Few business leaders in today’s modern age discount the absolute necessity of a strong online presence. As a society, we overwhelmingly turn to the internet for information, socialization, and entertainment. We also make an increasingly large amount of purchases online, using our computers and mobile devices to shop like we never have before.
One of the biggest advantages that e-commerce offers the consumer is an unprecedented ability to comparison shop. As anyone who has shopped online clearly knows, the sheer number of available options can be utterly overwhelming. This is certainly a great thing for the consumer, but it presents a particularly disheartening challenge for the average business owner.
Why Your Business Needs a Clear Digital Strategy
How do you keep your goods and/or services from getting completely lost in the online shuffle? You can create the best website in the world, but if customers aren’t finding it, your company simply isn’t going to benefit. You need to attract new visitors — and make new qualified sales leads out of those visitors — if you want your company to evolve and grow.
In order to drive the right kind of traffic to your website you must develop an inbound marketing strategy that is designed with your specific needs and business goals in mind. Inbound marketing is the process of drawing online attention to the defining characteristics of your company (expertise, leadership, customer service, reliability, etc.) and appealing to shoppers shortly before they are ready to buy.
The most efficient and cost-effective method of converting strangers into customers, a good inbound marketing strategy promotes your business by leveraging the power of informative and/or entertaining, customer-focused content that encourages prospects to build a lasting relationship with your company.
Getting Found Online
Inbound marketing starts by driving new visitors to your company website or online social media page. But exactly how can you bring these visitors to your site when they have so many other options to choose from? One of the keys to standing out among your competitors is search engine optimization (SEO).
Over 90 percent of online shoppers begin their search for products and services with a query on Google, Yahoo, or another leading search engine. This means that your company could live or die as a result of these online searches. When someone searches for your product or service, you must rank high on the list that pops up. The SEO process uses relevant search content (such as specific goods and services, location, and meta descriptions) to ensure that your company tops the list of search engine returns.
Although it is an absolutely vital piece of the overall inbound marketing puzzle, SEO must be employed in conjunction with other strategies—consistent branding, sharable content, a strong social media presence, etc.—if you want to maximize the overall return on your marketing investment.
For more information about how to turn your newly-attracted web visitors into viable sales leads, devoted customers, and, ultimately, independent promoters of your business, contact a Marketing Essentials Digital Strategist today at 419.629.0080.
