online marketing helps SMEs grow

6 ways online marketing helps SMEs grow their business

In today’s constantly changing digital world companies need to stay on top of the online marketing industry changes and all things digital. You might already be well advanced in digitisation. Or you might just be getting started. You’ll need to be even more vigilant than ever to keep your business blooming in the months and years to come as well. In this blog post we’ll tell you how to digital online marketing can help your company stay in competition and boost sales.

In the online era competition is becoming even tougher. The internet opens many interesting opportunities for small businesses. However, it also makes it easier for other companies to enter the online market. Now more than ever there’s a need to create a digital strategy to stay attractive and in competition. Your company’s plan might be either to catch up competition or even bypass them. If you’re only targeting same as competition, you might never enjoy the benefits of being the top company in your field. The bypass strategy is of course best for your company, and it’s fully feasible if you start digitisation and marketing now.

#1 Use your website as a midpoint of your online marketing

If you’re only starting online marketing, a company website should be the first thing on your to-do list. Based on studies most people aren’t ready to buy from your company if you don’t have a website. And people do research a lot online.

Your website should host the most important content or information about your company. Furthermore, you can send leads from all other online marketing efforts, e.g. social media or email, back to your website to read and engage more. And don’t forget to update your website on an ongoing basis. The corporate website shows people your company exactly like you want. It also enables you to convert leads into buying customers.

 

#2 Drive organic and paid traffic to your website

The best way of driving traffic to your website is through organic channel, also called Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). This means non-paid traffic through Google and other search engines when people search for products and services online. Your website needs to be technically SEO-friendly and you need to have high quality, unique content on your website. Then your web pages start ranking in Google searches and you’ll get free clicks and traffic to your website.

Complement your organic traffic with paid Google campaigns for maximum results. Paid campaigns can be called Search Engine Marketing (SEM) or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. In paid campaigns you’ll bid against other companies. You’ll bid on keywords and then you’ll normally pay per every click and website visitor you get. Paid traffic can get expensive, but well managed you can get very high-quality traffic for a reasonable cost.

Ready to skyrocket your digital online marketing already today? Get in touch with our online marketing experts at info@marketigation.com or phone 0431 372 622. You can also contact us via our contact form.

#3 Convert your website visitors into leads and sales

So now you have a good website with high quality content, as well as website visitors and traffic. Then it’s the time to convert those prospective clients into paying customers. Firstly, it’s highly recommended to have reliable website tracking in place. That’s how you know who’s coming to your website and from where, and when. Secondly, you can easily view and analyse your website tracking information and optimise all factors for maximum conversion.

If your buying cycle is simple, website visitors basically turn into purchasers. There might be several stages and micro-conversions to make a sale in case of more complex buying cycles. A more complex buying cycle could go from a lead to prospect. Then from a general prospect to a high-quality prospect, and finally from a quality prospect into buying customer. It’s very recommended to continuously test different factors on your website to obtain the highest possible conversion and therefore sales and profits.

 

#4 Send targeted emails to keep people engaged

When you’ve gotten traffic going to your website, you should start collecting email addresses from your customers. If you have a brick and mortar store, you can also collect emails in person. Email is particularly effective in keeping your customers engaged. You’ve already paid a price to acquire your customers, so it makes sense to encourage repeat business. The best email content in keeping customers engaged is a mix of informative (strictly non-promotional) and handpicked, segmented promotional content.

Email is also effective in turning prospective clients into first time buyers. Websites typically convert only 5-15% of website visitors. This number is depending on the quality of the website, as well as industry, competition, plus other factors. So, email can really tackle the remaining 85-95% of visitors who you already paid for (even if the visitors came through non-paid channels, there’s still a cost associated to them). However, remember to pay very careful attention to segmentation and delivering relevant and strong content to recipients.

Ready to skyrocket your digital marketing already today? Get in touch with our digital marketing experts at info@marketigation.com or phone 0431 372 622. You can also contact us via our contact form.

#5 Use social media to increase reach

Social media completes the winning digital marketing mix with website, content, SEO, SEM, and email. Social media platforms to use depend on the type of business you’re running, and your target audience behaviour. If you’re selling to businesses, LinkedIn might be on top of your list. Whereas if you’re targeting consumers mainly in a small town, your (prospective) clients might spend more time on Facebook or Instagram. To get the best response, post relevant information on your company’s social media accounts on a regular basis.

It’s often a good idea to build a social media content calendar which works together with your content calendar. That way you’ll post relevant information, at the most optimal frequency, and grow your fan base and reach the most. You can also consider paid ads that most social media platforms already offer. However, remember to do so at least first with a social media specialist, so you won’t burn money for nothing.

 

#6 Don’t wait longer, start right away

For most small businesses, the biggest barrier to start digital marketing is only yourself. It’s easy to keep on pushing back. But have you ever thought that there’s a dollar value for the push back and lost business opportunities? And the longer you wait, the bigger the opportunity cost gets.

Not sure where to start? You’re not the only one! Marketigation has you covered. Start off with our free marketing assessment. Our express assessment is 100% free of charge and there’s no obligation or catch whatsoever. In our digital marketing assessment, our marketing specialist looks at your website and other marketing components. Then we give you a list of recommendations to improve your marketing and make more business.

Simply contact us by email at info@marketigation.com or phone us at 0431 372 622 to start your free assessment already today. Or read more information about our marketing services.

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