Many people go into marketing online with the belief that is only takes building a website to make money. Unfortunately, the reality of it doesn’t quite play out that way. As if building a website isn’t a complex enough task, there are many other things you must do in order to create a real presence online that drives sales for your business. These are a few of the tools that will help you strengthen your web presence, drive traffic to your website, and, as an extension, drive sales for your business.
Search Engine Optimization
Also referred to as SEO, search engine optimization is the process by which you optimize your website to attract the attention of big names like Google, Bing, Safari, Yahoo, etc. Why do you need to attract their attention? Because they determine where your website shows up in the results for certain keywords that are relevant to your business.
They can be small keywords about your industry, products, services, locations, etc., or longer keyword phrases related to your products and location, or a specific, but uncommon, service or product you offer. The more key steps you take to optimize your site, the better position your site will gain in the search results when people search for those words and phrases.
Social Media
At one time, people thought that social media was a flash in the pan. They had already seen the rapid decline of MySpace and thought Facebook and Twitter would do the same. Still, these sites remain relevant with new sites coming into the picture, like Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat, LinkedIn, and more. The bigger your social media presence, the better it is for your business. Don’t take it for granted. The good news is that your presence on these platforms actually helps to boost your SEO.
Mobile Marketing
The numbers concerning mobile marketing are shocking to small businesses who were caught unaware. The CMO Council reports that mobile commerce is expected to account for 24.4 percent of total revenue online by the end of 2017. More importantly for businesses, it goes on to report that 78 percent of smartphone users use mobile apps to access their favorite retail stores.
What this means for you as a business is that you need to optimize your sites for mobile audiences and consider creating apps for your business that allow users to make purchases, and receive information about sales, discounts, etc., via their mobile devices.
These are three vital areas where you can make your presence felt, in very real ways for your customers. Don’t overlook the value of other tools, though, such as video marketing, fresh content, and email marketing for strengthening your business presence online, and building better relationships with your target audience.
