Even for someone that is relatively technologically savvy, digital marketing can be a whole different beast. As a business owner, you realize that this type of marketing is the future. Yet as someone who generally uses the internet for work-related purposes and social media, figuring out how to gain a following can be tough.
If you haven’t already figured out these secrets and are considering talking to a digital marketing guru, think again. We’re about to let you in on a few digital marketing secrets that these marketers don’t want you to know.
1. Stay Relevant to Your Audience
Becoming a household name is great, but it’s difficult to do. People are constantly bombarded with brands of goods and services they should buy. Instead of marketing yourself to to a huge audience or creating lots of new leads, focus on the ones you have. If it is necessary to create new leads, forge authentic relationships with the people that need your brand.
Think of it in fishing terms… casting a wide net can definitely bring in some fish. It’ll also bring in a ton of fish that you can’t do anything with and that will be thrown back. If you specifically target one or two types of fish, you can reel in the ones worth keeping. You reel those types of fish in by baiting them with the food they want to eat.
Back to real life. The point of being relevant is you are marketing to those people that already have a need for you. This need could be real or imagined — it doesn’t matter — as long as they have even a slight desire for your brand.
2. Multiple Platforms for Multiple Audiences
Social media is a necessity in this day and age. In fact, many people specifically use social media platforms to find the exact business that they’re looking for. Typically, someone who uses one type of social media isn’t going to be completely immersed in another. So by not using every form possible, you’re missing possible leads or not placing yourself in front of people that already have a need for you.
Let’s return to that fishing analogy.
If you and your buddy are on the boat fishing and you start to notice that both of you are reeling them in left and right, wouldn’t you want to set a couple more poles? If you just keep the two lines in the water, you can only pull up two fish at a time. By setting up other poles, you can constantly be reeling fish in as long as they’re biting.
It’s the same premise for digital media. Get your name out there on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and keep your blog up-to-date. People love watching videos. If you’ve been on Instagram lately, you’ll notice short videos that are posted to generate interest with a ‘learn more’ button underneath.
When that video is posted and relevant to the consumer, they are going to click out of curiosity.
3. Brand Influencers Are Your Friends
This is a big one! Brand influencers are those people that have thousands of followers on any given platform. Their audience likes them, and what they have to say, and typically want to try the products they recommend. Influencers are pretty great to use because unlike celebrities, they seem like real people.
Because they seem like real people (they are!), they are also much easier to access for a business or brand. Hiring an influencer to talk about your brand won’t seem sales-pitchy to the audience. It’ll just seem that a person they follow likes this really cool product. This message will be seen and shared by their thousands or millions of followers which will in turn create more traffic and generate more interest.
4. Knowing What To Do and How To Do It
Figuring out how to manage all of these tips and secrets can be daunting. However, daunting does not mean impossible! It’s okay for this to feel overwhelming, but you can always start with one tip or another while slowly incorporating the rest of them. It’s also not a horrible idea to hire one of those digital media marketers. The best thing about hiring them is that while working with them, you can learn. Once you’ve learned, you can attempt your own digital marketing. If you find there are still a few kinks to work out, call them back and ask for help. They’ll love the business and you can learn a few more tricks of the trade.
However, you decide to apply these digital marketing tips to your brand, keep in mind that everything takes time. Again, just like fishing… sometimes it’s just a (short) waiting game.
5. Business Directory Listings Websites
Double-check that the website you’re promoting has been listed in popular website directories. This is important because there is no use starting a marketing campaign without being sure of its listing in DMOZ, Yahoo!, EmiratesBD, and Google. It doesn’t matter whether you are marketing a page off of the root directory, the primary site needs to be listed. This helps build trust because your customers and prospects can find your marketing pages only if they are effectively listed in website directories. HubSpot says that more and more people use the internet to find trusted business recommendations. Remember, digital marketing is more than just placing ads online, it’s using the web to communicate the value of your products and services.
6. Testimonials are Vital
Do not neglect the power of customer testimonials. Searchengineland reports that as much as 88% of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations. The secret is that when consumers hear from those who have already purchased your product, they gain a certain level of trust and comfort in your work. So do well to ensure testimonials that sound convincing and genuine in order to attract prospective buyers.
