How to Get the Most Out of Your Business’s Online Presence

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Online Presence|How to Get the Most Out of Your Business's Online PresenceThese days, one of the most important aspects of any business is its online presence. Without thinking about how your business is perceived online and how it delivers first impressions to target customers, you’ll always end up falling short. If you’re looking to get more out of your business’s online presence, you’re in the right place. Learn more about all this below.

Create a Fully Formed Social Media Strategy

Creating a fully formed social media strategy has got to be one of your number one priorities if you’re serious about taking your business to the next level. These days, customers expect the businesses they use and buy from to be active on social media. And more than that, it helps you to reach more customers and sell to people who might not otherwise know you exist.

Ensure Your Domain is Up to Scratch

Your domain is something that you need to work on if it’s currently turning customers away. It should be clear, easy to understand and not too long. A bad domain is not just confusing for customers but also damaging for SEO purposes and can suggest a lack of professionalism in the eyes of customers as well. That’s why making sure your domain is up to scratch is so important.

Put a Tailor Made Website in Place

Putting a tailor made website in place is vital if you want to get ahead. There are lots of ways in which you can do this and there are people out there who can help you make it happen. For example, insurance companies can turn to specialist insurance website builders if they want to get a website that’s right for them. And there’s similar opportunities in all industries and niches too.

Use Ads, Reviews and Partnerships to Reach New People

Using ads, reviews and partnerships with other businesses can help you to reach new people online. The right ad campaign can pull people in and increase traffic levels on your website. And reaching out to websites and garnering reviews of your products or services will help build confidence and awareness of what your business has to offer. And partnerships can be harnessed in a wide variety of ways.

Establish Yourself as an Expert Voice

Establishing your business as an expert voice in your particular industry and niche can help to show people that you know what you’re talking about and that you can be trusted. People want to know that the companies they’re buying from know they can be trusted to deliver the goods in a competent way, so be sure to do what you can to give them that peace of mind.

If your business is struggling online right now, it’s important to take steps in the right direction. Right now, there’s a big shift to online commerce and your business needs to be a part of it. The tips above will allow you to position your business’s online presence well and reach more target customers.

The Best WordPress Strategies for Digital Marketing

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Wordpress Strategies|The Best WordPress Strategies for Digital MarketingIf you want to build a website, you will have multiple choices, but many will recommend that you choose WordPress. It’s a great website building tool that’s free to use, as well as filled to the brim with useful extensions that mean you don’t have to write a word of code. Not only that, but it’s an excellent website builder for succeeding at digital marketing if you follow some simple strategies.

Why WordPress?

If you’ve never heard of WordPress, you will have encountered websites built with it at some point when browsing online. Chances are, you’ve been on a WordPress website today. According to Sculpt, a specialist WordPress Agency, 30% of the internet is built using WordPress. That gives some indication about how easy it is, as well as reassurance that the troubleshooting community is huge.

1.Pick a Theme That’s Mobile-Responsive

A vital part of modern Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is that your site is fully optimized for mobile devices. Don’t fall at the first hurdle, though; if you pick a WordPress theme that isn’t mobile-responsive, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Whichever long-term digital marketing strategy you choose, make sure this is your first step and also make sure you think about mobile devices at every stage afterwards (you can test this using Google).

2. Include Testing

Website testing, specifically A/B testing can do great things for your website and be extraordinarily helpful if your conversion rate is low and you’re not sure why. It does, however, take up a lot of time. The basics of it are as follows:

  • Find a page that could be improved
  • Create a duplicate page with a separate design element (or several different pages)
  • Test the different pages with different audiences
  • Choose the design that leads to the higher conversion rate.

It can be tiring to include testing into your WordPress digital marketing strategy, but it’s a great way of changing how well your website converts.

3. Monitor for Broken Links

Content marketing is one of the more impactful digital marketing strategies; if you’ve taken a basic course in digital marketing they will tell you it’s essential for SEO to have high-quality content with links to your sources and other good quality pages. This is picked up on by Google’s crawlers. However, what are also picked up on by crawlers are broken links, which are links that worked when you originally inserted them, but now link to 404 Not Found pages. Luckily, you can get a broken link checker plugin automatically, which will check your posts regularly and inform you if you have any broken links. Handy, right?

4. Prioritize Visitor Engagement

Google will prioritize your website if it seems like you’re an expert at something and if people keep coming back for more. When you encourage a question and answer environment on your posts, you not only add to word counts and allow you to connect with influencers, but they create a community based around your content which helps to drive more traffic. You can use the plugin Disqus to encourage commenters to log in and subscribe to your comments.

