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In today’s digital world, a business’s website is often the first point of contact with potential customers. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure that your website design is not only visually appealing but also user-friendly and effective in converting visitors into customers. In this blog post, we’ll explore the role of website design in digital marketing and why it’s crucial to pay attention to it.

• First Impressions Matter

When a potential customer visits your website, the first impression is everything. A well-designed website with a clean and professional look will immediately give your business credibility and authority in your industry.

On the other hand, a poorly designed website with outdated aesthetics can quickly turn visitors away and harm your brand’s reputation.

• Usability is Key

Your website’s design should be intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy for visitors to find the information they’re looking for quickly.

User-friendly websites improve user experience, and positive experiences lead to increased engagement and conversions. Factors such as navigation, page load speed, and mobile responsiveness all play a significant role in creating a positive user experience.

• Brand Consistency

Your website design should reflect your brand’s identity and values consistently.

Consistency across all your marketing channels, including your website, social media, and advertising, helps establish a cohesive brand image, which is essential for building trust and customer loyalty.

• SEO Benefits

Website design also plays a role in search engine optimization (SEO), which helps improve your website’s visibility in search engine results. Search engines prefer websites that are easy to navigate, load quickly, and have a clear hierarchy of information. A well-designed website that meets these criteria is more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages, leading to increased organic traffic.

• Conversion Optimization

Ultimately, the goal of digital marketing is to convert website visitors into customers. Your website’s design can significantly impact conversion rates. A well-designed website that uses clear calls-to-action, effective landing pages, and easy-to-use forms will increase the chances of visitors taking the desired action, whether it’s making a purchase, filling out a form, or signing up for a newsletter.

In conclusion, website design plays a vital role in digital marketing.

A well-designed website not only gives your business credibility but also improves user experience, brand consistency, search engine visibility, and conversion rates. If you haven’t paid attention to your website’s design yet, it’s time to start. Investing in professional website design can help your business stand out in a crowded digital space and drive growth and success.

As the world becomes increasingly digital, E-Commerce continues to play an important role in the UAE’s economy. With a population of over 9 million people, the UAE offers a lucrative market for businesses that operate online. However, in order to stay ahead of the competition and succeed in this fast-paced environment, it’s essential to stay up-to-date with the latest E-Commerce trends. In this blog post, we’ll explore the top e-commerce trends in the UAE

• Mobile commerce is on the rise

One of the biggest e-commerce trends in the UAE is the rise of mobile commerce. According to a recent study by Mastercard, mobile commerce transactions in the UAE grew by 200% in 2021 compared to the previous year.

This trend is expected to continue in 2022, as more and more consumers use their smartphones and tablets to shop online.

In order to capitalize on this trend, businesses need to ensure that their websites are mobile-friendly and optimized for mobile device

• Social media is driving online shopping

Social media has become a powerful force in the e-commerce world, particularly in the UAE. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook are increasingly being used to promote products and drive sales. In fact, a recent survey found that 59% of UAE consumers have made a purchase through social media in the past year. In 2022, businesses that incorporate social media into their e-commerce strategies are likely to see increased engagement and sales.

• Same-day delivery is gaining popularity

In a world where consumers expect instant gratification, same-day delivery has become a key competitive advantage for E-Commerce businesses.

This trend is particularly relevant in the UAE, where consumers have come to expect fast and efficient service. In 2022, businesses that offer same-day delivery are likely to see increased sales and customer loyalty.

• Personalization is key

Personalization has become an essential component of the e-commerce experience.

By offering personalized recommendations and content, businesses can increase customer engagement and loyalty.

In the UAE, where consumers are increasingly looking for personalized shopping experiences, businesses that invest in personalization are likely to see positive results.

• Sustainability is becoming more important

Finally, sustainability has become a key consideration for UAE consumers when making purchasing decisions.

businesses that prioritize sustainability in their e-commerce strategies are likely to see increased engagement and loyalty from environmentally conscious consumers.

