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GET A PRO 1 . PPC ( Pay Per Click ) advertising : Mostly Google Ads , but it is also worth considering other search engines such as Microsoft Ads . If you have an expert set this up , you can achieve really tight targeting to your local area for an ongoing low ad budget . The alternative is to go with automated campaigns , which can be more costly and not well targeted as they rely more on a numbers game with volume . This may be OK for high density cities in the US , but it is not ideal for local targeting in Australia or NZ , particularly in areas with smaller populations . There can be a lot of money thrown at the wall if PPC is done badly , but it can bring in steady and qualified leads if set up well .
2 . SEO : While you can do some basic listings SEO yourself , there is a LOT more to it to get to # 1 in the search engines . An
SEO audit is a great place to start as this will give you a list of things that need actioning both on your website and offsite ( elsewhere on the internet ) to get those rankings up . It is incredibly common for a website to be built by a web developer or designer without consideration ( or the knowledge ) of what is required for good SEO . Get an SEO expert to list all their suggestions in an audit and those can then be worked through according to priority to start bringing in that all important free traffic .
3 . Social Media Marketing : This is basically social media ads . Facebook ( and the others ) much prefer you to pay to be seen ( surprise , surprise !) so they will greatly reward you for putting some coin on your posts or ads . You can absolutely run these yourself ( if you are socially-savvy ), but if you want to squeeze your ad dollars harder then it is time to get a digital marketer to hone that targeting and messaging for you , to really nail your target market .
SO HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE ? There are many metrics or stats to consider . Here are some key ones :
Reach / Impressions : Reach is how many people your ad or post has got to . Impressions is how many times it has been seen . Note one person may have seen it several times . Usefulness : Good to know your message is getting out there , but so what ? It means nothing if nobody is paying attention .
Clicks / Engagement : How many times someone has engaged with your message and taken an action ( click on link , click more …, etc ). Usefulness : Good – your message is generating interest . OR … it could be getting a lot of false clicks from either the wrong people or being in the wrong place ( i . e . kids games ). Not a very reliable stat .
CTR / Interaction Rate : The Click Through Rate tries to tell you what percentage of people who saw your ad , clicked . Usefulness : This is your first big indicator of whether your message is getting in front of the right eyeballs and resonating with them . The acceptable percentage will vary depending on the channel ( Google / social / etc ) and the amount of competition in your local market . Warning bells should ring if it falls below two-five per cent though .
Ave . CPC : Average Cost Per Click is how much you are paying for that Click in auction . This will vary wildly depending on many factors ( which are mostly within our control , but too in-depth for today ). Usefulness : A good indicator of whether you are paying too much . Compare against industry standards and your competition to make sure you are not overpaying .
Conversion Rate : This is how many people have taken that final action which you have defined . This could be filled in your enquiry form , made a booking , made a phone call , emailed or signed up for something . Usefulness : This one is key . If you are not ‘ converting ’ at least two-five per cent of the visitors to your website ( or lead ad ) then something is not working .
CPA : Your Cost Per Acquisition tells you how much you are spending on average to acquire that new lead . Usefulness : This info is vital as it allows you to compare different channels against each other and different campaigns against each other . It also provides a really clear idea of the return you are getting on your ad spend .
Most Useful : Perhaps the most important metric is to make sure you track which sales have come from which channel . This way you know what to turn on / off and up . Google Analytics is your best tool for this . It ’ s free , but it requires a bit of know-how to set up correctly . This one is not a DIY job – you do not want to be making financial decisions off dodgy data ! n
Case study : Proven formula !
Susannah Birch , Marketing Manager at Proven Energy , an electrical and solar company which services South East Queensland ( and proudly shops at Toowoomba CNW and Sherriff Electrical ), shares her secrets to marketing success . “ For people new to the industry , the best free marketing tool they can utilise is Google My Business . It provides free local business listings at the top of Google , and updating it regularly can bring in a high number of leads . “ For people who are already established but looking to grow their marketing reach , I ’ d recommend SEO . While social media is a great way to reach your audience immediately , social media content decays and becomes irrelevant within hours or days ; SEO will help your site continue to increase in traffic the older the website becomes . The key to SEO is content ; Google wants to know you ’ re an expert in your area , so adding new product / service pages and blog posts to your site is a great way to rank better in Google .
“ In terms of what to avoid ; any company offering high-priced paid digital advertising . Many of these companies sell Facebook , Google or display ads which can annoy your customers , use incorrect information or simply give a bad return . If you do use paid ads , ensure you check all ads before they go live , and have an easy way to track conversions , so you know you ’ re getting your money ’ s worth !”
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