November 23, 2020 By SmartBiz Team

We’re in the era of digital marketing. These days, if your brand doesn’t have a digital footprint – your profits will suffer. However, with so many digital marketing platforms and options, it can be challenging knowing which are worth your time and which are just a waste of time.

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There are three basic things that every business and brand should have to establish themselves in the digital space. These things include:

  • A Website
  • Social Media Platforms
  • Google and Yelp Listings (if your company has a physical location)

But having these three things isn’t enough. How can you expand your business’s digital marketing presence? Here are strategies to explore.

1. Paid Advertising and PPC

The most straightforward way to quickly start showing up online is through paid advertisements. Google PPC and other digital ad streams, can be fantastic mediums for establishing your brand and bringing in high quality leads quickly.

However, ads can be expensive, so it’s important to know what you’re doing and which platform you’re using. Also, be conscious of the budget. Don’t spend more on ads than you stand to get in return. Ads are a surefire way to rapidly expand your presence, but many other options are often less costly and incredibly effective.

2. Search Engine Optimization

For your website to show up on Google search results – you have to search engine optimize your content. There are many best practices for SEO, but the best bet is to start by optimizing your website to begin showing up in search results and start generating organic traffic.
SEO is complex, but it entails keyword research, text and image tagging, and more. Do a little digging on best practices or consider hiring an SEO expert to help. Time and time again, SEO work has a fantastic ROI.

3. Blogging and Guest Posting

If you don’t already blog, it’s time to start doing it. Blogging is a terrific way to establish your brand voice and show your potential customers your expertise. Moreover, blogs provide an excellent opportunity for search engine optimization.

While blogging might seem “so early 2000s,” it’s still an effective way to expand your digital marketing footprint. Guest blogging is also a fantastic opportunity to get in front of potential customers and audiences within your niche and funnel them back to your website.

4. Email Marketing

Email marketing is still a highly effective tool for expanding and growing your online presence. An active newsletter can set you apart from competitors in your niche. Use your website and social media channels to create a healthy email list and devise a comprehensive email marketing strategy.

Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing mediums out there, and when done correctly, it boasts an exceptionally high ROI.

 
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5. Online Press

If you really want to increase your brand awareness online, you need to get some press. Thankfully, it’s relatively simple to do. There are websites where you can create press releases and have them syndicated around the web.

Be thoughtful about press releases, though. You only want to release a press release when you’ve done something newsworthy. Examples include donating to charity, hiring a talented team member, adding a new product, etc. Releasing press releases is a fantastic way to get positive digital press about your business.

6. Question and Answer Sites

If applicable for your brand or business, question and answer sites could be a fantastic avenue for increasing authority in your niche while building brand awareness. Quora and Yahoo Answers are examples of these question and answer sites.

While these sites won’t bring you an immediate fortune, they’re a fantastic approach to generate more traffic and conversation online about your brand and business.
Remember to truly answer the questions, and not just promote yourself.

7. Consider the Right Channels

There are several social media platforms, and it can be challenging to figure out how to balance them all. The truth is that you don’t. The key lies in finding the social media channels that work for you and ditching those that don’t.

For instance if your target demographic is likely business owners. Rather than pouring countless time and energy into Instagram or TikTok, you should spend your time focused on LinkedIn. Alternatively, if your target demographic is stay-at-home moms, you’ll probably have the best luck on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.

Ultimately, you want to expand your digital presence, and you can’t do that if you’re too bogged down trying to manage too many accounts. Instead, focus on the ones that will be most fruitful for you and work to master them.

Test and Test Again

These are all ways to improve your business’s digital marketing presence. An essential part of any marketing strategy is testing. What worked for one company or brand won’t work for another.

As long as you start trying some of these strategies and testing them, you’ll be well on your way to finding what will work for your business. Before you know it, you’ll have a strong digital footprint.

 

About the Author

Skylar is a contributor at Raincatcher and a digital marketing expert. He has over 10 years of experience in various facets of the digital marketing world such as SEO, email marketing, and social media. His passion is providing small businesses with tools such as business valuation calculators and the information they need to grow in an expanding digital world.

 
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