20 Digital Marketing Tips for 2020
Each January, Herrmann Group Digital Marketing publishes its forecast of the top digital marketing opportunities for businesses in the coming year.
#1 – 8 Google® “My Business” listing
Google "My Business" (GMB) is emerging as the single most important digital marketing tool for businesses. If you are not managing your GMB information in a professional way, you ARE losing business every day. While a GMB entry is free to create, we highly recommend working with a digital marketing pro to fully leverage this tool.
Your GMB listing is the most prominent part of the Google Search Engine results page. It also ensures that your business appears on Google Maps. Today, smart phones account for more than half of web searches, so your business listings on GMB and Google Maps are vital to bring business to your business. Therefore, our first 8 tips are to maximize your Google My Business listing.
1. Claim your GBM listing if you haven’t already
2. Add hours of operation
3. Verify your location is correct on Google Maps
4. Add products and services
5. Add photos and videos
6. Request reviews from your customers
7. Link your listing to Google Analytics
8. Post GMB articles regularly
Herrmann Group Digital Marketing can maximize your GMB listing, manage it over time, and help grow your business with measurable results.
#9 – 15 Google Ads
If you still are not running (and actively managing) Google Ads at all, you are making your competition very happy. Traditional search engine optimization (SEO) is greatly enhanced by the analytics that come from running even a modest pay-per-click (PPC) campaign on a regular basis.
9. Own your brand name (as a search keyword)
10. Define your most important keywords
11. Understand and segment your audience
12. Run multiple campaigns
13. Set up conversions for phone and web
14. Connect to Google Analytics to track conversions
15. Hire a professional to manage and optimize your ad budget
There is a reason that Google’s parent company, Alphabet®, has become one of the world’s five biggest companies in just two decades. It’s because PPC ads are effective and measurable. On average, PPC budgets pay back at least two dollars for every dollar spent. With proper configuration, the ROI is often significantly higher.
#16 – Social Media Strategy
Now that you have the basics in-place, it’s time to think strategically. Customers, employees, and prospective customers will define you on social media if you do not manage your presence there actively. Google, TripAdvisor®, or Yelp® reviews, your company name in #hashtags, or customer video reviews on YouTube® should not be the only representation of your customer experience. Will you be ready? Will these posts be what defines you or will your company be prepared to represent itself well?
A social media strategy prepares you to determine which social media channels (Facebook®, LinkedIn®, Twitter®, YouTube, Pinterest®, etc.) to focus your efforts on for the greatest impact. Having a strategy in-place will ensure that your company’s brand is in your control. Another important component is to define social media policy so that everyone will work off the same set of directions which will yield more efficiency and higher volume for your team.
What will you post (original content or shared content)? How frequently? How will you respond to reviews and comments (both positive and negative)? Who will be responsible for moderation?
Give us a call or send us an email to see how easy it is to get started.
HGDM will help define objectives, benchmark existing progress, streamline processes, and roll out a cohesive, comprehensive social media strategy. A strong social media strategy will transform your social media efforts from a drain on your team to an investment in effective digital marketing that adds to the bottom line.
#17 – 18 Facebook
If your business is localized, then your business can benefit from a strong Facebook presence. Regular posts, scheduling events, garnering reviews and followers builds your brand and customer base. Engaging your customers’ friends-lists can greatly expand your reach in one of the most cost-effective ways. Free posts can be boosted with ad dollars to build your audience and your revenue.
17. Post content regularly
18. Go Live with Video on Facebook Live
HGDM can be your Social Media Manager and administer your business’s Facebook page with a monthly retainer to keep your staff focused on what they do best.
#19 – 20 LinkedIn
Most businesses and business professionals are missing out on opportunities because they haven’t fully leveraged their LinkedIn presence. With a good plan and some professional assistance, companies can grow their business through their LinkedIn network. Getting your team to complete their profiles, post, like, and comment on a regular basis, and link to the company’s official page are critical to success.
19. Post content regularly
20. Build your network
HGDM can be your Social Media Manager and administer your business’s LinkedIn page with a monthly retainer that frees up your staff’s time to do their jobs. We also help set up a culture of compliance within companies, while defining and rolling-out your strategy and policy.
HGDM wishes everyone a happy and healthy new year.
Let 2020 be the year you decide to take your business to the next level. Let HGDM’s proven track-record of achieving results take you there!