In conclusion, the E-Commerce landscape in the UAE is constantly evolving, and businesses that stay ahead of the trends are more likely to succeed. By embracing mobile commerce, leveraging social media, offering same-day delivery, investing in personalization, and prioritizing sustainability, businesses can position themselves for success.

In recent years, digital marketing has become an essential aspect of business operations for companies of all sizes.

However, small businesses in the UAE can greatly benefit from incorporating digital marketing strategies into their overall business plan.

In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of digital marketing for small businesses in the UAE.

 
1- Increased Visibility
One of the main benefits of digital marketing is increased visibility. With the majority of consumers now using the internet to search for products and services, having a strong online presence is essential for businesses to reach their target audience. Digital marketing strategies such as search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and email marketing can help businesses increase their online visibility and reach a wider audience.

2-Improved Customer Engagement
Digital marketing also allows small businesses in the UAE to engage with their customers more effectively. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter provide businesses with the opportunity to interact with their customers in real-time, respond to queries and concerns, and build stronger relationships with their audience. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and higher customer retention rates.

3-Higher Conversion Rates
Effective digital marketing strategies can also lead to higher conversion rates for small businesses. By targeting the right audience with the right message at the right time, businesses can increase their chances of converting website visitors into paying customers. This can be achieved through strategies such as content marketing, email marketing, and retargeting ads.

4-Cost-Effective
Digital marketing can be a cost-effective way for small businesses in the UAE to promote their products and services. Unlike traditional advertising methods such as TV, radio, and print ads, digital marketing allows businesses to target their audience more accurately and measure the success of their campaigns in real-time. This means that businesses can adjust their strategies as needed to achieve their desired results.

5-Competitive Advantage
Finally, incorporating digital marketing into their overall business plan can give small businesses in the UAE a competitive advantage. By staying up-to-date with the latest digital marketing trends and technologies, businesses can position themselves as industry leaders and stand out from their competitors.

In conclusion, digital marketing is crucial for small businesses in the UAE looking to increase their visibility, engage with customers, and drive conversions. By incorporating effective digital marketing strategies into their overall business plan, small businesses can gain a competitive advantage and achieve their desired results.

This beginner’s guide will explain what email marketing is, how it works, and how to get started. By the end, you’ll have a solid grasp of the basics along with the know-how to launch an effective email marketing strategy for your business. 🚀

Email marketing is the most profitable and cost-effective direct marketing channel, generating an average return on investment of $42 for every $1 spent.

For this reason alone, email should be a key pillar of your digital marketing strategy. Not doing any email marketing is like leaving money laying on the table. 💸

But if you’re a bit confused about where to start, that’s totally normal. Email is a vast discipline. It’s easy for beginners to get lost in a sea of tools, techniques, and terminology.

To learn more, stick around for everything you need to know about email marketing:

• What is email marketing?
• Why email marketing is important
• Benefits of email marketing
• How to do email marketing

What is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is a direct marketing channel that lets businesses share new products, sales, and updates with customers on their contact lists. Its high ROI makes it crucial to most businesses’ overall inbound strategy.

Modern email marketing has moved away from one-size-fits-all mass mailings and instead focuses on consent, segmentation, and personalization. This may sound time-consuming, but marketing automation handles most of the heavy lifting for you. In the long run, a well-designed email marketing strategy not only drives sales, but helps build a community around your brand.

Types of marketing emails

Marketing emails can be promotional, informational, or serve a specific purpose in the buyer journey.

Promotional emails

Email marketing campaigns are used to promote special offers, new product releases, gated content like eBooks and webinars, and your brand at large. A campaign could consist of 3-10 emails sent over several days or weeks.

Promotional emails have a clear call-to-action — CTA, for short. The CTA represents the specific action you want the reader to take, whether it’s visiting a page on your website or using a coupon to make a purchase.

Your business’s sales and marketing rhythm typically determine how often you send this type of marketing email. During crucial periods like Black Friday, you may be sending multiple promotional emails in the same 24-hour period. During slower periods in the marketing calendar, there may be a few weeks between your promotional campaigns.

