Taking marketing beyond social media

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Due to its popularity, social media is an incredibly effective marketing tool. But like every marketing channel, social media also has its drawbacks.

For example, social media is incredibly competitive. It can be difficult to build a large following and gain a foothold strong enough to deliver leads and customers to your business.

As a result, your business should also consider other marketing methods and use them in combination with social media to drive value.

Here are a few things you can do right now to expand your reach.

Generate a Basic SEO Strategy

A simple thing to do is to optimize your website for search engines, also known as search engine optimization or SEO. This is the process of improving your website content so that search engines like Google can read and understand it, then rank it for search queries.

There are many basic aspects of on-page SEO that you can do without technical knowledge. If you use a content management system (CMS) like WordPress or Squarespace, your pages should have form fields for meta information and you should have no trouble inputting some basic SEO elements:

  • Unique URLs

  • Title tags

  • Header tags (H1 tags)

  • Meta descriptions

  • Images

  • Alt tags (for images—these assist users who rely on screen readers)

  • Valuable content

  • Internal and external links

In addition, you can research keywords using tools like Google Keyword Planner and try to create content that centers around keyword topics you might be able to stand out with. Google Keyword Planner will help you identify which keywords are the most competitive as well as which ones receive the most search volume. Ideally, you should create content around a range of keywords, some of which are easy to rank for and some of which are a challenge.

Build Brand Consistency

After improving your SEO, you can work on building a strong business brand. Brand reputation is vital for a successful marketing campaign.

Different branding elements include a business logo, a slogan or vision statement, color schemes, and even small things like fonts and language choices. These may feel like small decisions, but they can have a lasting impact on your business. For example, it can take little more than five minutes to choose a color scheme—but keep in mind that you’ll be married to it for the foreseeable future.

There are many free tools available you can use to create branding elements. For example, you can use LogoCreator to produce a professional business logo.

Use Other Marketing Strategies At the Same Time

Lastly, you should also consider leveraging other marketing methods alongside social media. Here are a few to consider:

Blogging

Blogging regularly is a simple way to improve customer engagement and improve website traffic. Many businesses post to their blogs regularly, then share their most recent blog content via email newsletters or on social media.

Each blog post should give the reader value, whether you’re writing about your company’s services or providing objective information about your customers’ industries. You can also use a blog to generate customer interactions and promote backlinks between your other marketing media.

Email Campaigns

Email newsletters are still highly valuable and effective, and email generally has a higher conversion rate than other forms of digital marketing. But just like with your blogging content, your email newsletter must deliver value. You must also provide readers an option to sign-up and opt out if they wish.

Using platforms like MailChimp, you can easily manage and create effective email newsletters. Your newsletter could simply update your contacts about the most recent developments in your industry. Many businesses use their newsletters to share their most recent thought leadership content. It could also contain discounts, special offers, or other promotions.

Business Cards

Handing someone a business card might seem like an outdated tactic these days, but it’s still an effective way to get your company information in front of the right people, especially if you have a wide network. Don’t hesitate to inform the people you come into contact with that you are part of a business. Even if they aren’t potential customers, they might be able to hand your card to someone who is.

You can create professional business cards with minimal effort and expense, which is why this is such a cost-effective strategy. Your cards should contain important contact information. You can also use them to promote your website, a specific service, or one of your products.

White Papers

Doing proprietary research and writing about your findings is a great way to stand out among your competitors, since not every business is willing to invest in research. It can also help you generate a significant number of leads.

If you market to other businesses, provide them with analysis and statistics about their industry. Conduct a survey of business leaders in your target verticals, then analyze the results and draw up a report about what you discovered. Provide your insights to potential clients for free, then use a contact form to generate leads.

White papers are a form of high-value content. Readers are more willing to share some of their information in exchange for important insights.

Social Media Isn’t the Only Marketing Channel

Most businesses can’t avoid social media entirely. It’s a powerful marketing tool, and it can provide you access to millions of potential customers.

But that doesn’t mean it should be your only marketing avenue either. By working on your SEO, branding, and by utilizing content and other marketing strategies, you can create a versatile marketing strategy for your business.

rand&rand provides a range of content capabilities including proprietary research and report writing. Contact us today to learn more about how we can improve your marketing strategy.