With the rise of the web, starting an online business has never been simpler and, at the same time, more challenging.
There are numerous businesses similar to yours, competing over the same customers and offering similar products and services. So, the only way to rise above them and stay relevant in this hostile online ecosystem is to have a solid business promotion plan.
Effective Ways to Promote Digital Business
Here are some of the most powerful digital marketing strategies you should keep in mind.
1. Publish Content Regularly
With the rise of Google’s algorithms, doing SEO is all about content marketing. Investing in a valuable company blog boosts your visibility and makes you a valuable source of information.
Once people recognize your value, they will start linking to you and sharing your posts. This is great for your SEO, too. Namely, your click-through rates, backlink portfolio, and shares prove your relevance, telling Google to rank you higher.
But, to get the most of your content strategy, you need to keep pace with trends and experiment with different forms of content. Aside from quality articles, invest in visual content. Make infographics, animations, and gifs to hook people’s attention and boost their interest.
You could also start a podcast series to bring value to your blog and share highly engaging videos. There are also interactive forms of content, such as quizzes that will engage your target audience and boost their interaction with your brand.
2. Engage your Customers
To compete with your rivals, you need to go the extra mile in building strong relationships with your customers.
Let them know that their opinion matters. Use social networks to gather their feedback and communicate with them in real-time. Register on business review sites and remind your customers to review you.
Don’t be afraid of negative comments. Be friendly, stay professional when answering them, and use them to improve your approach. You could even leverage paid surveys and incentivize your customers for giving objective feedback.
Also, show that you appreciate your customers’ loyalty, too. Inspire them to share their testimonials, reviews, or user-generated content. Today, social proof matters more than branded content.
Use the power of social media to start a rewards program and incentivize them for making purchases, participating in your giveaways, making referrals, or sharing and commenting on your content.
3. Have a Social Media Marketing Strategy
Today, if you’re not on social networks, you don’t exist. Almost all your customers are there and, to stay relevant to them, you need to have a social media marketing strategy. But, if you think that sharing a few posts on a monthly basis is enough, you’re wrong. Social media marketing is complex and it requires a lot of planning.
First, these channels are a great way to reach out to your target audience and present them with your blog posts.
But, don’t limit yourself to your content only. Remember, content marketing and social networks are all about boosting your authority. You should also share the content by the most renowned and trusted sources in your niche, too.
Second, social networks help you humanize your brand and build stronger relationships with your customers. Share some behind-the-scenes photos, videos from offline events or office parties, live videos. Let your customers meet the people behind your brand and help them see the human side of your brand.
Social networks can boost user experience. Namely, you can use social media monitoring tools to track your brand mentions, give instant feedback, and participate in people’s discussions in real-time.
Implement AI-powered chatbots to offer spotless customer support. These software pieces are constantly upgraded to replicate real-life conversations and give actionable tips to your customers. Your customers will get awesome support and you won’t have to spend your time on these repetitive tasks.
4. Publish Guest Articles
Guest blogging is still one of the most prominent SEO tactics that will help you with your business promotion.
But, this technique has changed over time and, to get the most of it, you need to mind both the quality of your articles and the quality of the site you’re connecting with. Otherwise, you may seem spammy or even get penalized by Google.
Publish content on the sites in the same niche. Make sure your guest blog posts are grammatically correct and up-to-date. They need to be engaging, highly informative, and backed by relevant statistics and studies. Most importantly, don’t use personas. Publish content under your name to raise brand awareness and stay recognizable.
Overview
Digital marketing is not a short-term strategy. To gain a competitive advantage, you need to keep pace with the latest trends and update your business promotion plan regularly.
Most importantly, don’t expect to boost sales or appear on the first page in the SERPs overnight. The only way to dominate the game is to implement organic SEO practices, invest in consistent online presence, and position yourself as an authority in your niche.
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