Informational emails

Newsletters: A newsletter, as the name suggests, shares news related to your business. Think: new milestones reached, new product capabilities, or featuring valuable content like case studies. Sent at regular intervals — weekly, bi-weekly, monthly — newsletters help maintain consistent touch points with your email subscribers.

But did you know newsletters don’t just have to be about news? As email expert Ann Handley says, focus on the letter aspect. Imagine you’re writing a one-on-one letter to your subscribers about something that interests them.

Simply put, a newsletter is an opportunity to share insights, thoughts, tips — whatever brings the most value to your audience.

Announcements: Email is the perfect way to inform customers of company announcements, new product releases, changes to the service, etc.

More often than not, email is the go-to channel for important messages. If there’s a glitch on your website, shipping delays, or an outage in your system/software, updating your contacts via email is the best way to maintain communication. It’s secure, instant, and can match the formal tone of even the most important announcements.

Re-engagement emails

Another important type of marketing email is the re-engagement email. As the name suggests, re-engagement emails help reconnect with customers or subscribers who haven’t been active lately.

Why Email Marketing Is Important

Email isn’t a new technology. In fact, it was one of the very first means of digital communication to arrive back in 1971. But at 50 years old, email marketing is used today more than ever before.

You may be thinking, “Do people really still use email? Isn’t social media where it’s at for marketing today?” While it’s true that social media is an important channel for any digital marketing strategy, email has several advantages.

First, email marketing campaigns can be personalized to a greater extent than those on social media. Next, costs are considerably lower than for other channels, especially considering the reach and conversion rate associated with email marketing. This is part of what makes email marketing so ideal for small businesses.

Finally, what makes email marketing so powerful and lucrative is that it gives you direct, individual access to your audience’s inboxes.

Still don’t believe us? Let’s take a look at the numbers:

• In 2020, there were over 4 billion global email users.
• 80% of Americans check their email at least once per day, with nearly a quarter of them checking their personal email several times a day.
• 62% of consumers ranked email in their top preferred communication channels with small businesses.

Given the figures, not having an email marketing strategy means missing out on sales opportunities and the chance to build lasting customer relationships.

The Benefits of Email Marketing

From order confirmations to newsletters, emails are an essential part of the growth and management of your business.

Email marketing helps you achieve three key objectives:

1. Conversions (selling your products and services)

Launching a sale or promotion? You can send your subscribers an email marketing campaign to drive sales. In addition, try using these email marketing techniques to further boost conversions:

Personalized coupons or special offers for subscribers’ birthdays/anniversaries, in welcome emails, and as a way to re-engage your audience.

Abandoned cart emails triggered whenever a visitor adds an item in their cart but doesn’t check out.

2. Brand awareness

What’s great about email is that it lets you reach someone directly. It’s one-to-one communication at its best. And people don’t just let anyone into their inbox these days. It’s a curated space reserved for favorite brands and publications.

Showing up in someone’s email inbox will help your brand stay current in the minds of subscribers. A personalized marketing email is more impactful than a social media post where you can’t be sure if someone has actually seen your message.

One of the major benefits of email marketing is its scalability. This means that emails can be sent to a large number of recipients while remaining cost-effective (compared to other marketing channels).

3. Customer loyalty

Email drives customer loyalty at every stage of the buyer journey: lead-nurturing, conversion, onboarding, retention. As well, email marketing is a necessary tool to use alongside sales CRM systems to streamline communication.

It’s truly a powerful way to build a community, as discussed in our guide to building relationships with email.

How to Do Email Marketing

Businesses use what’s known as email service providers (ESP) to send marketing emails.

An email service provider is a software that sends and manages email marketing campaigns.

It’s also referred to as an email marketing platform, email marketing tool, email marketing service, or email marketing software.

Now you might be wondering, can’t I just send marketing emails with my regular inbox provider? Do I really need to pay for a product on top of that?

Technically, it’s possible. (We even explain how in our guide to sending mass email with Gmail.) Beware, though. You’re likely to run into problems with limited email bandwidth, design, and more importantly, email deliverability. Here’s why: Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc. are designed for personal use — not for email blasts. Although they’re free to use, they’re not free bulk email senders. So when a mass email is sent from an ISP, it’s easily flagged by spam filters and your account can be disabled for suspicious activity.

