PEOPLE
Basepoint
time-oriented. Don’t try to achieve
everything in one go either. Focus
on early wins to start with, and
then move on to longer term
goals. Allocate time, resources
and budget to your plan so that
everyone involved knows what
they need to do to make it happen.
Finally, review your progress
regularly, using the measures you
defined in your plan. This keeps
your eye on the ball and gives you
a chance to adapt to changes in the
online world.
3 FOCUS ON GREAT
CONTENT
Great content is what turns your
readers into paying customers. It’s
also how search engines decide
where to rank you in search results.
As well as looking at the quantity
and quality of your content, search
engines now take note of how often
a site or blog is updated, how much
interaction there has been, and how
long visitors stay on each page.
To keep both customers and
search engines happy, you need a
steady stream of fresh, interesting
content. But this can be a challenge
for many companies, especially
if producing words is not part of
their day-to-day
business
(for instance, a haulage firm or a
furniture making company). This
is where using an agency can add
real value, generating content for
you to start with, but also giving
you ideas for content that may be
right under your nose and which
your customers will find genuinely
useful and interesting – from
short snippets of news about your
latest product arrivals, to “how to”
guides that can be downloaded
from your site.
4 ENGAGEMENT IS
EVERYTHING
In 2014, it’s less about “clicks
and sales” (although they remain
important) and more about
creating a relationship with
potential customers so that when it
comes time to buy, there is a degree
of familiarity and trust already
in place. It’s also about reaching
beyond the people actually viewing
your website, blog or Facebook
page – leveraging their network
of contacts through linking and
sharing (as well as old fashioned
word of mouth).
That means thinking creatively
about what your audience is really
interested in (it may not be directly
to do with what you are selling),
and what might make them
care enough to post a comment
or click a “like”, “share” or “re-tweet”
button. Images and videos can be
critical here, partly because they are
quicker and easier to consume, and
partly because they are more likely to
be shared with others.
5 DEVELOP YOUR
RESOURCES IN-HOUSE
While many companies are
turning to online marketing
agencies to help them, developing
your in-house team’s ability to
produce good content is an
excellent way of keeping down
costs in the long term.
Don’t just leave it to the
marketing department; involve
people with specialist expertise
about the company’s products
and services, or who are in
direct contact with customers.
These people know what
customers want, need, and are
interested in, and can be a great
source of content.
If you decide to work with an
agency, choose one which can set
you off in the right direction and
then, over time, teach you what to
do and support you in the process
of taking ownership of your online
marketing strategy.
To keep both
customers
and search
engines
happy,
you need
a steady
stream
of fresh,
interesting
content
Contact:
www.imarketing.co.uk
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