Imagine this scenario: you’ve designed a solid online marketing campaign that incorporates your brand’s message and mission, while also accurately targeting your demographic. For a while, business is thriving. Sales are up, and new leads are coming through your website regularly.
Then one day, you notice that the number of visitors to your site has decreased, your bounce rate has increased, and there are barely any new subscribers to your newsletters. With leads drying up and fewer new ones coming in, you ask your marketing team: how can we stop this?
It’s time to redefine and retell your brand’s story. Here’s how:
1. Redesign your Website
Having a fresh website design can attract new customers and remind past ones why they choose your company over others. Start with the design and layout of your website. Do you still have background music playing? Do videos begin playing automatically? These and other website faux pas can chase away visitors and send your bounce rate through the roof.
Look at the content on all of your pages. Good content should be over 300 words to comply with Google’s search algorithm and should have a few good keywords laced throughout the text. This will ensure Google that you’re not a spam website. Your keywords will pull you further up the top search results page.
Now take a look at the layout of the site. Is it easy to navigate? Many sites have confusing layouts and are littered with dead links. If a buyer can’t figure out how to get through the check-out process, they’ll just go somewhere else. Even minor frustrations in design or navigation can lose you a customer.
Finally, pull out your smartphone and search for your website on a browser and Google’s app. How does the site look? If you’re having trouble reading your site’s content and navigating the pages, it’s time to give your site a responsive design. This type of website design optimizes your site for media devices such as tablets and smartphones, so users can easily access your website from any device.
Don’t forget, Google prioritizes responsive website design sites in its search results. You’ll be just one step ahead of your competition right out of the gate!
2. Get Re-Socialized
Instead of tackling every social media platform, focus your efforts on three platforms. Choose the ones where your demographic is most active. A boutique might target Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook users while a computer repair service might target Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn users.
That’s not to say that you have to ignore all other forms of social media, but stretching yourself too thin across platforms means none of your accounts will be as engaging as they could be. Focus your efforts on a few sites and build a following.
Though you want to engage with new customers, your past clients are just as important. Reach out to your existing followers and reconnect with them. Ask for feedback, both positive and negative. Clients respond better to companies who take their feedback seriously. Your customers will feel appreciated and be more likely to return to you for future services.
3. Embrace Content Marketing
Content marketing consists of articles, photos, videos and graphics that work together to engage your audience. With a blog, you can establish yourself as an expert in your industry and give consumers a good reason to return to your website frequently. The goal is not to promote your product, but rather promote your authority.
Your articles should be about relevant topics to your industry, and you should be posting a variety of articles, photos, videos and infographics. A plumber might post “How to fix a leaky faucet” or “Why you should install a water saver in your toilet” to teach his readers a new skill or about a product they may not be familiar with.
Like website content, Google also rewards websites that update several times a week by pushing them higher in search results. Articles that range from 500 to 1,000 words usually get good recognition from Google.
4. Be Precise
With all of these changes and new social media accounts, how can you tell whether or not they’re actually doing you any good? There are many great programs that will help you build stronger websites and track your social media activity.
Here are a few of our favorite free services:
- Quicksprout: Gives a full analysis of your website, allowing you to see what is and is not working for visitors. The tool gives recommendations for improving the site.
- Google Analytics: Lets you see an in-depth breakdown of your website’s visitors’ locations. Also allows you to track sales and utilise Google Adwords.
- Pingdom: Plug in your URL and see your page’s size and response time almost instantly. It’s easy to use and also gives site recommendations.
5. Get Fresh
After you’ve revitalized your website and social media accounts and added a blog, it’s time to combine everything into an online marketing campaign that announces your changes to your clients.
With your list of email subscribers, launch an email marketing campaign that introduces yourself to clients once more. Add a catchy subject line that will pique your readers’ interests. Keep your message short. Announce any new updates and provide links to your latest blog articles.
If possible, incorporate questions or comments you’ve received through social media into the text of your email. Your clients will be happy knowing that you’re listening to them. Be sure your email has buttons that link directly to your social media accounts. This makes it easy for the receivers to add you to their accounts.
Redesigning a digital marketing strategy is a daunting task, but it’s inevitable for most companies. Is McDonald’s marketing strategy the same as it was ten, five or even one year ago? Of course not! As markets change, businesses must change their strategies to attract new customers and keep past ones coming back for more. Where could a new marketing strategy take you?
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