ESPs, on the other hand, have the necessary infrastructure in place to ensure good email deliverability rates — i.e., the ability to land emails in your subscribers’ inboxes. If you want to set yourself up for email marketing success from day one, get yourself a dedicated email marketing service.

How to choose an email service provider

With hundreds of ESPs on the market, it’s hard to know which one is right for your business.

Here are some questions to help narrow down your options:

• What’s your budget? If it’s very limited, then cheap email marketing services should be your starting point.
• What kind of emails do you plan to send, and how often? That will give you an idea of your required email volume (i.e. number of email sent).
• If you’ve already got a list of opt-in contacts, how many are there?
• What’s your skill level when it comes to designing emails? If you’re a complete beginner, you’ll want a drag-and-drop email editor. Email templates will also come in handy. On the other hand, if you prefer to code emails from scratch, you’ll be on the lookout for an HTML editor.
• Do you plan to set up automated email workflows? See what the ESP offers in terms of email marketing automation. Some solutions only offer basic autoresponders.
• If your business communicates with different buyer personas, what contact list segmentation capabilities are offered?
• Will your business be sending transactional emails? (Note that these are not considered email marketing.) Some folks like to manage these emails with a separate service, while others prefer all emails under the same roof with a tool.

It’s also a good idea to consider your future needs. Found an ESP you like? Do some simulations: “If my list grows to x, how much will this ESP cost? If I want to add x to my strategy, does this ESP have the feature set to support me? What sort of integrations or apps will I be able to add on?”

Optimism for the future is a good thing, but don’t get carried away. Of course, stay focused on the essentials for now.

How much does email marketing cost?

Email marketing costs can vary widely depending on the size of your email list, the quantity of emails you send, the level of support you need, and the technical specifications you’re looking for.

For some, free email marketing plans offer more than enough functionality. For others, email marketing can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars per month.

As you’re exploring different options, you’ll notice most providers base their pricing on the number of contacts on your email list. This pricing model can be attractive to those just starting out, but costs rise considerably once your list grows.

But growing your subscriber base is the whole point of email marketing!

You can’t send email campaigns without anyone to send them to, so it’s time to start building a list of engaged, opt-in subscribers.

Yes, that’s right — opt-in. Because here’s the thing about email contacts:

Everyone on your email list needs to have given their express permission to be there.

What does that mean?

It means they agreed to receive emails from you when they entered their email address into an email signup form on your blog, website, landing pages, social media, or anywhere else. In email terms, this consent is referred to as an “opt-in.” (“Opting out” would be an unsubscribe.)

Permission-based marketing is essential to conform to data protection laws and safeguard the integrity of your brand. After all, nobody likes a spammer.

Because this is a pretty non-negotiable part of email marketing, most ESPs let you create signup forms to organically grow your subscriber list. Here are some tried-and-tested ways to organically grow your email list:

• Add signup forms to your website and other places
• Place your email subscription form in highly visible places where people will definitely see it.

Typical subscription form hotspots include blog posts, the homepage, and a contact page. Creating a pop-up form on your website can be a good idea, too. Just make sure not to disrupt the user experience too much. Pop-ups that prevent visitors from using your site can be big deterrents! (Think of your signup form placement like your call-to-action placement.)

Use lead magnets

Nothing makes a list grow faster than premium content.

Guarded content like ebooks, reports, checklists, or infographics are great ways to grow your contact list. Visitors get valuable content in exchange for joining your newsletter list. It’s a win-win! Check out these content marketing hacks for more ideas and inspiration!

Special offers and discounts are a great way to get people onto your list, too. For example, clothing brand Mango offers 10% off your first order when you subscribe to their newsletter.

Google processes more than 40,000 search queries every second. You can actually watch the searches rack up in real-time.         

Many businesses struggle to come up with new and innovative ways to increase website traffic. There’s a lot of misinformation online about how to attract more visitors, which can lead to using the same tired strategies over and over and not seeing positive results.

