Small business owners often find it difficult to compete with bigger businesses that have larger budgets and larger teams. Establishing a solid digital presence is one of the most efficient ways to compete for customers. It’s no longer enough to set up a website and wait for the clicks to roll in. Competitive sites know how to find innovative ways to get in front of their customers even when they’re away from the website. This presence can include advertising, social media, and more depending on the goals of the business. And the best thing is that creating this presence does not need to cost a ton of money!
Head into 2017 on a high note and stay on top of digital trends with these tasks. Give these strategies a try to reach more online customers and boost your sales!
Mobile friendly
We’ve said it once, we’ll say it again – your site needs to be mobile friendly! Especially an ecommerce site. Customers are increasingly making more purchases via mobile devices, so if your site’s purchasing system doesn’t work well on mobile, you could be in trouble. Your entire site must be optimized for mobile and include a responsive design.
Don’t forget the ads! Advertisements must also be optimized for mobile, so make sure they have simple messaging, clean images, and a clear call-to-action. Make sure you test your site on your own mobile device to see how it looks.
Follow their mobile journey
Not only have consumers gone mobile – most people are switching between phones, tablets, and computers. You need to take advantage of this trend and provide a consistent experience across all devices for customers. In order to make this successful, you need to employ a retargeting strategy that keeps track of who has been to your site and displays ads specific to their experience with their business.
If someone was looking at shoes on your site, you could show them an ad on Facebook showing shoes from your company, and you can even get more specific and show them the same product they were viewing earlier. These subtle reminders across platforms can get clicks and sales to increase.
Take advantage of social
Social media is where your customers are – and where you need to be. A recent survey revealed that nearly 20 percent of all time spent online in the US is spent on social media platforms. Customers expect you be able to interact with brands on their preferred platforms.
In addition to setting up your profiles and remaining active, make sure you’re taking advantage of the various advertising options on these sites. Ensure your ads are being delivered on publishers sites as well as social media sites. Social also enables incredibly specific demographic choices for ad targeting, giving you many options to find your exact customer.
Gather consumer data
Look at data you’re receiving from email sign-ups, social data, and any information you’re getting from third-parties with marketing automation tools to offer optimal ad campaigns to each individual user. Critical data to consider include browse history and purchase history, on top of more basic demographic information.
