Home » SEO » How to Build a 2016 Digital Marketing Strategy

How to Build a 2016 Digital Marketing Strategy

Home » SEO » How to Build a 2016 Digital Marketing Strategy
0/5 (0 Reviews)

How strong is your 2016 digital marketing strategy? Do you have a solid plan that will get your website moving up the search engines? These are the questions that you should ask as you continue to build and grow your online presence.

According to BrightEdge, SEO drives more than 1,000% more traffic compared to organic social media. Success in business, whether your company is large or small, depends on having a marketing strategy that aligns with your objectives. It’s also vital to know how to deploy these strategies effectively to benefit your business.

Most companies tend to believe that putting together a marketing plan will cost thousands of dollars, which can be true if you choose the wrong company. But in actuality, putting together a powerhouse plan doesn’t have to cost you a fortune.

For most online business owners, marketing can be intimidating. It seems to make people feel that they have to be some type of creative genius when it comes to promotions and marketing, which isn’t true by any means.

The key to creating a sound marketing strategy is to create one that builds a strong foundation for your efforts. Knowing the avenues to take when creating a strategy is the most important thing you can do.

12 Factors to Building a Marketing Strategy

“Marketing is not a task, it is an ongoing process that requires constant attention and adaptation.” – Jay Baer

1. Optimizing your Google +

Optimizing your Google Plus

No matter how you slice the pie, social media marketing has become a significant part in the world of marketing, which means you have to know how and when to use it. Google+ is becoming increasingly popular when it comes to promoting a business. However, many people have no idea how to effectively use Google+.

It’s important that you get acquainted with Google+ before you make it the staple of your marketing efforts.

There are SEO benefits that come along with using Google + It caters to businesses with a physical location, as well as online companies. It’s imperative that you set up the right type of page. Get your business location verified, which will help Google place you in the search results, in turn helping you get found.

Many people have no idea of the importance of keywords. If you have no idea how to do keyword research, you can learn basic keyword research methods from Matthew Woodard, an online marketing Guru who helps everyday people learn the art of SEO.

It’s important that you include keywords in your posts by sharing posts from your own website. Using keywords in your hashtags is also another way to prioritize, and effectively optimize your Google Plus.

If you have a Google page then it’s a must that you optimize it. You have to treat your page like a one-page website. Implement your keywords throughout your page, and be sure to brand align, which means that your page should be wrapped around your brand. This should not be a personal page. Let people know what your business is about, what your mission is and how you plan to help them solve their problems.

Make sure that you make your posts stand out, and that you actively grow your own little community. Building a small community around your brand should include influencers who share the same interests.

2. Build Mobile Friendly Websites

Build Mobile Friendly Websites

When it comes to mobile users, you have to understand that you can’t treat them like you treat desktop users. They are the type of users that want their information fast, with a hint of easy to digest. Mobile users are known to make higher purchases when compared to desktop users, so it’s imperative that you have the proper setup so that you don’t miss out on money.

According to Statista, 45% of web traffic in North America originates from mobile devices, which means that you should cater to those users.

With Hummingbird’s update, search is continuously changing, and its attention is more focused on mobile visits, rather than desktop users.

Yes, your content might look awesome on a desktop but might be unreadable on a reader’s mobile device. This could mean that your bounce rate will be high considering most web traffic is mobile device-based. Visitors will run if you operate a site that has to be zoomed, or pinched, or requires the users to install an add-on to view.

3. Create a Professional Website

Making a professional website means more than just making it look good. There are a few important factors that you should keep in mind when you begin building a site that will attract potential customers.

“A website can make money for you while you are asleep.” – Amit Kalantri

A fast-loading website is the first thing you have to keep in mind when building your website. There are services that can assist with getting your website to load under 4 seconds.

It’s important that your users can access your content, and or business as quickly as possible. Having a slow-loading site allows your competition to take customers before they ever get a chance to commit to you.

Having a good layout is also key when it comes to building a strong marketing strategy. A good website layout will make room for your great content. Avoid cluttering your website with unnecessary ads and blocks. And be aware that pop ups, unless focused on list-building efforts, should be avoided at all costs.

Always create robust content for your visitors. Strong content is a sure way to keep them coming back. Find your own voice, and learn how to format your content so that it’s direct, and straight to the point.

Write short paragraphs so that your content is easy to read. And implement your keywords naturally throughout your work. Content is the main thing that is going to help build your audience. Bad content will turn off potential users, and it will also push you down the ranks in the search engines.

4. Create an SEO Friendly Website

Create an SEO Friendly Website

Creating an SEO friendly website means that you must focus your attention on using correct title tags, meta descriptions, headers and keywords throughout your content. Knowing how Google spiders work, means that you can build a strong content profile.

“No website can stand without a strong backbone. And that backbone is technical SEO.” – Neil Patel

Since spiders don’t understand anything other than words, it’s crucial that you know when and where to use your selected keywords.

Keywords, as well as long tail keywords, should be used in title tags, headers and all throughout your content. Make your content read naturally, and place a maximum of 3 keywords throughout your content; one in the first paragraph, one in the middle, and one in the last paragraph.

Avoid over-stuffing keywords. Adding too many keywords can get your website penalized, in turn losing any rankings you might have earned.