That’s not you, though. You’re a savvy marketer who is looking to make the most out of your website. And you’ve come to the right place.  

We’ve gathered 10 proven ways to increase traffic to your website. Ready? Let’s go. 

1. Think About SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is key to attracting visitors to your site. On-page SEO may be the single greatest factor in determining where your website ends up in the SERPs (search engine results pages). The higher up the SERP you are, the more likely Google surfers are to click through to your site.

Make sure each of the page elements — including title, h1 or header, meta description, alt-text and URL — are keyword-rich and focused on the user intent of the page.

The actual content on your site is also a significant factor in how you’ll rank in the SERPs. Always include relevant keywords in your content. Keywords should be used naturally, not stuffed into the content so much that they detract from the main idea or distract the reader. (Remember, when it comes to content, quality trumps keyword quantity.) Pro Tip: To conduct keyword research, you can use tools like Moz, Ahrefs and SEMrush. These sites show what keywords competitors are using, how often people search for keywords, how expensive

the keyword is for pay-per-click ads, related keywords, and much more valuable information to guide keyword strategy.

Hiring an SEO agency is always an option too, as they can offer valuable insights and perform audits to identify issues that may be keeping your site from being shown in SERPs.

2. Create Awesome Content

Not only does awesome (relevant, meaty, juicy) content increase your SERP rankings, it’s also good for keeping visitors engaged once they click through to your site.

That’s why it’s not enough just to post any old content; you need to create content that’s memorable and cuts through the noise. Do this by digging into what makes your company unique — and why you’re the best at meeting the needs of your customers.

Pro Tip: Brands (especially B2B companies) are increasingly using video to offer insights into who they are and what they do best. Adding video to your landing page and embedding it in blog posts increases visibility on Google and encourages visitors to stay on your site longer.

People use Google to find specific, thorough and accurate answers for their questions, and your content should be there to provide those answers. In fact, websites featuring blog content generate 434% more search engine-indexed pages than those without it. In addition, sites that release more than 16 posts per month receive nearly 3.5 times more traffic than those that publish zero to four articles.

The bottom line is that when you care about the content you produce, post regularly and research what your audience wants to see, web traffic should improve.

3. Refresh Outdated Content

Hey, we’re doing that right now! This post was originally written in 2019, and it’s one of our most popular blog posts. But a lot has changed in the last three years (like, a lot). So we thought it was time to update with some fresh tips.

Not only will your readers appreciate updated content, Google — and its ever-changing algorithm — also loves a new take.

You don’t need to limit your content refresh to tweaking blog posts either. Try repurposing blog content as an infographic or even an explainer video.

4. Get Social

The average adult spends 147 minutes per day on social media. Businesses that know how to leverage the power of this captive (albeit distracted) audience have the opportunity to foster brand awareness, affinity and loyalty. And, of course, draw more website traffic.

The key to social media is to be authentic. It can be tempting to jump on every trend and fad, but savvy scrollers see right through that and aren’t impressed. If it doesn’t fit with your brand — it’s not true to who you are — it’s not for you.

Here are a few social ideas to get you started:

• Post content (blogs, e-books, white papers, infographics, videos, etc.) across your social media platforms.
• Engage with followers by replying, retwee,ting and tagging them in relevant content.
• Use hashtags that represent your brand.
• Video is a great way to entice scrollers to stop and hear what you have to say. Go live or share short, authentically awesome videos that add value (even if it’s just entertainment value).
• Be sure to include a call to action on informative and educational posts that push readers back to your content-rich site.

5. Use Advertising to Increase Web Traffic

While organic search is still better at driving traffic (about 5.66% better than paid), paid advertising like pay-per-click (PPC) and social media ads can help you connect with a larger audience while targeting your ideal customer.

When used together as part of a content-driven digital marketing strategy, organic and paid search dominate website traffic. In fact, combined paid and organic search earn about 76% of total traffic for B2B companies.

6. Send Email Newsletters People Will Open – and Read

Where social media can feel like shouting from a soapbox in the town square, email is a one-on-one conversation. It’s personal.

