- Original Post from July 21, 2020 ~ Updated on August 22, 2023
Running a small business and living an entrepreneur’s life can be many things: rewarding, exciting, fun, scary, and also overwhelming. If you are like a lot of entrepreneurs you are probably running your business on your own. You’re the service provider, product maker, social media manager, customer service rep, salesperson, and even the marketing department. The list goes on, but we in this article we want to focus on marketing! We know that there are so many avenues for you to market your business and it seems almost impossible to narrow your focus – But, we urge you to do so. To help you out, we’ve put together a list of seven digital marketing strategies that every entrepreneur should know and consider exploring. Plus, we’ve included additional resources to help you take control of your business’s marketing plan.
Social Media Marketing
Social Media Marketing has rapidly become an essential tool in today’s world. It involves utilizing various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and more, to effectively connect with your target audience or clients. The primary goal of this strategy is to strengthen brand awareness, boost sales, and drive traffic to your business. Social Media marketing usually involves paid advertising, sponsored content, and engagement tactics such as running contests or responding to customer inquiries. One effective technique within social media marketing is engaging with people in local Facebook groups. By actively participating in these groups, businesses can interact directly with potential customers in their local area, creating a sense of community and establishing a personal connection. This approach can be highly effective in building trust, loyalty, and ultimately driving sales.
Social media marketing opens up a world of possibilities for businesses, offering opportunities to showcase products or services, advertise promotions or events, and gather valuable insights and feedback from customers. With the vast reach and influence of social media platforms, a properly executed social media marketing strategy can be a game-changer for any business, enabling them to stand out from the competition and effectively engage with their target audience.
Content Marketing
Content Marketing is a strategic approach that revolves around creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to a targeted audience online. This content is specifically designed to attract and engage potential customers, with the ultimate goal of driving leads and increasing sales for a brand or business. One of the key aspects of Content Marketing is that it is not promotional in nature; instead, it focuses on delivering useful information or entertaining material that resonates with the target audience. This can include blog posts, articles, videos, podcasts, infographics, and more. The content is typically shared through various online platforms such as websites, social media channels, email newsletters, and online communities.
The main characteristic of Content Marketing is that it is free to access and easily shareable. By providing valuable content, businesses aim to establish themselves as authority figures in their respective industries and build trust with their audience. When executed effectively, Content Marketing can have numerous benefits for a brand or business. It helps to increase brand awareness and visibility, as the content reaches a wider audience and attracts potential customers. Additionally, it allows businesses to expand their customer base by attracting new leads and nurturing them through the sales funnel. By consistently delivering high-quality content, businesses can capture the attention and interest of their potential clients, ultimately leading to conversions and increased revenue.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising has become an essential tool for businesses aiming to drive traffic to their websites. By strategically placing ads on various websites, businesses can increase their online visibility and attract potential customers. The beauty of PPC lies in its payment structure, where advertisers only pay when their ad is clicked. This method ensures that businesses are only charged for actual engagement with their ads, making it a cost-effective and efficient advertising strategy. In addition to traditional websites, social media platforms have also embraced pay-per-click advertising, offering their own versions of this approach.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is another branch of Pay-Per-Click Advertising that has gained significant popularity. SEM focuses on using paid advertising to drive traffic from search engines like Google. By bidding on specific keywords, businesses can ensure that their website appears prominently in search engine results pages (SERPs). This targeted approach enables businesses to reach users actively searching for products or services related to their industry. With the increasing competition for organic search visibility, SEM has proven to be a valuable tool for businesses to enhance their online presence.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising encompasses a range of strategies that businesses can employ to enhance their online marketing efforts. And WCE has On-Demand Trainings on How to Use Facebook Ads and How to Create Effective Ads on Social Media! Here are the links to check those out:
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is an effective and widely used strategy in which individuals earn a commission for promoting a company’s products or services. The process involves collaborating with influencers, bloggers, or other personalities who have a significant following within a specific target market. For instance, a business may choose to partner with a highly reputable blog that attracts a large number of readers who align with their target audience. By doing so, the blog can promote the business or its offerings, increasing brand visibility and driving potential customers to their website or online store. While this method can sometimes be costly due to the reputation and reach of the affiliate partner, it offers businesses a valuable opportunity to reach their intended market and gain credibility through endorsement from a trusted source. This symbiotic relationship between the affiliate and the business ensures that both parties benefit: the affiliate receives commissions for successful referrals, while the company gains exposure and potentially increases its sales.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a highly effective and popular marketing strategy that involves sending emails to your clients. It provides businesses with a direct and cost-effective way to communicate with their customers. If you have a database of email addresses from your past clients, you can utilize email marketing to keep them informed and engaged. This could include sending newsletters with updates on your products or services, notifying them about upcoming sales or promotions, or even sending holiday greetings to show your appreciation. Email marketing serves as a reminder to your existing clients that you are still active and available to meet their needs. However, in order to maximize the benefits of email marketing, it is crucial to build and expand your email list. This can be done by placing an opt-in form on your website, encouraging visitors to subscribe to your newsletter or updates. Another effective strategy is to create an enticing giveaway or contest that requires participants to provide their email address for entry. By implementing these techniques, you can grow and maintain a strong email list, which in turn can result in increased customer engagement and ultimately boost your business’s success. WCE has another On-Demand Training! This one is Email Marketing:
Text Marketing
Text Marketing is a highly effective and rapidly growing marketing strategy that utilizes text messages instead of emails to connect with and engage customers. Similar to email marketing, text marketing allows businesses to reach customers directly on their mobile devices, making it a convenient and efficient way to communicate promotional offers, provide updates, and even send personalized messages. By leveraging the power of text messaging, businesses can instantly grab the attention of their target audience and deliver content in a concise and impactful manner.
Text marketing offers a wide range of programs and platforms for businesses to choose from. WCE actually has an On-Demand Training about Text marketing with one of the text marketing providers, Project Broadcast. Here is the link for more info:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO Marketing is an essential aspect of digital marketing that can be both crucial and challenging to fully grasp. It involves the strategic process of attracting organic, unpaid traffic to your website through search engine results. The goal is to increase the visibility and rank of your website so that it appears on the first page of search engine results. Achieving this requires optimizing your website or blog with relevant and high-quality content, as well as incorporating appropriate search words and phrases. However, simply optimizing your website may not be enough. You also need to ensure that your website receives enough clicks from users, as this signals to search engine algorithms that your website is relevant and valuable. This is where content marketing comes into play. By creating and distributing valuable and engaging content, you can not only attract and retain readers but also improve your website’s SEO. Ultimately, effective SEO strategy intertwined with content marketing enables businesses to maximize their online visibility and generate sustainable organic traffic.
Marketing can be a challenging and intricate field to navigate, but here at WCE, we believe in making the learning process as accessible as possible. That’s why we’ve brought together a team of industry-leading experts to create a series of webinars and virtual workshops that are designed to be easy to follow. In addition to the ones we’ve already shared with you, we have even more valuable content that you can check out here:
These resources are here to support you in your marketing efforts and help you achieve success. Make sure to read our other blog post on Your Guide to Crafting Winning Strategy with a FREE Market Plan Packet. This will help you narrow your focus on what marketing would be best for YOUR business. We also suggest reading the Importance of Social Media and Which Platforms Your Target Market Uses so you can filter out the Social Media Platforms that just don’t suit your business.
We do hope this helped! Let us know below! And remember WCE always has your back, if you have any questions please contact us at connect@wearewce.com!
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