So you started a business. Great! What an exciting moment!
So, what’s the next step?
Well, if you want to keep going with that business, you probably need to generate some kind of sales, right? Absolutely!
Depending on the industry that you are in, the best method for generating those sales might differ; however, I can almost guarantee that no matter what industry you’re in, it would be a mistake to not seriously look at your digital marketing efforts.
Intro to Digital Marketing for Business Owners
Digital marketing, by its simplest definition, is essentially a series of services or methods used to increase your digital presence, and, therefore, your inbound leads that come from the internet.
That could mean your website, other people’s websites, social media feeds, social media ads, Google ads, etc. There is a whole range of digital marketing services that could help you increase leads.
If you’re thinking about starting on some digital marketing work for your company, then you’re in the right place. In this intro to digital marketing services for business owners, I’ll briefly touch on services offered by digital marketing agencies and how they might fit your business needs.
Website Development/Design
A website is going to be the first place to start. A lot of companies have a website already; however, if you do not, then this would be the first step for you.
A well-designed website will be the best place to generate new sales. This is where you’ll have all of the information about your company for people to find and read about. This is your sales pitch before your sales pitch. If people like the way your website looks and feels, then they will be far more inclined to proceed with a purchase from your company. That’s why even if you have a website, if it’s slow, outdated, or doesn’t accurately represent your services, it’s a good idea to look into a website redesign to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward when online visitors find you.
I cannot stress enough how important your website design is. Your website is the key to all digital marketing and to being successful through the internet.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is kind of the next step after a website.
You know when you search “restaurants in Los Angeles” on Google, and a few restaurants pop up? The results are in an ordered list, right? Are they ordered based on who has the best food? Proximity to something? Are they alphabetical? Or something else?
Those results come back in an order all based on what’s called search-engine optimization.
Google, or whichever search engine you’re using, has built out a complicated algorithm/formula that essentially gives each website a ranking based on the words that you use to search.
Let me just put it this way, if you want to increase your sales, then you want to be in the first spot on the list that comes up (or at least near that first spot). Well, you’re not going to get there without a solid SEO strategy!
Check out this article that discusses SEO more in depth and gives details on the cost that you could expect for this service.
Content Marketing
Content marketing involves two major forms of content – blogs, and backlinks.
Content marketing is a great way to increase your SEO rankings, and it can be a really great way to answer people’s questions, let people know that you know what you’re talking about, or lead people into your website through questions they ask the all-knowing Google.
Having a blog on your website is beneficial because it will be a fountain of knowledge to everyone who visits your site, and it can be a great way for people to find you when they search something that one of your blog posts might answer.
Backlinks are a different form of content marketing. Basically this is when another source (like someone else’s blog or website) points back to your blog or website via a hyperlink. This helps because it tells Google that you’re knowledgeable and should be higher ranking when people search for your industry, and it can also bring in good traffic to your website from people reading information on other sites.
Dive deeper into content marketing with this article giving details on the cost that you could expect for that service.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation. In today’s world, we know that billions of people are on social media. Honestly, there isn’t a much better way to reach the masses than through the proper use of social media.
You will want to be aware of the different types of marketing available on social media, though. You can advertise on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter—although each platform has different advantages, target audiences, and costs. There’s much more to social media marketing than we can cover in this brief intro to digital marketing services, but I dive into that in this article, if you’d like to learn more about social media!
Paid Search (Pay-per-click, PPC)
Paid search (Google ads, for example) is a great way for you to generate some sales more quickly, while also gathering data on your target audience to help you reach them better.
You remember SEO? Getting your website to rank higher and higher in search results? Well, you can also pay Google to push your website up into the higher rankings of search results through Google ads.
SEO can take a long time to really build up, because it is purely organic. Google ads are great if you need a quicker option to get more leads.
Read more about paid search marketing to get a better understanding of this service, its potential cost, and advantages!
ADA Compliance
Just like businesses are required to comply with the ADA for their physical locations (elevators, ramps, braille lettering, etc.), everyone is required to keep their website compliant as well!
Your website should be accessible to those with disabilities (blindness, deafness, etc.). In fact, not only should it be accessible, but you can be fined, or even sued, if it isn’t! It’s very important to keep this up and make sure that you are maintaining compliance at all times.
Also (surprise, surprise) having your website be ADA compliant will help with your overall SEO!
Read here to learn more about this agency service!
The Best Time to Start Your Digital Marketing Is Now
There are lots of ways to increase your digital presence and to use that presence to increase your website traffic and leads.
Hopefully this intro to digital marketing services helps a little bit as you try to navigate the seemingly complex world of digital marketing! Please reach out to our team if you need any further clarification or if you would like us to assist you as you begin this journey!