Wednesday, July 13, 2016
From email to search, social media to mobile, we've picked our top ten tips to help you get the most from your online marketing.
Including a phone number in your ad encourages customers to call you directly, and adding your location helps smartphone users navigate right to your door.
1. Connect through email
- When it comes to sending emails, don't be a stranger. It might sound obvious, but including your name and email address in your "From" field is a great way to make sure recipients know who you are—and give them confidence to trust the content you're sending them.
- Keep subject lines under 10 words. Even the best campaign ideas can be scuppered by a weak subject line. As a rule of thumb, the best subject lines tend to be simple and to the point. Try to sum up the essence of your email, and focus on what's most useful and relevant.
2. Get started with search
Fine-tune your website for improved search engine optimisation (SEO). How your website performs in search engine results depends on all kinds of factors. Mainly though, it's about making sure the words on your site are relevant and updated regularly with blog posts or fresh content. The number of other websites linking to your site can also have a big impact, especially if they're social media related.3. Improve your search campaigns
- Use the power of a special offer. People are always looking for a bargain, so make your ads stand out with an offer or promotion. Running a sale is also a clever way to grab attention. Just add the details into your description line and, if your promotion is running for a specific period of time, why not include an 'offer ends' date, too.
- Tell customers what's next, with a strong call-to-action (CTA). Research shows that consumers respond best to ads with a clear next step, like 'Buy' or 'Book a table.' Make sure you tell customers what will happen after they click your ad- ideally within the second line, so it's clearly visible.
4. Get noticed locally
Make use of free business listings. Millions of people use search engines to find the things they need, so make sure you list your business for free on Google My Business.Including a phone number in your ad encourages customers to call you directly, and adding your location helps smartphone users navigate right to your door.
5. Deep dive into social media
Make the right connections on social media. When creating a Twitter or Facebook profile, consider your tone of voice, include some business goals and be sure your posts always relate to these. Check how people respond to your content too. For example, if product shots get lots of likes or comments, then that’s a good approach to follow. Also, bear in mind that many profile pages appear in search results, so you can increase your chances of being found online by posting useful, timely, information.6. Discover the possibilities of mobile
Make your website mobile-friendly. 87% of millennials have their smartphone at their side day and night*, so make sure your site looks amazing and works smoothly whenever and however folks swing by. As a minimum, ensure your phone number is clickable so people can easily call you. Better still, make your entire site 'responsive'—so the pages automatically adjust to whatever screen they're seen on.7. Make the most of video
Tap into the power of mobile ads. When people search on mobiles, they tend to use shorter, fewer, keywords. So before running your mobile ads, think about the kind of phrases potential customers might type on the go. Try out your website on a mobile too. How does it look? Is it easy to navigate? Have you made use of ad extensions? Remember, brilliant mobile sites turn visitors into buyers.8. Make mobile work for you
Find new customers, with video ads. Video ads are a great way to reach and engage new customers. When creating your ads, try to keep them under 30 seconds, and mention or show your brand within the opening moments so people are less likely to miss it. Also, bear in mind that on some social media sites, your ad will play without sound for the first few seconds, so think of ways to engage folks during that critical time.Want to learn more about how you can improve your digital marketing? Click below to sign up to free lessons from The Digital Garage.
The Digital Garage
As the head of B2B Marketing in Google UK, Raja manages teams responsible for sales, marketing and customer on-boarding for AdWords, as well as the Google SMB brand.