Gone are the days when mainstream and print media were your best advertising channels. Today, there are many other options because of advancements in technology. Access to the internet and social media is among the main contributors to modern marketing strategies. Smartphones have also played a crucial part, with internet marketers trying to leverage the power of mobile usage.
However, even with all the options at your disposal, it can still be difficult to find the best plan. Remember, not all digital marketing strategies are ideal for your business, especially with the brand image at stake. That’s why hiring a digital marketing consultant is very crucial for small businesses. This professional will help you make the right decision and choose a good marketing plan.
That said, it’s a good idea to have a list of proposed marketing strategies before consulting an expert. So, which are your best options? Keep reading for more.
- Mobile marketing
Smartphone usage has grown tremendously over the past decade. According to Statista, the number of smartphone subscriptions is currently north of 6.9 billion, suggesting 78% global penetration. Feature phones are also still widely used, and those who own either of the two devices account for more than 90% of the world’s population.
The above numbers explain why most companies today are investing in mobile marketing. Simply put, this strategy refers to any advertising activity that involves the use of a mobile phone. As a marketer, you can send your promotion messages through the following channels:
- SMS text messaging
- Multimedia messaging service (MMS)
- Mobile app push notifications
- In-game or in-app advertisements
- Mobile websites
Why is this a perfect digital marketing strategy for small businesses? For one, it’s the best opportunity to reach a wider audience given the number of users. Whether it’s through SMS or push notifications, you can reach billions of people within seconds. You don’t need any technical skills to do this; just compose your message, select your contacts, and send.
It’s also worth noting that SMS marketing, in particular, has one of the highest open rates. Recent statistics shows that 98% of people open an SMS. That means if you send 100 SMS messages, at least 98 of them will be read. This can be attributed to the fact that most users carry their gadgets around and check them frequently.
If you want your advertisements to target people from all walks of life, then mobile marketing is your best bet. With SMS and push notifications, you can reach those who spend less or no time online or watching TV.
- Social media marketing
Almost every modern company has social media presence, and more are investing in this advertising strategy. What began as a communication platform is now one of the most used marketing channels.
There are several explanations for this trend, but perhaps the most obvious one is the fact that more people use social media today. As of 2021, there were about 4.26 billion active social media users in the world.
So, just like mobile marketing, this strategy allows you to engage a large audience. Couple that with the fact that 86% of these users are active at least once every day, and you have a great marketing opportunity. All you need to do is select the right social media platform, create an account, and start posting engaging content. You can also hire influencers to push tags and bring more prospective clients.
What are the benefits of social media marketing?
- Increased brand awareness: You’ll interact with a broad audience of prospective customers.
- More web traffic: Including a call-to-action (CTA) in your posts can drive more traffic to your website.
- Higher conversion rate due to brand personification
- Personalized interaction also enhances customer satisfaction
These reasons show why many invest in social media marketing.
- Search engine optimization
No digital marketing plan is complete without search engine optimization (SEO). It’s an important internet marketing strategy, especially now that most people like doing their things online. For instance, shopping is no longer limited to physical store visits. Consumers can now take their shopping adventures to online stores and use online payment methods to complete their purchase.
Therefore, it’s imperative to have your brand appear at the top of search engine result pages (SERPs). This way, you can direct more online shopping consumers to your website. Studies show that at least 28.5% of Google search clicks go to the first organic result. So, striving to reach this should be on your priority list.
However, given the current competition, that could be a tough ask, but not impossible. Here are some of the best SEO tips to help your site rank higher:
- Publish high-quality content and update it regularly.
- Include title, keyword and description metadata. This needs regular updates too.
- Speed up your website by choosing a good hosting service, optimizing images and reducing redirects
- Optimize your website for mobile devices. This is important given that mobile usage accounts for more than half of the global web traffic.
Given the discussion above, it’s easy to say that SEO is one of the strategies small businesses can bank on.
Conclusion
Digital marketing is the best way of engaging the modern consumer. Luckily, technology has made it easier for businesses to achieve that. Today, the best advertising strategies include mobile marketing, social media marketing and search engine optimization. Of course, there are many other strategies you can still implement as a small business, but these are the most effective. Just choose those that suit your business, budget and type of consumer.
