90% of adults use the internet, which is a large pool of potential customers. There are a number of digital channels for your business to choose from to reach a wide range of demographics. Some methods are free but sometimes it comes at a cost. This article will help you see the wood from the trees to figure out which channels are worth paying for and why.
Social Media (SMM)
Social media in its truest form is free. You can create a business page and grow an organic following and share content that is seen by those who follow you and by those that your followers share your content with. If your product is in a niche market with a small customer base, this can be enough. However, the world of social media, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. Twitter etc, is incredibly competitive and it can be hard to be seen or to make an impact without paying these big businesses for the privilege.
The social media powerhouses have a wealth of data on their users, and they allow advertisers to utilise this data in order to target their adverts more acutely. This of course benefits them because they receive a revenue stream but also because the advertisers keep coming back and the users are going to be less irritated by adverts for products that interest them than completely unrelated products that they have to scroll past, skip or remove.
Targeting your social media ads at people that are more likely to be interested in your product is going to lead to a great following and more exposure, an increased chance they will click through to your website and consequently a great chance of making a purchase.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
This is another method that at its purest is a free method of attracting customers to your website and hopefully increasing conversions. SEO is all about getting your business to appear as high up on a Google search as possible. Hopefully, you are offering what the searcher is looking for and you will see a huge upswing in conversions.
However, SEO is a fickle beast and Google is constantly changing the goalposts and amending its algorithms to make sure they are providing their search users with the most relevant search results. That’s where the paid element comes in, unless you have the resources for an in-house team, it is cost-effective for you to outsource your SEO management to an external agency (I’ve heard Sierra Six are pretty good). An SEO agency will increase your ranking on Google using a multitude of different strategies that they will tweak and manage to ensure you maintain the high level of traffic that successful and strategic SEO will generate.
Pay-per-click Advertising (PPC)
PPC advertising comes in many forms and the ones that work best will depend on the nature of your business and the intended outcome of said click. For instance, if you are looking to gain exposure then an ad on Google can bypass the organic search results and see you ranking on Google whilst your SEO strategy is in progress. If you are an e-commerce store that would like to target customers that are more ready to make a purchase, then e-commerce shopping adverts will be very useful for you. Google indexes your product data and uses it to create a digital profile for your store, that way Google can generate the most relevant advert using your product when a user searches for an item.
Display advertising is another form of PPC that can be fairly cost-effective as it can be targeted to your intended audience fairly easily and can attract customers from other sites. Global spending on digital advertising is expected to cross USD 333 billion, so it is important that your brand stands out in a competitive digital advertising market. If your advert is not designed correctly or does not target the correct keywords, you might see a lack of clicks through to your website. Whilst this might not cost you money directly it is a drain on resources. It is important to understand how to attract your target market using display adverts and how you can reach those that are likely to convert.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing influencers to communicate your message to your target audience and increase the brand image. Partnering with influential people in your industry or celebrities that are admired by your target market, can help promote your brand in a positive light. This will usually be done through their blogs or social media channels.
The Edelman brand trust survey states that the majority of consumers trust influencers much more than brands. This is, therefore, a useful way to increase your exposure and sales, without having to promote through more traditional routes and without a large upfront cost as the influencers are usually paid per conversion or per post in some cases.
The key to successful affiliate marketing is choosing influencers who suit your brand, who are followed and respected by your target audience and that support the values of your business. You need them to be relevant in order to increase the level of trust between the affiliate and consumer and as a consequence the brand.
One of the main challenges of marketing your business digitally is knowing what you should focus on to make your efforts as effective as possible. Hopefully, this article has given you some clarity on what might work best for your business. If you are still unsure or would like to discuss any area in more detail please give Sierra Six a call today for a free consultation.
