Digital Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

Digital marketing strategies come and go but the most effective ones become a permanent fixture. The reason why many trends come and go is because of the reaction of the potential customers. The reason why they stay is because these strategies fill a need that has already begun to emerge.

For many small businesses, budget is tight especially when you’re just starting out. Money budgeted towards digital strategy is usually small so every penny has to count.

If you’re looking for effective digital marketing strategies you can employ for your business you’re in the right place because we have some ideas for you.

Social Media

Almost everybody including small businesses have a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram page. Social media is not just a platform to connect with long lost high school friends; it has evolved to become an effective marketing tool for many businesses.

Aside from connecting with customers, social media is used by businesses to advertise their product and engage their customers. These people on the other hand use social media to find products or services and to do research.

Here are other ways your business can use social media.

• Use social media to answer questions or addressing complaints.
• Use it to reach prospective customers and convert them into paying customers.
• Collaborate with influencers to reach their target audience.
• Build brand recognition through loyalty, engagement and sharing.
• Analyze data to better understand customer’s needs, wants and behavior.
• Gather user-generated content to share.
• Engage with customers through conversation.

Use Voice

Using voice is the oldest and most common form of communication. Even in today’s digital world, many people still find it easier to communicate through phone calls or leave voice messages. Aside from this, people also like using voice when interacting with technology and their favorite device.

According to studies, voice is commonly used during searches. This also includes long tail keyword searches in command and question formats.

The important thing to remember is that people use voice and you should take advantage of this type of technology. You can use Alexa skill or Google Action which can help you reach customers Alexa and Google home.

Consider Branded & Live Video

Video is quickly becoming a driving force in digital marketing. Many people find it easier to view video than read content. There are generally 2 types of video content: branded video and live video.

Branded video is basically a video of your product or service. This is like an information video of what you have to offer. Many companies like this form of digital marketing strategy because it gets the message you want to convey easily and quickly.

Live video on the other hand allows you to interact with viewers. It is becoming popular because it is highly engaging. You can ask customers to participate or ask them questions. Audience and customers like live video because they feel that they are being included in the conversation.

Novel Content

Blogging is a great way to interact but it can also become repetitive. It’s nice to vary things up from time to time and this is where novel content comes in.

Instead of just plain old blog format you can:

• Conduct pols
• Post an infographic
• Make a quiz
• Sponsor contests
• Do online voting

Experimenting with these types of content will make your blog more exciting and interactive. It also allows you to vary content and see what type your audience responds to best.

Blending Digital and Physical Content

 

Digital content might be the future, but this does not mean to say that physical stores are disappearing. In fact, many people still love to shop in brick and mortar stores so many online brands still have physical locations as well.

However, many customers are demanding more for their in-store shopping. For instance they want digital elements incorporated to their brick and mortar experience.

One of these technologies is the beacon. This type of digital strategy uses a beacon that is programmed by companies to send notifications to cellular phones within a predetermined geophysical area. For example, you can send digital coupons to prospective customers once they are near your shop to entice them to enter your establishment.

Other good uses of this type of technology include:

• Retailers enabling beacons to let customers check if items they want are in-stock.
• Hotels using them instead of room keys.
• Sports teams using them to interact with stadium fans.
• Airlines using beacon to inform passengers of flight times, delays and other important info.

it is important to remember that digital marketing is always evolving thanks to innovations in technology and changes in human behavior. For small businesses, it is important to stay on track of trends and changes because it can be easy to be irrelevant in today’s fast-paced world.

The good news is that digital marketing development and trends does not always call for a complete overhaul. Sometimes it just needs a few tweaking and you’re ready to go head to head with your competitors.

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Single Opt-in Or Double Opt-in: Which One To Choose?

Now that you’ve started to build your email list, you’ve probably reached a fork in the road: use single opt-in or double opt-in.

You’re not alone because there is an ongoing debate as to which method is superior. For many, single opt-in is the best because it’s a more streamlined option. However, double opt-in proponents prefer this method because it has higher engagement from subscribers.

So what is single opt-in and double opt-in? When do you use one and not the other?

Let’s find out.

What Is Single Opt-in?

Single opt-in (SOI) happens when a user’s email address is added to your list without a second step – a.k.a. email confirmation. This is usually the standard opt-in procedures for many email newsletters and subscriptions.

It’s straightforward and does the job quickly.

What Is Double Opt-in?

Double Opt-in (DOI) is also called Confirmed Opt-in (COI. It requires and extra step – confirmation via email.

For example, after a customer signs up for your new product or service and opts for more communication, they need to login the email they use and click on the confirmation link to verify their opt-in.

The process is completed only after the confirmation link has been clicked.

Why Use Single Opt-in?

For many users, single opt-in is better because it makes the sign-up process faster and easier. In most cases, users are just required to submit their emails which mean there is less friction in this process.

Single opt-in is an easier way to get your message across to a larger audience.

Why Use Double Opt-in?

Since double opt-in requires an additional step, users of this method run the risk of increasing the chance of potential subscribers dropping off. Studies by Litmus show that double opt-in has a 20 to 40% failure rate. For email marketers who are looking to grow their subscriber list, this risk can be concerning.

Single opt-in might produce a bigger email list but double opt-in can produce better engagement. Since subscribers are willing to go an additional step, it means that they will be responsive in the long term. They will be the ones who will open your newsletters and click the links which in turn boosts delivery reputation and deliverability rates.

Most importantly, double opt-in protects your email list from bots and malicious sign ups.

When To Use SOI and DOI?

If you can’t decide which method to use, ask yourself:

• What are your marketing goals?
• What kind of list do you want to build?

If you want to cast your net on a wider audience and feel that you can afford to lose short term leads, single opt-in is a good choice for you.

However, if you’re dealing with a high bounce rate or spam complaints or low engagement rates; you might want to try double opt-in.

Another thing to remember when building an email list is to focus on making email experiences that are helpful and human. Opt-ins are useless if you try to strong arm users into subscribing or if you provide irrelevant content.

A strong email marketing strategy can help you gain an edge against your competitors. A good email marketing strategy  can help drive traffic, boost conversions and get you more results.

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