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Stay On Top with Digital Marketing
by Jason Marshall REDNews Blessed are the few who can rely on referrals to grow or sustain their business – I applaud you, because you are in an exclusive group. However, for most companies, including those that aren’t as established, following these simple practices can help you in 2014 and beyond.
Social Media Is Essential
Say it with me: “I will learn, understand and use social media in 2014.” I know some of you would literally rather watch paint dry than learn how to tweet or use hashtags, but this is a mindset that will have to change. As more technology-oriented people enter the workforce, along with its continued quantifiable success, social media in the workplace is only going to grow. However, once you understand it, the benefit of it is unlimited. It’s time to accept that your 10 year-old kid is more aligned with today’s trends; these tips can help grow your brand.
Paid Promotion Pays Off
This is especially true if you do not have a marketing department or you are the marketing department, and the very thought of that scares you to death. Paid promotion isn’t as difficult as it sounds – pick a social media site and decide if you want to promote your company page or a certain post. For example here at REDNews, we recently promoted our Digital Issue for February and got over 16,000 impressions…in less than one day – all for $40. Those impressions turn to clicks, which turn to contacts and those contacts turn to sales. The experts on these social media sites have already done the research – all you need to do is select who, where and what. The ‘who’ being your audience (ex: real estate brokers), the ‘where’ (Located in Texas) and the ‘what’ (Here are my latest property listings). You set your financial budget and watch your company’s presence grow.
Don’t be Content with your Content
Look. No one wants to see article after article about crowd funding, just the same as no one wants to see 400 baby pictures in their newsfeed. Spice things up, especially on Facebook - people want to laugh or see something controversial, and in my experience, satirical content is some of the best content to post. One way to increase content engagement is to have images because…
We’re Visual People
…trends show that images get more engagement than text. Images, slideshows, infographics, and videos – these catch and hold the attention of viewers more than just text. In my experience, posting on Facebook is more engaging with networking pictures than a plain-text article. Just no more baby pictures, please.
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Your Website Says A Lot About You
Is your website dull, lifeless or broken? Can viewers concisely see, in an engaging way, what your company has to offer? Wait, you don’t have a website? No problem; we build great websites, so send me an email and we’ll get you a great site. Also, make sure your website is mobile friendly, because…
Digital and Mobile Content
…in the last 10 minutes, how many times have you checked your phone? How many texts, tweets or notifications have you received? And then how soon after that did you check it again? Make your content mobile friendly so people can look at it literally anywhere.
Are You On LinkedIn?
Whether you want to network professionally or find that next great employee or job, LinkedIn is the place to be. A recent article from Forbes.com indicated that LinkedIn is becoming a major player for B2B growth, as well.
Make Sure You Can Send/Receive Emails
There’s nothing more discouraging than putting together a perfect email campaign, only to find out that it went into the junk mail folder of your intended audience. Although frustrating, these tips can help ensure you can send or receive email campaigns: • Add the sender to your list of contacts – this will ensure you receive any emails they send. • Don’t use things such as ALL CAPS or too many exclamation points!!! in your subject line. • “Drip” your emails – if you are sending to a large list, send a few at a time. • Give recipients the ability to unsubscribe from your emails. • Send test emails – if they go to junk, this will give you an opportunity to adjust your content accordingly before sending. Whether you are advertising, publishing press releases or posting an article, social media has become essential in the success and sustainability of companies. With studies showing that 93% of marketers use social media for business, developing a social media strategy tailored to your audience is sure to grow your company’s brand and presence.