3 Legal Pitfalls You Should Avoid on Social Media

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, 3 Legal Pitfalls You Should Avoid on Social MediaMany people use social media for private and business communications without knowing that what they post online can have serious legal ramifications. John Branca, an attorney who has represented pop superstars like Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake, warns that even people who don’t have a media empire at stake should be aware of the pitfalls.

Revealing Others’ Personal Information

Be careful not to reveal personal information without permission, especially if you’re using your social media platforms for a business venture. For example, if you’re trying to promote your cosmetic dentistry practice, you shouldn’t post before and after photos of one of your patients without his or her consent. Be aware that the same privacy laws apply for your patients even when you’re trying to advertise your work on a satisfied client.

Committing Defamation

What you post on social media about others can be considered defamation if it is untrue and causes harm to their reputation. By sharing something negative about another person, you may be opening yourself up to legal action, even if you think it’s true but have no evidence.

Every entertainment lawyer can attest to times that major publications have paid dearly for posting rumors and falsehoods about famous clients. However, regular folks are at even greater risk for legal action because private citizens enjoy stricter protections against public calumny. Therefore, the best course of action is simply to keep any harmful information about others to yourself.

Using Copyrighted Material

Whenever you use a photo from someone else’s website or play music you don’t own the rights for in a post, the law considers it theft. Although you may not think about as you blare your favorite song in your latest dance video, it is illegal unless you have the artist’s consent. This can be a costly mistake if you’re forced to pay the artist.

Social media is a relatively new way to communicate, but the platforms require the same responsibility and knowledge of the law to shield you or your business from legal action.

How Can Brand Identity Boost Your Online Business?

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Brand Identity|Brand Identity Design and How It Boosts Your E-CommerceIn the world of the internet, developing and maintaining a compelling and authoritative brand identity for your e-commerce organization is paramount for driving success and staying competitive. The e-commerce business environment is fiercely competitive and overwhelmed with too many businesses.

So, if you want to start your own business online, effective branding can help you achieve your business and marketing goals. Your brand identity allows you to attract the target audience, convey your brand message most effectively, project your values, and get ahead of the competition curve.

The success of your brand depends on how effective your brand identity is. This identity represents your business in all its splendor. Think of it as your business ID in the online business world. It’s how you present yourself to the world of consumers and one of your business’s most valuable assets.

The Importance of a Strong Brand Identity

There’s much more to your brand than just a logo. Although brand identity is the very personification of your business online, it’s just one aspect of effective branding. However, building a strong brand identity is the very foundation of your branding.

Here are a couple of good reasons why building a strong brand identity matters considerably for your success:

  • It allows you to develop a brand personality that your customers can relate to.
  • It helps shape the way your consumers perceive your business.
  • It projects the promises and expectations your business extends to your consumers in terms of trustworthiness, reliability, service, quality, and authoritativeness.
  • It helps establish a meaningful relationship with your target audience.
  • It helps create loyalty and trust from both your partners and customers.
  • It helps you become more relevant and competitive in your business niche.
  • It helps your consumers differentiate your brand from the competition.
  • It positively affects the purchasing decisions of your customers, directly resulting in higher profitability.

The Benefits of an Effective Brand Identity

A strong brand identity benefits your e-commerce business in several different ways.

1. Branding Makes Your Business Look Bigger and More Serious

We live in a visual world, where the average consumer’s attention span is no more than 5-10 seconds. Therefore, you need something captivating to grab the attention of your target audience.

When consumers see a professional brand that’s continuously providing consistent and relevant content on social media, website, and business cards, they start visualizing your company as worthy of their attention.

Modern consumers look for brands that offer real solutions to daily problems. More importantly, they won’t have any issues paying more if they perceive your business as well-organized and established.

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Brand Identity|Brand Identity Design and How It Boosts Your E-Commerce2. Your Brand Identity Gives You a Relatable Persona

Building a brand around your business is as much about you as it is about your consumers. They need a brand they can relate to, put their trust in, and get more than they expect with each interaction.

If you want to stand out from the rest and make people buy your products or hire your services, you’ll need to work on your branding efforts. A good brand identity is what gives your business a personality that your consumers can relate to. With a good relationship comes trust and, ultimately, respect.

