Boost Your Business During Uncertain Times: Four Steps to Nailing Digital Marketing
Updated: Apr 23
As businesses continue to grapple with the financial challenges posed by the pandemic, marketing strategies have become increasingly complex. While tightening the purse strings is tempting, it can have a detrimental effect, potentially slashing incremental sales by up to 18%. Instead of exploring fancy new channels to generate leads, small companies should prioritize the essentials of digital marketing during times of uncertainty. Here are four dynamic steps to supercharge your digital marketing efforts and pave the way to success!
The 4 Steps
Master the Art of SEO
Learn from Your Competitors and Soar
Create Engaging Social Media Content
Make Your Homepage Shine
Master the Art of SEO
As a small business owner, you don't need to outspend your larger competitors on high-ranking paid keywords. Instead, put your energy into enhancing your organic search rankings for relevant keywords, such as "logo designs for startups" and "Why Logos Are Essential." This will drive traffic to your website and significantly increase your online visibility. In fact, snagging the top organic spot on Google’s search engine results can skyrocket your average click-through rates (CTR) by up to 5x compared to paid search CTRs.
For instance, Addzey, a marketing firm, focused on SEO to secure the top spot on Google search for "logos for startups." While this might be a slow process, they discovered that targeting keywords like "logos for stores" offered more traffic and was considerably easier to rank for. Remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint, and it requires ongoing fine-tuning. Don't feel overwhelmed; start with a few quick tactics, and you'll be well on your way!
Learn from Your Competitors and Soar
Low-cost competitive intelligence tools can reveal the strategies other businesses use to grab online attention, even those in the same area and industry. Are they ranking high for certain keywords or generating significant traffic from specific blog content? Seize the opportunity to captivate new audiences in similar ways.
Rebranding and altering public perception of your brand can take up to 2.5 years, even with consistent marketing and significant improvements. By learning from your competitors over an extended period, you can create better content that will help you carve out your niche. This strategy adds value to your brand and draws attention away from competitors by engaging audiences with content that constantly evolves and outshines your rivals.
Create Engaging Social Media Content
Millennials and Gen Z are practically glued to their social media feeds, making these platforms perfect for small businesses to connect with these audiences. Start simple with eye-catching graphics or 10-second reels showcasing your products, a behind-the-scenes look, or a compelling story about your business. Authenticity is key, so avoid overly polished or corporate content, and make sure it's mobile-friendly.
If generating original content feels daunting, encourage your customers to do it for you. Coca-Cola's "Create Real Magic" platform is an excellent example. OpenAI and Bain & Company developed this unique platform, allowing digital creatives worldwide to generate original artwork using iconic Coca-Cola creative assets. By combining the power of GPT-4, which produces human-like text from search engine queries, and DALL-E, which generates images based on text, Coca-Cola offers an exciting opportunity for creatives to bring their ideas to life in a fresh, innovative way.
Make Your Homepage Shine
Your homepage is the first impression visitors have of your business, so make it count! Take a critical look at your homepage to ensure it is up-to-date, has clear messaging, includes powerful content, and features a persuasive call to action. Conduct a site audit and solicit feedback from customers and peers to improve your content, style, and site navigation. Additionally, website loading speed, webpage experience, and mobile-friendliness are crucial ranking factors for Google. So, make sure your entire domain is error-free and easy to navigate on both a browser and a smartphone.
During uncertain times, it's essential to focus on the fundamentals of digital marketing to connect with and engage new and existing audiences. Research shows that businesses that continued marketing during the last recession saw their ROI on spend improve by 54%. By following the four steps outlined above, businesses can establish a framework for sustainable growth and accelerate momentum when we emerge from the current economic climate. Perfecting digital marketing takes time and patience, but starting with a few quick tactics is a thousand times better than not starting at all. So, keep these steps in mind and make sure your business is on the fast track to success!