Creating an effective marketing budget can be a struggle for any business. Whether you’re a sole proprietor or managing a team of 25 employees or more, it can be difficult to determine exactly how much money (and time) you should be spending on building your brand and connecting with prospects. Fortunately, there are plenty of straight-forward strategies for business owners and marketing team leads to follow to get the most bang for their buck—especially with digital marketing.
5 Steps to Better Digital Marketing
There are a lot of different directions companies can take when they want to market online. For starters, you want to think of who will actually execute the work. You can either outsource the items on your marketing to-do list or manage them in-house. Either way, we typically see that our clients have better results when they stick to the basics. If your brand isn’t able to follow-through on these five items, then you probably need to reevaluate your digital marketing. Consistency is key.
1. Update your company profiles
Even if your business is built on referrals, it’s still a good idea to have a professional online presence. Your prospects will usually want to learn a little more about your company before they pick up the phone, and your social media profiles are a great place for them to find answers to their top questions.
Think about the types of platforms your customers are most likely to visit. Does your company have a page for Google My Business? Facebook? Yelp? LinkedIn? More importantly, check that all of the details for those are profiles up-to-date. Are they connected to your website? Do you have the right phone number listed?
2. Respond to every review
Another way to stand out online is to take the time to share a quick follow-up to each and every review. It doesn’t matter whether the feedback is good or bad, having someone from your company post a response helps show others that you’re actively involved with your customers and that you know how to communicate. In fact, some of the best opportunities can happen when you reply to a less-than-stellar review. That gives your company the chance to stand-out in a unique way. Even if you made a mistake, you can work to make it right with a sincere apology.
3. Share thoughtful content
One of the biggest mistakes companies make with their digital marketing efforts is that they stay too generic with their social media posts. You’ll want to share articles that speak to your industry, spark interest with your ideal customers, and showcase how your team does business differently. If you aren’t sure how to do this on your own, you may be better off passing the work off to a professional. (Not sure it’s in the budget? We can help you run the numbers!)
4. Build a fresh website
If you aren’t interested in engaging with social media for your company, then you at least need to have a modern, fresh, user-friendly website. This is the cornerstone of your digital marketing. This is where you really have the space to outline your products and services and share your company’s story. Working with an outdated website can be frustrating because your prospects might not know where to go. A streamlined layout and clear call-to-actions can help you attract new business.
5. Stay consistent with your marketing
At the end of the day, digital marketing comes down to consistency. We said it once, and we’ll say it again! If you aren’t making a regular effort to connect with new customers and clients—and if you’re letting your online presence go stale—it’s easy to lose business to your competition.
Just remember, you don’t have to do it all on your own. If your passions aren’t connected to digital marketing, you can always call on someone else to do the job. Our team at NSO and Company would be happy to help you figure out the right marketing budget for your business. Feel free to give us a call at (317) 588-3131 to set up an appointment. We’re here to help your business grow in any way we can!