Top 5. Digital Marketing Services for Local Businesses

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1 Top 5 Digital Marketing Services for Local Businesses

2 Lead generation, search engine optimization and transparent analytics - trying to understand these things is enough to make your head spin.? into How are companies today getting in front of the fast paced, evolving consumer, and how are they converting that opportunity business??how can you effectively advertise to potential customers and retain the ones you have, without breaking your budget or driving yourself crazy trying to understand a multitude of digital marketing services? To stay ahead of the competition in this constantly changing environment, you need to understand which marketing tools work best for your business. Today, companies are employing integrated marketing to help target, engage, and convert new and existing customers. Integrated marketing takes a wide range of marketing solutions such as building solid organic traffic with search engine optimization, participating in online paid media advertisements, nurturing through marketing, optimizing for mobile, engaging social media audiences, and using traditional offline marketing efforts. Put simply, integrated marketing is a data-driven approach that focuses on understanding consumer insights and developing a strategy with the right combination of online and offline marketing to forge a stronger business-to-consumer relationship. 2

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Combining the online and offline message What are the best solutions? Transparent analytics Understanding consumer habits The strengths and weaknesses of online and offline marketing services The top five digital marketing services to integrate into your current budget Consistent messaging Five do s and don ts when advertising across multiple channels 3

4 Combining the Online and Offline Message What are the best solutions? There is no one-size-fits-all combination of online and offline marketing and it s important to find a digital marketing agency that can determine the best plan of action for targeting your specific customer base. Before we jump into which solutions are the best for your business, let s take a look at the difference between online (digital) and offline (traditional) advertising and marketing services. Online Marketing Channels SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strong website Paid Media (ads on popular search engines and social media sites: Google, Bing, Facebook, etc.) Mobile (optimized mobile websites, advertisements through smartphones, tablets, etc.) Social Media Blogs and landing pages (with call to actions) marketing 4

5 Offline Marketing Channels Print (newspapers, magazines, brochures, direct mail, etc.) TV ads Radio ads Billboards Direct contact, word of mouth We are all familiar with offline advertisements and marketing tactics. We experience them daily in the billboard signs lining the highway, the commercials interrupting our favorite TV show, and in the ads placed in the back of the newspaper. These channels are highly successful for reaching a large amount of consumers, but ineffective at reaching a specific targeted audience. The biggest advantage online marketing has over traditional offline marketing is the ability to directly reach potential and loyal consumers and accurately measure the success of your campaign to determine if you need to quickly adjust and transition your efforts. 5

6 Transparent Analytics Understanding Consumer Habits Businesses are using online marketing to effectively advertise to potential clients and consumers, but more importantly, they are using these channels to educate themselves about who their ideal customer is and how to reach them while staying within their budget. With online digital marketing services, marketers and businesses can see habits such as how often potential customers visited a website, if they clicked or viewed an advertisement, how long they remained on a site, if they revisited the site, what time of day they visited, and from what location. This information continues to get more and more precise as the industry continues to advance. Understanding the evolving consumer is one of the first steps to creating an effective integrated marketing solution. Combining digital marketing services with traditional advertisements can prove to be highly successful. According to Forrester Research, a research and analysis technology company, 97% of marketing decision-makers had seen an improvement in revenue that they attributed to integrated marketing. 6

7 The Strengths & Weaknesses of Online & Offline Marketing Services There are strengths and weaknesses to any advertising solution which is why it s important to determine how to best target your ideal customer without breaking your budget. Online Strengths Interactive Targets specific audiences Cost effective with high return Immediate results 24 hour accessibility Growing consumer reach Online Weaknesses Fragmented Can be overwhelming Limited reach Users may ignore advertisements Unreliable sources 7

8 Offline Strengths Large audience Reach consumers who aren t online Certain media can be very affordable Provides valuable return on investment Reaches consumers at home or on the go Offline Weaknesses Unaware if ads are reaching ideal consumers TV ads can be costly Does not provide custom analytics Misses potential consumers online May not drive immediate action No brand-to-consumer interaction 8

9 The top five digital marketing services to integrate into your current budget SEO PPC Social Mobile

10 #1 SEO Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page on search engines sites such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing. This process is referred to as the natural, un-paid, or organic search result. The earlier or higher ranked on the search results page, and the more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it attracts. According to Google, 34,000 searches are preformed every second on their site alone, and 75 percent of Internet users never scroll past the first page! (Source: Data.aspx) To say having your website optimized is important may be an understatement SEO is extremely difficult to manipulate for the average Internet user and website designer. It also requires constant upkeep and the ability to navigate changes created by search engines such as Google. However, it s a competitive solution that a digital marketing agency can manage at a very cost effective price with a welcomed return on investment. SEO attracts consumers who are searching for your business or services with targeted keywords, and it is the number one lead generation tool online. Can your customers find you online? 10

