In support of National Small Business Week 2017, DAMN Advertising + Digital is sharing its Top 5 Digital Marketing Needs for Small Businesses. Over 80 percent of people in the United States use the internet regularly and more than eight out of 10 of will use a smart phone to access the web. With the undeniable power of digital marketing to reach consumers, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the options to invest in websites, SEO, SEM, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, AdWords, videos and many more.

So where are your advertising dollars best spent? Below we give you the basics to create a solid online presence, so your business won’t get left behind in today’s online world.

Modern, Mobile-Friendly Website – The numero uno, most-important aspect of any company’s digital presence is its website. This should be the first place potential customers go after hearing about your business and where they land when your other digital marketing efforts pay off. Not only should your website feature a clean, modern design that is easy to navigate from a desktop or a smart phone, but it also needs to feature clear, engaging content that informs and helps customers understand the benefits of your products or services.

 Informative Email Marketing – A recent survey of US marketers conducted by the Direct Marketing Association and Demand Metric found that email marketing boasts a median return on investment of 122 percent. That’s more than four times higher than any of the other marketing formats the survey examined – including social media, direct mail and paid search. Delivering consistent, informative emails directly to the inboxes of your clients, that are easily readable whether they’re at home or on the go, is still one of the best ways to improve your business’s conversion rate.

 Expert Search Engine Marketing – With a market share of almost 90 percent, Google leads the global search engine market. Needless to say, it’s important that your site shows up when potential clients google key words relating to your industry. Investing in good search engine optimization (SEO) and even pay per click advertising for key terms helps keep your site at the top.

 Active Social Media Presence – Social media increases brand awareness, drives new users to your website, can improve search engine rankings, and is an easy means to syndicate your blog and other content. But spreading your marketing efforts across too many social media platforms can not only be exhausting, but unproductive. The best method is to maintain an active presence on the top 2 or 3 social sites your customers are most likely to use. For example, the purely professional atmosphere of LinkedIn easily lends itself to B2B Marketing, whereas Pinterest’s mainly female audience of DIYers, fashionistas, exercise buffs, beauty gurus, foodies and more offers a prime place for businesses in these industries – not to mention 87 percent of Pinners have purchased a product because of Pinterest and more than 90 percent have used Pinterest for ideas on future purchases. The trick is to find your customers’ favorite hangout sites, and contribute to them with helpful, responsive content. 

Engaging Video Content – By 2019, video will represent more than 85 percent of all Internet traffic in the United States, according to a recent study by Cisco. If that doesn’t motivate your company to go Hollywood, a new study by wyzowl shows that 84 percent of consumers have made purchases after watching a brand’s video. Videos don’t need to be big-budget to be successful, simple explainer videos and even testimonials are easy ways to add value and break up written content your site.

Now that you know the basics, what’s your next step to make your small business’s digital marketing pop? Email us today so we can help make it happen!