With the world being connected like never before, it is imperative for businesses to begin online marketing and strategize it well to get noticed by new customers and, in turn, gain higher profitability. The new age of internet provides more options for brands to reach the potential consumers and boost overall sales with the right online marketing strategies.
Social media platforms are growing at such a rapid rate that small-scale business marketers are struggling to deal with the enormity of so many quick changes and updates. Content marketing is the key player when it comes to online marketing. Content can be said to be the bread that holds the effort that goes into social media and SEO to make online marketing far more successful. So if a small business combines both social media and SEO tactics smartly, they can have an edge over their competitors in attracting new customers, whether they search Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, or blogs.
The following are content marketing tactics that small businesses can adopt for combining both Social Media and SEO.
Blog
A blog has a lot to offer when it comes to SEO and social media benefits. They work as an effective place where it is more of a “hub and spoke” social media content model. These blog postings can be later redirected and shared on social media network like Facebook, Google+ and other similar ones where it can reach the customers you wish to reach.
Blog posts can focus on answering FAQs and topics that interest customers. You can even create categories that deal with each area of focus in your business to serve as an editorial guide. Make sure that you plan your time and schedule your posts way in advance to save up on resources. Also encourage your staff to comment and promote the blog on various social media platforms.
Newsletters and Email Marketing
Email newsletters are a direct way to connect with prospective customers, offering tips and other useful content.
When you publish content on other social websites like Facebook, Twitter or your blog, the readers can be invited to sign up for the newsletter, where they get an opportunity to learn more about your business and what you offer.
Contributed Articles and Media Coverage
If your business is getting mentioned in local business media and trade publications, then there is a great chance for a boost in awareness, credibility and generation of new business.
Do some research and note down all local business publications, writers and editors that fall in your local zone and carry relevant material pertaining to your business. Inquire and request such websites by offering them contributed articles or guest blog posts. If there is content available off your own website, it gives more appeal and exposure to get new customers by simply linking from the author’s bio to your website address. Visit industry blogs and add valuable comments, which can be followed up with more detailed and useful information.
Social Media and Networks
Apart from expecting a toll free number, blog and website, customers these days have started expecting businesses to engage with them socially. This means customers will relate to you more if the business has a presence on social networks. This time and effort spent on social media platforms can boost the growth of your business by providing consistent interaction and stronger relationship with consumers.
It all depends on which social media platform you will use, whether it is LinkedIn group, Facebook Fan page, or any niche forum. Update and cross promote newsletters, blogsand resource centers on social networking and media sharing sites.
Local Content and Mobile Content
With the rise of smart phones and tablets, it’s important to focus on mobile search too. Marketers should understand that customers might use mobile search to look up products online and judge what marketing opportunities are available through this medium.
Ensure that your site is perfectly viewed on mobile devices, and if you can detect using web analytics that the most traffic on the site is coming through mobile, consider creating a mobile friendly version of the website. The site necessarily does not need to be completely compliant for specific mobile phones, but Google mentioned recently that mobile sites with technical issues do not rank as well as the ones that are optimized.
Video
Videos are highly watched content and are soon replacing the king of visual media. A video that highlights your business on a YouTube channel can be useful for customers to get to know you and what your company does.
Videos can also be used to demonstrate products, display customer testimonials, and highlight the personalities of the staff that work in your booming business. Videos hosted on sites like YouTube can be easily linked and embedded within blog posts, adding to and extending the value of your content.
Conclusion
Start with a small and specific approach, putting tactics in place, and slowly you can grow and adapt with more and different content according to what works and what does not. But understand what the customer’s needs are, what topics and keywords are important to them, and then accordingly optimize, socialize, and publicize the content to boost your small business and portray yourself as the answer your customers were looking for.