As people turn to digital platforms to find information, companies need to alter their marketing efforts in order to meet the demands of their consumers. This means that print marketing alone will no longer get the job done when it comes to raising revenue and awareness of your business. Here are five tips to fully expand your digital presence:
- Website Design – When someone is interested in your company or service, the first thing they will do is look at your website. If your website is out of date or too generic, your credibility will decrease tremendously. As a company, it’s your job to appeal to customers and draw them in. A website is the first impression people will get about your company. Not to mention it’s the only tool that allows your business to be open 24/7.
- Partnerships or sponsorships – A tactic that is often overlooked is a partnership or sponsorship. Why does this work? You’re not only reaching your current audience with new initiatives, but you’re also reaching an entirely different audience as well. For example, LeafFilter teamed up with NASCAR driver Blake Koch as a sponsor to form LeafFilter Racing. They are now reaching NASCAR’s huge fan base in addition to the consumers they already had.
- Search engine optimization – Successful SEO is the cheapest and single most important tactic when it comes to digital presence. Appearing on the first page of a search engine when your company is searched for is key to keeping customers. This also enhances your company’s chance at engagement and organic traffic. Gaining organic customers is the most successful type of advertising because it’s free! Thirty-nine percent of all customers come from organic traffic. Proper SEO isn’t difficult, but it does require time and a lot of strategic thinking.
- Mobile optimization – Over 1.75 billion people are smartphone users and more than 25 percent of global searches take place from mobile devices, this includes tablets. It’s important to implement tactics to reach the vast variety of mobile users. This can include push notifications, apps, mobile banners or location services just to start. Most important, don’t forget to optimize your website to be compatible with mobile devices. When optimizing your website for mobile, the look and navigation will be completely different. On a desktop version of a site, there will be more information visible versus a mobile view where only the most relevant information is visible.
- Media monitoring – No matter what kind of business you’re in, you need to know who’s talking about you and your competitors. There are many free online tools that you can utilize, but Google Alerts is one of the most popular and user friendly monitoring tools on the web. Media monitoring is easy to set up and once it is ready, it’s extremely helpful.
- Social engagement – Social media is one of the first platforms people think of when digital comes to mind. It plays a huge part in increasing your digital presence, if it’s done correctly. In 2015, social media was responsible for driving 31.24 percent traffic to websites. It’s called social media, meaning it’s not enough for you to just post on your social accounts. Engaging with your followers and having your followers engage with you is everything. It’s imperative to that you retweet, share and respond to comments, both positive and negative. You want people to know your company is available and responsive.
There are a lot of elements that need to be implemented to make a company digitally successful. The use of all of the mentioned tactics will not only increase engagement, but your overall reputation.