Automation has certainly made it easier to send emails en masse, but tools like customization and segmentation mean that you can address the specific needs and pain points of your target audience. Promoting content through email newsletters is an effective way to increase website traffic and ultimately yields one of the highest ROIs across all marketing methods.

Here are a few email marketing best practices:

• Include enticing information from the content in the subject line and in the body of the email.
• Insert a link or button that subscribers can click to read more of the content.
• Make sure emails are mobile-friendly. Links should be easy to see, since 46% of all email opens are done on mobile devices.
• Employ personalization tactics by including the name of the subscriber.
• Make the email visually appealing with the use of well-designed templates.
• Conduct A/B testing to see which versions of emails receive more opens and clicks.

7. Give Away the Good Stuff

Giving prospects something of use is a great way to drive more traffic. For example, we created an editorial calendar template that is free for anyone to download. We wanted to give marketers a tool to make creating and posting content easier.

By posting gated content/tools (offering the content and tools in exchange for the user’s contact information), you can maximize your returns and find new leads. Another way to increase website traffic is to promote the content/tools on relevant LinkedIn Groups or forums where people in the industry interact.

8. Write Guest Posts

Guest posting for other websites is an effective way to generate backlinks, boost referral traffic and increase SERP rankings. You should always thoroughly research websites within your industry to pitch.

First, look at a website’s content and make sure it’s high-quality, check its domain authority and study its guest posting guidelines. Also, ask the publication if they’ll promote the post on social media and tag you.

9. Help a Reporter Out

You’re an expert in your field — that means you’re a source in high demand for reporters. Register as a source on sites like HARO and Qwoted, and journalists can find you when they’re writing stories that fall within your area of expertise.

Getting quoted in trade publications and major news outlets sets you up as the industry leader you are and cultivates interest in your business (thus, your website).

10. Exchange Backlinks

There are a bunch of benefits of backlinking for your business. Among them are greater SERP ranking and increased visibility. One study found that the top search results in Google had 3.8 times more backlinks than those in the No. 2 through No. 10 positions.

Backlinks can come in the form of directory listings, but the best way to start earning backlinks is to produce top-notch, evergreen content that adds value to your niche market. Then, reach out to others in the industry and ask them to share. To add an extra incentive, you can propose a mutually beneficial backlink exchange by offering to add one of their links to a post of yours as well.

That’s exactly what we did for one of our clients, Rainbow Muffler & Brake. We created a blog post for them called, “The Essential Road Trip Checklist for Your Car.” We then found relevant websites through Pitchbox and reached out to those sites to see if they wanted to promote our post.

These were our picks of 10 ways to increase website traffic.

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From Facebook adverts and newsletters to traditional print and PR, there are so many ways to promote your small business. But how do you know which is best?

PR specialists from FSB PR/Crisis Management explain the seven most popular ways to market and advertise a small business, both online and offline.

Contents

• Media relations
• Social media
• Digital advertising
• Press advertising
• Direct mail
• Search engine optimization(SEO)
• Email marketing

1. Media relations

Also known as PR, media relations is simply getting articles about you and your business in publications and their online websites.

Perhaps you’ve won a new contract, launched a new product or service, appointed new people or achieved record results. It might be that something quirky has happened within your business or you’ve reached a milestone, such as an anniversary, or you’ve sold a significant number of items. Another way to get coverage is by giving advice or having strong views about a subject and being prepared to openly state them.

What are the benefits of PR?

Provided you appear in the ‘right’ places, you’ll be seen by your target audience. If you run an engineering business, you’ll benefit from being seen in select trade publications. If, however, you’re keen to raise awareness of your café, then the local newspaper and magazines are the places to be.

Such media coverage not only raises your profile, but it’s also ideal for conveying important factual messages about your business, along with promoting its values and culture.

Should I use a PR agency?

Although you can contact a reporter or journalist yourself to tell them about a potential story, this can seem daunting, so you might want to consider using a specialist PR agency.  They can:

deal with journalists and identify stories in your business

advise you on the best places for your articles to appear and how to ‘pitch’

provide you with original content for your website

However, there are no guarantees your piece will feature. It boils down to the strength of the story – again, this is why using an agency is advisable because they instinctively know what will work.