5. Maintain a LinkedIn Profile

Maintain a LinkedIn Profile

Like Google Plus, LinkedIn is perfect for businesses and influencers who want to get their name out there. LinkedIn allows you to create a professional profile, and connect with people in your industry. Being active and networking with businesses in the same industry can help take your marketing strategy to the next level.

“LinkedIn is no longer an online resume. It’s your digital reputation.” – Jill Rowley

6. Build a strong link profile

Build a strong link profile

Although link building isn’t at the top of the list when it comes to ranking in search engines, it is still important. Once you have established your website and brand, it’s time to build a strong link profile.

There are many different ways you can build a link profile, but the most legitimate and sound way is to create strong, useful content, and allow other blogs and websites to link back to you.

These types of links are worth grabbing because they help you build relationships with the owners of these websites. Link building is about creating long-term relationships with the people you link up with.

7. Stay Active, Stay engaged

Stay Active, Stay engaged

Your users and readers are important, which is why you must stay on top of all blog comments and social media comments, and respond to all inquiries as quickly as possible. Never let your readers feel neglected by not reaching back out to them in a timely fashion. The more engaging you are, the more your readers will interact with you.

Not only will your readers feel appreciated, they will begin sharing your content with people in their circle, in turn leveraging your marketing efforts and making the entire process easier.

“It is not your customer’s job to remember you, it is your obligation and responsibility to make sure they don’t have the chance to forget you.” — Patricia Fripp

8. Take Advantage of Citation Sites

Take Advantage of Citation Sites

Citations are important because they come from sites that are well-established. Getting citations from well-established sites can boost your credibility. It makes Google feel they can trust you and your categorization and contact information.

Citation marketing has the ability to help your business in local searches, which is just as important as worldwide searches.

To keep Google excited about your website, Build your profile and submit your company operation details to citation profile sites like:

  • Industry directories
  • Local Directories
  • Data Aggregators
  • Local Search Engines

9. Don’t be Afraid of Videos and Infographics

Don’t be Afraid of Video and Infographics

According to Wyzowl, 82% of people have been convinced to purchase a product or service after watching a video. With video platforms growing exponentially, incorporating video into your marketing strategies is a no-brainer. Video marketing not only adds a WOW factor to your efforts but also differentiates you from your competition, which is crucial in today’s market.

If you are absolutely serious about getting your business recognized, then video marketing has the ability to put a face to your brand. People want to know what they are getting and who they are getting it from.

The idea behind building a marketing strategy is to get your business to go viral. Video marketing is a great way to build viral content over and over again.

Infographics

Infographics perform the same way videos do. Sometimes it’s just great to make things a little more visual when it comes to delivering content. Infographics are solid, fun ways to engage your audience. They can display information quickly and in an organized manner. Plus, other websites tend to borrow infographics for their own website, which is another effective way to build strong links back to your business.

10. Never Automate your Marketing Strategies

Never Automate your Marketing Strategies

The last thing you want is to create a website, put your marketing strategy on automation, and then get penalized for it. The one thing Google hates is a website that isn’t building links or reputation naturally.

There are many ways you can effectively market your website naturally without using tools to do the manual work. Automating your marketing can range from creating duplicate content to buying links. If it’s not natural, it’s going to get penalized.

11. Use a Website Analyzer

Use a Website Analyzer

What is the point in putting together a marketing strategy if you don’t even know what is or isn’t working? Using a website analyzer is a tool that you need to understand just how well your marketing efforts are working.

“The goal is to turn data into information and information into insight.” – Carly Fiorina

Tools such as Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools are great tools to use when you want to find out just how good your marketing methods are working. A good tool will allow you to view :

  • bounce rates
  • time on site
  • referring traffic
  • page views
  • visitor demographics

Using an analyzer will help you tweak your marketing strategy where needed, and assist with building a stronger foundation when it comes to giving your readers what they want. Plus, it is always good to see what search engines see when it comes to the performance of your website.

12. Allocate an Ad Budget

Allocate an Ad Budget

Every one who wants to market their website wants to invest as little money as possible. Although this is possible, a time will still come when you will have to invest in some form of advertising.

“Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time.” – Henry Ford

Fortunately for people who are new to marketing, there just so happen to be an easy and affordable way to invest in online ads without breaking the bank.

Facebook, LinkedIn, and Adwords offer an easy-to-use platform that allows you to control the money you invest in your advertising campaigns. You can start with a small amount of cash, and invest more later.

You can use their analytic tools to see which ads are performing best, and you can stop the campaigns whenever you are ready.

No longer do you have to spend thousands of dollars to get your ads seen by millions of people. If you want to boost your company’s brand then taking advantage of these ad options could help more than they could hurt.

This form of marketing has the potential to help you reach potential customers, who would eventually become long-term, loyal customers.

Conclusion

The idea behind putting together a strong marketing strategy in 2016 is to eventually have such a successful campaign that you no longer have to work as hard. The foundation you build will eventually become turnkey, allowing you to focus your attention on more important things.

If the idea of marketing intimidates you to the point where you begin to doubt yourself, take advantage of Local SEO Search services by contacting us at +1 416 888 8756 today!

subscribe

free website audit

Subscribe To Our Mailing List

* indicates required



FREE WEBSITE AUDIT