For many small and medium-sized businesses, digital marketing can feel like a puzzle. And in many ways, it is similar. Though you’ll often hear people talk about their social media or their website, the truth is that having one without the other makes an incomplete picture. For the vast majority of businesses, several more key pieces are required to create a strong digital marketing presence in 2018.
Which specific pieces you need depends on the unique needs of your business, but we’ve put together a guide to help illustrate the importance of approaching digital marketing from a holistic perspective. When it comes to reaching your customers online, it’s about the big picture, not just the individual pieces.
Social media.
It really doesn’t matter what kind of business you are, you need to be on social media. How often and what kind of content you post is a matter of strategy and will greatly depend on what type of business you are. What won’t change is the fact that social media platforms are everywhere. They’re on our phones, on our computers, and very frequently, they are the first source people go to for information. Whether someone is looking for your hours or location or they just want to learn more about you, you need to have a clean, consistent, and informative presence on social media.
Website.
Part of the goal of social media is usually to send people to your website to either learn more or buy your product. But if you don’t have an updated and easy to navigate site, you aren’t going to reap those benefits. The way websites are created has grown up fast and if you haven’t updated in several years, your site probably looks like it is straight out of the stone age. Do your pages load quickly? Is it easy to read and navigate? Are there full color photos and videos that make it appealing to the eye and communicate your brand? Does it work on mobile? If the answer to each of those questions is not a resounding “yes,” it’s probably time to upgrade.
Visuals.
The internet is an increasingly visual place. Most people aren’t going to read for very long (congratulations for getting this far!) and you need to make it a priority to catch their eye with professional photo, video, and graphic design. Having a professional website and a social media presence won’t do you as much good if they are populated with sloppy graphics and unprofessional looking design. Not only will people not read for very long, they won’t stay anywhere very long (did you know we now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish?). Once you actually have eyeballs on your website, you need to make a strong visual impression.
Fill in the Gaps.
While social media and websites will be the two primary pillars of most digital marketing strategies, there are lots of other options to consider, depending on your needs. Some companies want or need their own app (caution: they are expensive) while others want to invest in AdWords and other types of online placement ads. Sending out a weekly or monthly email newsletter is also a great way to stay in touch with your customers. For real estate companies, virtual tours are an incredible tool that homebuyers love to see. Whatever type of business you run, consider ways to amplify your web and social presence with other digital technologies.
When it comes to these different areas of digital marketing, remember that they all work together. If you want to invest in social media, make sure your website is up to par. If you are investing in a new website, make sure you have professional photo and video to populate it with. Want to learn more about KreativElement ,and how our services can help you put the pieces together and improve your digital marketing in 2018? Click here to get started.