Ready to write your first press release?

Watch free bite-sized videos from PR experts on how to craft a press release that grabs attention and discover what you should include for success.

2. Social media

Social media plays a critical role in marketing your business if used effectively, and the opportunity to reach and engage with such a huge audience is not to be missed

Social media is a great way to connect with people who already engage with your brand and introduce the business to people who are yet to discover you. 58 per cent of consumers visit a brand’s social pages before visiting its website.

What are your business goals?

Before you begin developing a social media marketing campaign, you need to consider your business goals and marketing plan. Do you want to reach a wider audience, generate more traffic to your website, or increase product sales

It is also important to understand who your target audience is, what platforms they are likely to use and what kind of content they will find useful and engaging. Our guide to social media platforms will help you find the right one for you.

What should I post on social media

Creating relevant content for your audience is crucial to the success of your social media, whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. When creating content, think about what your audience wants to see and what valuable content you can give them in return for their attention. If you are in a service-based industry, free resources and tips from your business can go a long way – you’ll become their go-to when searching for information, leading to potential new clients. If you are a product or brand, invest in photography and video and create a consistent brand identity with your assets. It’s also worth knowing that video is one of the most engaging assets, so use it whenever possible.

Social media is not just about putting the right content out there.  As a business, you need to generate a two-way conversation with your audience so they feel a human connection, making you more memorable and more likely to keep followers.

It’s important to regularly review your channels to understand what’s working. Each social platform offers basic analytics.  It’s good practice to dig deep into your analytics on a weekly and monthly basis to analyze, review and tailor your strategy to maximize results.

3. Digital advertising

Targeting specific audiences, executing data-led strategies and delivering measurable results are only a few of the benefits of marketing your business via digital advertising. The main digital advertising channels are PPC (Pay-Per-Click), display and paid social. All of them run across mobile and desktop devices.

Digital advertising can be a minefield, but it’s completely transparent and accountable – you will be able to see, down to the penny, where your budget has gone and which aspects of your campaign have been the most effective.

What is Pay-Per-Click?

Search (PPC) campaigns are often run on Google Ads, which is Google’s own online advertising network. They can help you advertise to your target audience whilst optimising any ad spend to give the best return on investment. PPC campaigns can be tailored so your ads are only shown to people who have made a search that is relevant to your product or service.

What is display advertising?

If your objective is more about brand awareness and not leads, then you should consider display advertising instead.

Believe it or not, the Google Display Network (GDN) claims to reach 90 per cent of all Internet users worldwide. It’s a vast network of web pages, news sites, blogs, video platforms like YouTube and email providers such as Gmail.

Users browsing sites within the GDN may not be interested in your product or service just yet, but you will get the chance to pitch it to them. You can even remarket to users who have already visited your site in the past but didn’t convert to remind them of the solutions your business can offer them.

What is paid social advertising?

Whilst social media profiles are free to set up, consider investing in paid content, too, particularly on Facebook and Instagram. In basic terms, this means you assign a set budget to a post which boosts its reach, allowing it to be seen by more people.

Facebook, the world’s largest social network, is an excellent alternative to Google if you want to advertise your business in a highly targeted way.  You can do this by setting up ad campaigns targeting users by age, gender, location, job title, interests and even behaviours. They’ll see text, image and videos displayed in Facebook stories, in-stream videos, Facebook search and messages, articles and the Facebook app.

If you decide to appoint an agency to look after your digital advertising:

• make sure you understand what they are saying to you, keep asking until you do
• be prepared to pay a fee for their strategic advice and implementation in addition to the advertising spend itself.
• Find out more about how to build a successful online advertising campaign using Facebook and Google.

4. Press advertising

To be effective in magazines and newspapers, your advertisement needs to be both big and bold.

If your advertisement doesn’t stop someone in their tracks and make them take notice, then you will have wasted your money on buying the space.

What should be in my advert?