11 PAID MEDIA #2 With over 600 million search queries being made each day, it s important to make sure your business can be easily found by potential customers. Paid Media is the process of placing targeted text, image, video, and mobile advertisements on search engines, social networking sites and web pages. These advertisements generate leads and direct traffic to your business s landing pages and website through specific ads that target relevant search terms and audiences. Paid search and social media advertisements are designed to highlight a business s most sought-after products, services and special offers, by directing ideal customers to these features. It s highly adaptable and an immediate way to get your business to the forefront of consumers. 15.9% According to global software company Kenshoo, clicks for paid search increased 15.9% in the last quarter of 2013.* Increase in Paid Clicks *( Integrating Paid Media into any existing advertising can be an extremely fast and cost-effective digital marketing service. Paid Media provides businesses with a user-friendly platform along with up-to-the-minute analytics, customizable options, and the ability to quickly adapt new offers and adjust the advertisements themselves. Not only that, but it will also boost your organic search results. Combined with SEO, this option is sure to drive new customers and retain the ones your business has worked hard to obtain. 11

12 #3 Social Media Social Media and marketing for some businesses is a new concept, but if you look at Facebook you ll see why so many businesses have integrated this digital marketing service into their traditional advertising strategies. Social Media provides businesses a unique opportunity to connect and engage with their current and potential client base on a level like never before. Through channels such as Facebook and Twitter, companies are able to effectively manage their online reputation and quickly build a core network of supporters for their brand. Through social channels, companies can learn specific tastes and preferences of their consumers, direct users to their website and other pages, and quickly announce new products, promotions, special offers, sales, contests and giveaways. According to Experian, 27% of time spent online is on a social network. That means 16 minutes out of an hour online is spent on a social network or forum. However, just because a business is using Social Media, it doesn t necessarily mean they will produce new customers and retain loyalty. Though it s easy to navigate through social sites, effectively integrating it into your current advertising solutions can be tricky. Using a digital marketing agency that understands how to increase a business s presence and generate new leads is key. This service can be a little more costly compared to Paid Media advertising, but Social Media provides businesses one very important difference - the ability to listen to what consumers are saying about your business with reputation management. 12

13 Mobile #4 Mobile Marketing reaches local customers and prospects when they re searching online away from the traditional home or office environment. The increase of smartphones, tablets, and mobile devices makes Mobile Marketing a necessity for any business. Mobile ads drive leads to your floor and reach customers on their smartphones. It s an effective, affordable marketing platform to reach local customers. Mobile = local and immediate. The use of smartphones, tablets, and other Internet-ready mobile devices have allowed for businesses to reach customers directly. According to JiWire, a mobile insights company, 80 percent of mobile users prefer locally relevant advertising. If you re a smartphone user, when you search for a nearby restaurant, service provider, or look up directions, you are researching local businesses in your immediate area. That s why it s important now more than ever to make sure your business is available on mobile devices by optimizing your website, claiming and updating your contact information on map sites, and ensuring you have single-click contact options within your site. So, when consumers locate you on their smartphone or tablet they can find and contact you immediately. Furthermore, according to Latitude s Next Gen Retail Study, 61% of consumers have a more favorable opinion of brands when they offer a good mobile experience. When a potential client lands on your mobile site, it is important that you offer them an engaging experience. If someone can barely read the font, or is unable to navigate the site easily, you could lose out on their business and are inevitably giving your competitors an upper hand. Mobile is sure to quickly move up the list of the most valuable integrated marketing services for your business. It s fast, immediate, local, and very affordable. 13

14 #5 Marketing For many businesses and industries, marketing is still the bread and butter of digital marketing services. marketing will deliver your message directly to the inbox of new prospects and previous customers, on behalf of your business. It s recommended that you find a digital marketing agency that can provide well-crafted opt-in lists that target your best prospects, and guide you on what creative approach works best. marketing provides your business with a campaign that is affordable, effective and monitored. This digital marketing service still yields some of the highest return on investment. marketing encourages customer loyalty, builds relationships between a business and its customers, and fosters repeat business. 82% of consumers open s from companies. This is an excellent integrated marketing solution that can seamlessly work with any advertising service you are currently using. It has the ability to contact interested consumers and retain an already established relationship by speaking directly to them through their inbox. With the help of a digital marketing agency, you will receive custom analytics that allow you to see how many consumers opened your and if your advertising message is effective. Is your local business s marketing strategy being used effectively? 14

15 Consistent Messaging Five Do s & Don ts When Advertising Across Multiple Channels The Do s Keep your branding consistent (logos, colors, fonts, etc.) Use effective call-to-actions (call now, click here, sign up today) Focus on engagement, not self-promotion Advertise different specials and messages on separate channels Target specific markets and ideal customers The Don ts Leave your SEO on auto-pilot Advertise the same special and exact same message on every channel Run ads without testing, adjusting and then retesting Let just anyone run your social media Leave out a call-to-action 15

16 Boost leads, retain customers, and grow your business. for a free complete analysis or call us at to speak to a digital strategist today!