Digital marketing techniques for successful businesses. With most people turning to the internet as their first port of call when looking for a product or service, it follows that entrepreneurs need to get clued up when it comes to digital marketing.
We’ve got some straightforward advice that will help you increase your visibility online to attract more customers and close more sales.
Be the go-to source for expert local knowledge
If you offer plenty of helpful and relevant information on your website, you’re more likely to get noticed. By offering free and valuable advice to potential customers you establish your credibility in their eyes, which increases the chances of them using your business services.
Consider creating a series of ‘buyer guides’ for people who are looking at buying your products or services. These can be tailored to buying these in your geographical area. Think about the questions they might type into a search engine and answer them.
Provide details about the wider marketplace and what benefits it can bring to your clients. This could include competitor reviews, product features reviews, supplier reviews, case studies, resources and tools available in the industry, trends, employment in the marketplace etc – give them a picture of what it’s like to engage in your products and services. Position yourself as a real authority.
You can make the guides visible on your website or available as a download. If you want to capture data, consider a sign-up page where visitors supply an email address in return for a link to the downloadable file.
Develop a consistent brand identity
We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s so important to establish your image and your ‘voice’ if you want to grow and be successful.
People should recognise your business no matter where they find you – so make sure your logo, your company style and everything about your estate agency is represented as faithfully online as in any other marketing materials.
That means your website, your social media profiles, your email signature – anywhere people will see your business details online.
Start a blog
A blog is a great way of adding regular new content to your website. It also allows you to let your personality and that of your business shine through, and is another opportunity for you to position yourself as an expert in your field.
Vary your subject matter as much as you like. If changes in the Budget affect your marketplace write about it. Give your personal take on industry events and answer commonly-asked questions. Perhaps you’ve got a case study that you especially love or is outstanding in some way – talk about it. There might be a big local event coming up – share the details.
A blog is great for bringing traffic to your website. Use a friendly, casual tone and avoid industry jargon – you’re trying to reach potential customers, not impress your professional peers. One word of warning, though – update it regularly. If visitors see there have been no new posts since the middle of last year, they might wonder whether you’re still in business.
Get positive reviews of your business online
Online reviews are an essential part of improving your internet presence and will help you appear prominently in localised searches.
They will also help build trust and confidence in your business – the benefits of generating genuine and honest reviews in online business and social communities should not be underestimated.
Whether it’s a dedicated review site such as Allagents.co.uk or one that covers a wide range of businesses such as Trustpilot.com, sign up with at least one and ask your customers to consider leaving a review to help build a positive online profile for your business.
Share on social media
Buyer guides, new blog posts, any fresh content on your website and definitely glowing reviews on sites such as those mentioned above – all these should be shared on your social media channels.
Don’t worry about posting links multiple times, either – just spread them out. Nobody has time to read absolutely everything in their Twitter stream, for example, so posting a link to your new blog at 9am, 1pm and 8pm is likely to catch a different audience each time.
An easy way to handle this kind of recurring post is to schedule it using a tool such as Hootsuite or Buffer – just remember to intersperse with real-time updates too and respond to any personal messages and mentions.
As with any marketing, while its aim is to increase business for you, it needs to offer something of value for your potential customers. If you’re creating content that makes the purchasing process easier for your prospects, they are more likely to be draw to your company and ultimately give you their business.