The headline, text and images you use are crucial.  Rather than focusing on what you want to say, think about your target customers – what do they want or need to hear from you?  Get inside their heads, think about a message that will resonate with them.

Focus on the benefits of your product or service rather than the features.  If your business manufactures underfloor heating, plumbers will want to know that it’s easy to install and will deliver them a good profit but if you’re targeting homeowners directly, they’ll want to know how it makes them feel when they step on it in the middle of a bitterly cold night.

Sometimes it can be challenging to think in this way, so you might want to consider using a creative agency to help you formulate ideas.  The added benefit is that you’ll then be able to adapt their ideas into all sorts of other marketing materials – e-shots, mailers, posters – so paying someone to come up with ideas is definitely worth the cost.

5. Direct mail

Back in the pre-digital era, direct mail earned the nickname ‘junk mail’. Not a morning went by without there being a pile of letters and leaflets on the doormat. It had become a victim of its own success – sadly, all the well-targeted and relevant messages were lost among the irrelevant ones.

Direct mail can be wonderfully effective, provided you follow three key rules:             

Use good quality data.  If you manage your own database, make sure it’s clean and up-to-date.  Alternatively, consider buying data from a reputable data broker – it’s far more affordable than you might think.

Send content that is relevant to the recipient.  It’s pointless promoting a children’s nursery to a database of over 70’s.

Make sure your mailer piques interest by standing out and featuring intriguing messages that resonate with the recipient.

Although direct mailers are more expensive than e-shots, they can be far more impactful and effective.  Emails can be easily deleted and go unread, whereas it’s far harder to ignore a physical mailer that also has a longer shelf life, especially if the creative content is strong.

6. Search engine optimization

SEO has established itself as one of the key practices to market your business online. It has become essential for most companies to have a well-optimized website and this is where SEO is crucial. If you’re new to SEO, our beginner’s guide takes you through the simple things you can do to boost your strategy.

In order for your web pages to show up for relevant search terms or ‘keywords’ in search engines like Google, they need to be optimized across three different areas: technical, on-page, and off-page.

Technical SEO ensures that Google understands and can easily and quickly access all pages you want to rank. Having a technically sound website is only one aspect of great SEO.

Ultimately, users want to read about your product or services, so you need high-quality, engaging content that’s optimized in order for Google to rank it.

Tips for writing online content

• Write for the user, not the search engine. If your content isn’t readable, you will struggle to convert users into customers.
• Within your copy and HTML code, you will need to pay attention to optimizing page titles, headings, internal linking, and image descriptions for every page you wish to rank.

Now you’ve got qualitative content live, you need a ‘vote of confidence’ from topically relevant, external sites.  Attract links naturally as well as manually through local link building, guest blogging, influencers, content marketing and PR campaigns.

7. Email marketing

The key to generating great sales is being able to communicate clearly and in a timely manner to your target audience.  Email marketing is great for creating short-term urgency and adding incremental revenue as part of your regular marketing activity.

You can use emails tactically to drive a limited-time offer, end-of-season sale or to promote a new service.

Email marketing is:

• Cost-effective
• Measurable
• Immediate
• Scalable
• Efficient

Tailor your message

Once you have your customer list to hand, you can tailor your messaging to the right audiences – engagement rates will probably be high for customers who have previously used your services or purchased from you. Those customers can also share the email with their friends or contacts, expanding the reach and awareness of your brand to an audience you might never have engaged with before. Staying in touch with existing customers is a great way to keep your brand front of mind and present loyal, lapsed and potential customers with the most up-to-date offers and new products or services.

Track your results

The results of email marketing are immediate and you can quickly see the number of customers who have received your email, opened it, and clicked on any of the links or offers within it. This will give you a quick indication of how well the email is performing in terms of overall engagement, sales, and return on investment (ROI).

The data will give you actionable insights, too, so you can see which are the most popular types of content, products, services, or offers for any specific audience. You can then tailor your follow-up emails to reflect these learnings. Integrated as part of a wider campaign or used as a standalone activity, email marketing is one of the best ‘return on investment’ channels there is.