3. Trust and Loyalty

If a brand develops a loyal following, they won’t be having any trouble with getting ahead of the competition. More importantly, a strong and unique brand makes a difference in the marketplace too.
By conveying your brand’s values, you can build a meaningful and emotional long-term connection with your target audience. The main result of that connection will be improved customer loyalty.

When customers are loyal and happy, they tend to talk about you and recommend your brand to people they know. After all, word of mouth is still the number one marketing tool.

4. Conveys Stability

Building and investing in maintaining a strong brand identity allows you to present your business as authoritative, successful, prosperous, and stable. A well-organized and defined brand identity speaks volumes about your business and sends a clear message that you’re the one consumers should be talking to.

5. Makes Your Brand Memorable

Modern consumers are all about consistency. They appreciate brands that invest in an effort to satisfy their needs and overcome their expectations. Building a brand identity is all that and more.

Aside from providing your consumers with exceptional customer service and user experience, a strong brand identity helps your consumers memorize you and remember your business.

If you consistently keep your brand identity accessible via all available communication channels, your prospects will see your brand. The more they see your business, the more likely they are to reach out and contact you.

Tips on Developing a Strong Brand Identity

Since a strong brand identity is one of the main driving factors of success, the following tips should help you develop and take control of your brand identity in a way that matches your business and marketing strategy.

Start with a visual identity!

The first step toward developing a strong branding is creating your visual identity. It has to align with your business and marketing strategy and goals, as well as your business vision.

More importantly, it has to send a clear message about your company, culture, and mission. Hopefully, it will be enough to entice your target audience to start being interested in what you have to offer.
Pay special attention to your online reputation!

Regardless of how successful you are or how strong your brand identity is, monitoring your online reputation should always be your top priority.

It puts you in control over how potential prospects and loyal consumers perceive your business and allows you to take advantage of ongoing and upcoming trends in your industry.

It also allows you to contact satisfied consumers who will be more than happy to say a few positive words about you online. You can never have enough positive reviews.

Always Deliver Top-Quality User Experience!

Modern consumers are more demanding than ever. They expect you to exceed their expectations. Therefore, aim to deliver the best user experience with each interaction and across all available communication channels.

Conclusion

Starting a business online is all about creating a strong brand identity design. Having everything you need for your business is one side of the coin while getting everything you need for building effective branding is the other.

Only by putting the two pieces together will you get ahead of the competition curve and keep your consumers happy. Keep in mind that your business focuses and vision have to be aligned with your brand identity.

Focus your brand on your customers, and you will reach a broader target audience. If you need help with your brand identity design, hiring creative design companies is the best way to get on top of your brand identity game.

They have both skills and knowledge it takes to come up with an effective and competitive design that will put your e-commerce business on the world map.

7 Reasons Why You Can’t Do It Yourself

There’s an app for that.
I’ve got a tool that does it for me.
It’ll be done in a few clicks.

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Digital Strategy|7 Reasons Why You Can’t Do It YourselfWe all love the idea of relying on software solutions and automated formulas to succeed digitally. Unfortunately, for solo entrepreneurs, technology serves a dual purpose, acting both as a fit-for-purpose tool and an advisor. Understandably so, when you are launching a venture with limited time and budget, it’s easy to fall in the trap of automated solutions. Yet, the tech-based DIY approach of small business owners isn’t always the most effective path to success.

The real question you want to ask is not which tool can plan your digital strategy on your behalf, but which expert can you trust with the job. Outsourcing may appear as a less cost-effective solution, but it is likely to drive more satisfying outcomes than any automated or smart tech tool. If you lack the skill set to tackle digital marketing and sales tasks, it’s important to remember that a tool that is easy to use doesn’t make you an expert. Just as anybody can use a hammer, only trained professionals can build a house. The same principle applies to your digital strategy. Here is what happens when you choose to do it yourself with an online tool.

Your website is not unique

WordPress, Wix and Squarespace are some of the most popular DIY web platforms that enable everyone to create a functioning and professional-looking site without preliminary skills. However, it’s fair to say that while building a website may only take a few minutes, the lasting impression could be ever shorter. Indeed, the fresh-out-of-the-box look suffers from the own limitation of its template. Your website ends up looking like any other site and becomes a forgettable experience in the digital world of possibilities. Creating a design that is unique, and that reflects your personality and brand is a conscious effort. Ideally, you want to reach out to a professional or develop your web building skills accordingly. Otherwise, your web presence could become unrecognizable from other sites and brands. More importantly, you may not be able to offer the functions and options you need or implement the tools that are meaningful to your business without affecting the design.

