We may be only two months into 2016, but one thing is already clear – investing in your online marketing is a smart move. Here, we discuss four of the best digital marketing resources for 2016 to set you on the path to success.
Is your website up to the job?
With more than half of all e-commerce traffic coming via mobile sites rather than PC, 2015 was key for e-commerce. While mobile devices are still more likely to be used for research such as browsing products and checking reviews, and not necessarily for making the final purchase decision, it’s prudent not to ignore mobile.
Although the final conversion may be taking place via a different channel, the buying process starts with the mobile. And mobile is even bigger for local businesses, with 78% of local mobile searches resulting in a purchase, according to research by SEL.
With this in mind, it’s a good idea to review your existing e-commerce site. Making sure it’s mobile friendly so that users and potential customers can navigate easily and successfully whatever device they’re using is critical. If your site doesn’t display correctly on mobile for example, don’t delay, talk to us as we’ll be able to help.
Reaching your audience via e-marketing
Email marketing is a cost-effective way of reaching your target audience and, as well as generating direct sales, is a good way to build loyalty, trust and brand awareness. And companies in the UK agree as recent statistics by Smart Insights show that 51% of marketers rate email marketing as their most effective channel – most probably because it’s one of the easiest marketing activities to determine ROI.
Particularly beneficial for e-commerce companies, email marketing can generate instant sales by creating a sense of urgency among an audience using ‘limited time only’ messaging. This is a great way to drive consumers to take immediate action.
If you’ve not yet entertained email as part of your online strategy, it’s definitely worth considering as it is one of the most economical ways to drive traffic to your website and engage with your target audience, and gives a great ROI.
Make Online Reviews a Priority
With so much competition for customers these days, you need all the help you can get to turn that prospect into a sale. And you could be harnessing the goodwill of your existing customers to help you do just that.
Urging customers to review their recent experience with your company can pay dividends when it comes to winning new business. Make sure you display your positive testimonials and reviews clearly on your website as it’s proven that customers can change their mind about purchasing a product or hiring a service based solely on a review they read.
Managing your reputation online is key. Make monitoring social media and sites like Yelp and Feefo a regular task and respond immediately to any negative feedback.
Be SEO Smart
Put yourself in the shoes of your customers and think about what they would search for and what information they would find relevant when you’re focusing on your search engine optimisation.
If you’re looking for local customers in your town, county or region, make sure that they keywords you want to be found for include the specific geographical terms, for example, builder Bournemouth, restaurant Southampton. Make sure your keywords appear frequently throughout your site but be careful not to cram so many in that it doesn’t read properly. This will not only turn off potential customers, it may also lead to trouble with the search engines.
Regularly uploading custom content that your customers will find interesting and useful will also help you climb higher up the search engine rankings.
If you need help defining or refining your digital marketing strategy, our experts at b4b can help. Please contact our team on 01202 684400 today.
