Some people focus on SEO, others claim Social Media is the most important, or maybe you just want to blog or put out videos – either way, digital marketing for your business has never been more accessible. However, it certainly isn’t easy.
It used to be that a business just had to focus on footfall, this is because the central aspect of marketing was finding a great location. However, with digital marketing being so important these days, I often meet small business owners who are too focused on one area of digital marketing. Consequently, web traffic and perspective clients pass them by. To solve this, you need to use multiple avenues.
HOW TO APPROACH DIGITAL MARKETING
Think of digital marketing in terms of Cable TV*.
*For the millennials in the room Cable TV is what we used to watch on TV before streaming, sometime after the dinosaurs and a bit before dial-up**.
** Dial-up was what we used to use…. nevermind
SEO is just the menu – Think of SEO as the Channel Listing menu, which tells you what’s available to consume. Nobody ever thought the channel menu was the end-all-be-all of television, that would be silly. The same is true for SEO, so don’t get hooked on SEO being the answer to all your marketing troubles.
Everybody is looking for relevance in marketing and your digital marketing efforts are no different. In this case, a relevant website means it is regularly updated and the content is applicable to the meta data. Consequently, the more often you update your website and make relevant articles, the more likely your channel will be listed in spot #1 instead of spot #462. However, SEO doesn’t speak to your audience, your content does.
Websites & Social Media Platforms are channels – In other words, websites and social media platforms are the channels your audience tunes into. Depending on who you’re trying to reach depends on which platform you need to use.
Think of it this way, did you ever just watch one TV station? I doubt it. If there’s a great show on, do you care if it’s on BBC1, Sky Atlantic, CBS, or ABC? Nope. You just want to watch the show. Your audience flips around to different channels as well. You need to be able to reach them on whatever platform they like to use.
Think like a media mogul. The big media moguls are scrupulous about what TV shows are broadcast on their station, so should you. Your business is a broadcasting station. What this means is, be very choosy about what content (and what product) gets sent out as that is a major part of what establishes your brand. For instance, that’s why BBC1 feels like it does, and HBO (American) or Sky Atlantic have entirely different tones.
PUT ON A GOOD SHOW
Your content is your show. The best content strategy is to simply develop great content. If it’s not interesting, they’ll tune out and go to a different station. Being interesting requires a few things:
- Say it in a way that’s relevant and interesting
- Get to the point, fast!
- You need to put out content in a medium that your audience likes to consume. Some like reading (blogs, articles/posts on FB/LinkedIn), some like listening (podcasts), some like watching videos (Youtube/FB), and some like watching short clips (Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok)
THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL MARKETING
All technology gets faster, and the internet is no different. For instance, I imagine my grandchildren will one day ask; “What is a computer/laptop?” A good example of this is, we’re already seeing a different way that consumers are searching for answers. This is coming in the form of voice search. Consequently, in the not-so-distant future search engines as we know them will sit in the background.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
#1 You need to make sure you have full control of your content now and into the future. Therefore, use as many channels as you like, certainly more than one, but make sure there is a clear funnel back to your website. You want your website to become the go to place for your audience to consume your data and content. The reason is, the channels you are using to reach them now (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin) all have their own agendas and can change the game at any time. Make sure you control the game your content is in. If your business is completely on Facebook or Instagram, your future is in someone else’s control.
#2 Structured data. Structured data is what Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri use to pull up search results. Consequently, if you’re website doesn’t include structured data, you will increasingly lose organic traffic over the next few years.
Stuck on a business problem? If you’re feeling overwhelmed in your business and don’t know where to start, we’ll help you gain focus, build a plan, and craft your branded content. Drop us an email at info@bookable-online.stackstaging.com, book a call, or message us by clicking the link at the bottom right of your screen.
contribution by Martin Knapp – see his “Small Business School” videos on YouTube
Martin is a business & marketing strategist and founder of Bookable.