a lot less expensive than an app, works on all devices that can access the internet, and is easier to share and link to than an app.

Additionally, a website is a lot easier to find and you have to explicitly tell people that your business has an app for them to install. From a usability perspective, a website is also easier to update than an app. You also do not need to have separate versions for Android and iOS.

Although app stores have gotten much better at ensuring people can still find your business app, app stores still trail websites when it comes to discoverability. Because of this, websites give smaller businesses a better chance of being discovered.

Then there is responsiveness to think about. Nowadays, web designers design websites that offer a good user experience no matter the device the user is using. In the end, UX is a key factor for your user satisfaction but also for your performance on organic search results.

If your knowledge about UX and website design is limited, we recommend you get in touch with experts. Luckily for you, they can be based anywhere in the world. This is the case for many companies like Web Integrations. They started as website designers in Aberdeen, but now they serve clients from all over the world.

Apps Vs. Websites

Although business websites have their advantages, there is still enough need for you to have a business app developed. An app puts you in front of the people who install an app at all times so that they do not have to go online to find you. Because of this, a mobile app can be a unique marketing asset that provides a unique way for your customers to reach you.

Apps can also take advantage of native hardware features that websites cannot, such as push notifications and geolocation to offer tailored user experiences.

Working Together

Because apps are getting easier to create, there is no reason why your business cannot take advantage of the unique features both come with. This combination of an app and a responsive website gives your business a wider reach on the website while allowing you to still provide a unique user experience on the app.

Although your business might be thinking of choosing one or the other, there is a case to be made for using both an app and a responsive website for your business. They may seem antagonistic, but there is no reason why your app and business website cannot and should not work together.

5 Ways to Improve Customer Experience on Your Site

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Improve Customer Experience|5 Ways to Improve Customer Experience on Your SiteCustomer experience is vital to the success of your site, and your business. Your website is the first place your customers will go to find out about your company, so you want to optimize their experience to the max. You need good web design to make your site clear to navigate and with engaging contact to draw customer interest. It’s also important to keep on top of user analytics and measure customer satisfaction. Don’t forget to offer sufficient customer support and you could even add a personal touch. Here are five ways to improve customer experience on your site.

Work with a web design agency

The web design needs to be perfect, not only for customer experience but also for SEO. For this reason, it’s advisable to hire a web design agency that has the expertise and the resources to help you. Site navigation needs to be simple and easy. If your customers can’t find what they’re looking for it won’t take them much effort to change to a competitor’s site. It’s also important to include things like a strong call-to-action and plenty of options for customer support.

Create engaging content

If you really want to drive up interest in your business you also need to create engaging content on your site. A web design or digital marketing agency can help you do this as well. Video is very popular, for example, or instructional guidelines on how to use your products. You could try out different forms of media as well such as podcasts and long informative blog articles.

User analytics

It’s vital to constantly measure customer satisfaction in order to improve it. You can do this using some of the best website analytical tools. It’s also a good idea to create buyer personas for your target audience and try to relate as much as you can to their needs and interests. You could also carry out surveys for your customer to give feedback. You could offer a promo code or voucher in exchange for doing this. Include any positive customer testimonials on your site in order to build trust.

Optimize keywords

Keywords are what tend to link SEO and customer experience. Your customers will arrive at your site depending on what they enter into Google. A web design agency can give you plenty of advice on how to choose the right keywords. It’s a good idea to analyze the competition and test Google to find out which keywords and phrases work best.

Personalized marketing campaigns

In order to improve customer experience, you could even personalize your marketing and email campaigns. CRM software and email marketing services can help you here. This is a great way to humanize your brand by greeting customers by name, without overstepping the mark of course. Here are some more tips to personalize marketing campaigns. The more you try to reach out to the right customers, the more you’ll improve their experience and generate more interest. You’re also more likely to turn clicks into leads.

How influencer marketing doesn’t just stop at Instagram

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Influencer Marketing|How influencer marketing doesn’t just stop at InstagramInfluencer marketing is an industry that has taken over all social media platforms, as well as being one of the main advertising exports for the majority of companies. What would convince you to try something new? A random advert on TV or a recommendation from a public figure that you trust?

There are many good reasons why influencer marketing is reshaping the way that marketing works in 2020. Millennials in particular are heavily influenced by their peers when it comes to purchasing decisions. In fact, 70% of them turn to their peers for advice when they’re thinking about a product or service. But Millennials aren’t alone — in general, influencer marketing gets a return on investment that’s 11 times greater than traditional marketing!

Social media influencers need to become your brand ambassadors in their sphere of influence — whether they’re mega-influencers or micro-influencers. You need to find and foster your influencers as if they’re an extension of your own marketing team. But first, you need to know which social media channels people are turning to for advice.

Yes, Instagram should go without saying, but where else?

YouTube

YouTube is only second to Instagram when it comes to influencer marketing reach, even though many would argue it was first to the party — and it may be more powerful among certain demographics.
The platform does seem to have more sway among males. It affects the purchasing habits of 22.8% of men vs. only 13.9% of women. In addition to this, teenagers feel 7 times the emotional attachment to their favourite YouTube stars than they do to other celebrities.

Moreover, YouTube has strong influencers in a broad array of niches, including cars, alcohol, beauty, and toys (just to name a few). Consumers enjoy the funny, sometimes-irreverent familiarity of their favourite YouTubers and really take their recommendations to heart.

Influencer marketing agency Socially Powerful can help businesses tap into the benefits that YouTube influencers can have on brand awareness and sales figures, making it an even greater market for your company to explore.

Pinterest

Pinterest is one of the ‘new kids on the block’ when it comes to social channels, but it already has over 150 million users — and 85% of those are women. However, Pinterest doesn’t think of itself as a social media channel so much as it does a “visual discovery tool.”

Despite that, Pinterest is a channel full of consumers — 87% have purchased something because of Pinterest. If you’re a visually driven brand, Pinterest can be useful. Look for influencers with well-organised boards, easy-to-find keywords, and lots of follower engagement to make it work.

Snapchat

People on Snapchat only tend to follow other people that they know. Because of that, Snapchat influencers tend to be highly effective in inspiring trust.

The downside to Snapchat is that ‘snaps’ don’t have much longevity. Yes, they vanish after just 24 hours which could limit just how effective an influencer can really be. Influencers, even if they’re paid, will lose their authenticity if they’re constantly repeating snaps on the same product or service.

However, that hasn’t stopped a few companies from incorporating Snapchat into their social campaigns. Companies like VaynerMedia and AKQA have found ways to mix Snapchat into their cross-platform social campaigns for MasterCard and the Call of Duty games.