Your landing pages are not UX-optimised

Everybody understands the importance of landing pages to support online conversions. Your landing page serves as a conversion platform, targeting interesting leads and turning them into customers. Therefore, the landing page is a mini page that displays highly targeted content. Thankfully, a variety of online tools can let you create high-quality landing pages that are designed to grab users’ attention. However, a performing landing page requires dedicated skills, including specialist UI and UX knowledge to convert. Did you know that the majority of low-converting pages share issues that a trained UX designer would have avoided? Indeed, they are too cluttered and colorful, confusing readers. They also often fail to redirect visitors to the main site, which can affect the credibility of the landing page. These mistakes can be counterproductive and cost you a lot of profitable conversions.

You don’t have a sales strategy

What is an online sales strategy? A lot of solo entrepreneurs reach out to proven business formulas, such as sales funnels that map out the customers’ journey to making any kind of purchase. Sales funnels are hugely popular because, when they are correctly applied, they can do wonders for business growth. The automated selling strategy can virtually boost your profit on autopilot. Except that there’s one crucial condition if you’re going to deploy sales funnels: You need to have a solid understanding of digital marketing; otherwise you could be making costly and counterproductive sales funnel mistakes. From understanding how to integrate the funnel to your other digital marketing tools to directing traffic to the right places, digital marketing professionals bring their know-how to the sales formula. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a defined strategy, you can’t make the best use of this marketing tool.

You rely on machine recommendations blindly

Most small businesses rely on Google AdWords to create manageable online marketing campaigns. Google AdWords offers businesses of all sizes the opportunity to control their marketing spending and efforts. As a result, you can create a profitable ad campaign with a limited budget. Additionally, the smart tool also provides recommendations to help you improve your account. While this might sound like a fantastic opportunity for amateurs to build a high ROI campaign, there’s a catch. According to Google, there are as many as 60 different recommendations available to users, and many of them can contradict each other or fail to benefit your campaign. Understanding which recommendations to follow and which to ignore requires marketing knowledge. But if you don’t have sufficient experience, you may end up damaging your campaign by following automated suggestions. Ideally, you don’t want to automatically apply suggestions without being able to check them first. The option is often set on auto-apply in Google AdWords.

You can’t track everything

Google Analytics is another fantastic free tool made by Google for digital marketers. If you have a website, you most likely use Google Analytics to track your traffic and understand how visitors behave on the site. Most self-building web platforms allow you to enter the Google tracking code, aka a JavaScript that tells the tool how to track online activities.

However, tracking is not as easy as it seems. Say you want to know how many of your visitors are making a purchase online. You will need to track the “thank you” page that appears after a complete transaction. Thankfully, it is something you can set directly within Google Analytics. But if the goal you want to monitor doesn’t create a new URL, you need to track events, such as clicks, for example. Event tracking requires a new JS code, which you may not be able to implement on the site.

You are missing out on advanced solutions

Google Analytics is a free tool that can do so much for digital marketers. As a result, it is a favorite. Unfortunately, amateurs are unlikely to make the most out of the tool. While you will still benefit from using Analytics, even at a superficial level, you will need additional skills to gain a significant advantage. Google Analytics API offers extensive flexibility in analyzing users’ behaviors and automating reports. However, the API interface is only accessible to trained programmers, which is where outsourcing your digital activities can make a big difference. Using an API in Analytics can offer additional insights about users – that you wouldn’t have received otherwise. It also highlights potential trends, letting you connect Analytics data with other tools.

You lose your brand through automated solutions

How much can you automate? The answer: Almost everything. However, automation is not always the right approach to digital marketing. Indeed, you can use automation to set up email campaigns or build marketing funnels. But did you know that you could also automate content creation? Automated content is not only a reality, but it’s been part of digital way-of-life for a long time. AI can perform simple tasks, such as acting as a chatbot or completing sentences. The tech also lets AI create entire blog articles. Yet, smart tools don’t replace people. The moment you trust a machine to write your blog, you lose what makes your brand unique.

Automated tools play a huge role in building a business and managing online activities for solo entrepreneurs. But it’s essential to draw a line. While tools become more advanced and intelligent, they don’t replace professional experience, personality, and strategic knowledge. There is nothing wrong with using the right tools for the jobs. But remember that technology doesn’t make you an expert!