• The presence or absence of a Lead Magnet on a business website is an important indicator of whether or not the business is utilising email marketing automation at any level in their marketing . Personalised email marketing using automation is an opportunity for small businesses to nurture customers along their journey . In doing so they are helping them to get to know their products and services , supporting sales conversion and they have the potential to develop a recurring revenue stream . It is a required building block of digital transformation for a small business to scale their business and create efficiencies in their marketing . The assessment data shows that only 39 % of businesses have a lead magnet , and sampling provided evidence that few are set up correctly or being leveraged to their advantage .
Online Reputation and Local Search
• For almost every business , their Google Business Profile is an essential asset online that they need to keep updated and optimise to maximise their chances of success when potential customers are searching for products and services , and / or local businesses , from a relevant competitor set .
• The data shown in Figure 2 above tells an alarming story with only 32 % having a Google Business Profile that could be found .
• This is further compounded in terms of missed opportunities that only 18 % had at least 20 customer reviews .
Figure 2 : Google Business Profile
Figure 3 : Facebook Indicators
• 75 % of businesses are not responding to all reviews , leaving potential customers questioning the business ’ s customer service values .
• Only 30 % of businesses have uploaded at least 10 images to portray their business , services and products in a professional light .
Search Engine Optimisation The indicators selected for SEO ( search engine optimisation ) demonstrate the businesses ’ capabilities with optimising their website content , technical framework and backlinks . SEO is a keystone capability to unlock high performance in search engines , enabling a business ’ s webpages to range on page 1 of Google and other search engines , for relevant user search queries . In nearly every industry and business SEO is an essential skill and strategy for growth and sustainability .
• The research found that 77 % of small business websites had been indexed by Google , leaving 33 % invisible on the world ’ s largest search platform .
• Only 13 % of websites were deemed to be adequate in terms of their content to be ranked effectively for relevant customer search queries .
• Further only 19 % of businesses demonstrated that they have the skills to create web pages and content in an appropriate manner for search engines to be able to index and rank it for relevant search queries . This is indicated by the presence of markers on the website homepage and other pages in line with Google ’ s recommendations .
• SEO does not need to be a complex step in digital transformation for a small business and can be taught as part of creating and updating website content . Unfortunately many web developers do not possess the required marketing knowledge to deliver education in SEO , or they lack the care required to communicate the importance of SEO to their small business customers .
Social Media Marketing - Facebook Whilst the ways in which people use Facebook have evolved over recent years , it remains the world ’ s most used social media platform ( see Figure 3 .). Whilst Facebook users ’ number one reason for using the platform remains connecting with family and friends , the world has experienced the exponential growth of Facebook Messenger as a platform for connection with individuals , groups and businesses in real time .
VOL 16 NO 1 2023 18 www . edaustralia . com . au