Nowadays, buying classified ads in newspapers or spots on TV and radio are no longer the most effective methods in advertising your products and services. The most optimal way to market any business today rests in digital marketing because everyone has a mobile device. Digital marketing targets a specific audience and maximizes its potentials for the benefit of your business with the aid of technology. If you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed, it might be more prudent to invest in and hire a digital marketing agency to handle your brand management. Here are the reasons why:

Old School Doesn’t Work

Traditional marketing no longer works because our world has evolved. Gone are the days wherein traditional media is the only source of information and entertainment. The world has gone digital with practically everyone owning a mobile touch screen device that has many multimedia features. Neilsen, a market research group, noted in their study that people spend more of their waking hours staring at their screens.

It used to be a numbers game relying on “viewership” ratings and demographics, but now subscription to newspapers and magazines have dwindled. People have moved onto their digital versions. The same goes for the radio and TV as these have been replaced by Spotify, Netflix, and the like. With the of people perpetually glued to their screens, it is vital to harness online digital marketing for your business. The MIT Center for Digital Business that the Internet provides a new platform for enhancing marketing effectiveness and efficiency.

Readily Address Your Needs

Finding the right set of people is essential because their expertise will allow you to move your business forward, as well as, be more efficient. Hiring a digital marketing agency to handle your business’ digital goals means you can readily assess and address your needs within their in-house pool of talents. No need for trial and error to make things happen. The biggest benefit of digital marketing is that everything can be measured because the agency personnel at your disposal are all highly skilled to give you results.Since digital marketing is highly targeted, meticulously organized, and has the capacity to deliver measurable results in real time, it is even more imperative to find the core group of people who can help sort out your needs. For example, we are a Seattle digital marketing agency that has a pool of talented digital marketers who can easily address your needs.

Provide Direction

The agency you hired will have a pool of digital consultants who should be able to help you understand what you’re up against. They can help you identify your competitors and what they are doing. They can give you a picture of what your typical consumer journey looks like. They can help you identify cost-effective opportunities to explore for your business.

Going through an agency will give you a chance to analyze what to do for your business. This, in essence, is giving you direction. Once directions have been established, you are given a chance to craft brilliant strategies. By analyzing what to do, you can make things more effective in using each channel for specific purposes and growing your business as a result.

Manage the Budget

Hiring an agency helps you stick to your budget more efficiently. Having the capacity to tap into the agencies resources in the form of SEO experts, content analysts, videographers, and the like, when you need them, makes life a lot easier (and so much cheaper).

On top of that, agencies are typically responsible for keeping track of expenses on marketing spent on online campaigns and platforms. Doing this tracking yourself is time-consuming and tedious. Most importantly, going with an online marketing company and agency means you have some evaluate your brand’s needs, check necessary budget and expenses needed to keep online campaigns and develop a powerful strategy so that profits are maximized.

Keep Focused on Business

Delegating digital marketing efforts to an agency is best so you’re free to address more pressing business concerns. Outsourcing your marketing efforts leaves you free to zero in on what you’re good at — growing your business. In most cases, making operations flow smoother, cultivating time with in-house employees, and/or spending time in developing relationships with strategic partners are more beneficial for the business when compared to replying to a few Instagram comments and FB posts to increase engagement. When things go well, because outsourced digital marketing support, you can easily scale up and expand your business at rapid speed because you are focused on matters that truly count.

When considering digital marketing agencies, it’s important to shop around first in order to find one that truly understands your goals and what you’re looking for. Don’t settle for a local digital marketing company just because it’s convenient. You need to determine if an agency can actually help address your company issues. It can be quite tricky and may seem rather daunting, but it is essential to talk and ask plenty of questions.

SEO is no longer associated with blackhat tactics. It can help e-commerce businesses increase rankings and visibility. It can also help your business reach a new set of customers. SEO should be an important part of your marketing efforts, which has become an important component for any business. 

Most e-commerce businesses have begun moving online. If your business hasn’t moved online, then you’ll be left in the dust. Every business wants to stand out among its competitors. Businesses who are in the same niche are finding new ways to attract their customers. By using SEO techniques, they’re getting the top spot of search results.

There are several reasons why you should use ecommerce SEO services. Learning how to leverage some of these strategies can make your business more profitable. Here are eight reasons why you should use e-commerce SEO strategies.

Better User Experience

SEO provides you with better user experience. It helps with the ranking of your website. When you provide your users with great user experience, they’re more likely to visit your website. An e-commerce web design that’s free from clutter and has clean lines is more likely to be visited as your customers find it easy to use.

Cost Effective

Despite what you’ve heard, SEO is cost-effective when done right. You can hire an agency that handles online marketing and search engine optimization. Building a website with the right platform comes with its share of advantages. CMS platforms should be compatible with extensions and plug-ins that can enhance search engine optimization. This is important that potential customers find you on the first page of search results. It’s an affordable investment to increase profits and sales.

Augments Brand Awareness

Whether your business has been running for years or it just launched yesterday, brand awareness should be on your mind. You need to attract customers in order to maintain the growth of your business. With a clever marketing strategy, your e-commerce business can land at the top of search engine results. When potential customers learn about your brand, it leads to increased traffic and sales.

Improved Long-Term Results

The long-term advantages of SEO happen when you set long-term goals. Search engine optimization is not for those who want to get rich overnight. It takes a lot of hard work and commitment to make it work. Some of the most elaborate SEO strategies can take three or four months to work. Setting goals and using analytics tools can help you track your sales and reach. But you should also focus on tweaking and implementing your long-term goals to increase profits to your business.

Strategic Consumer Insight

Speaking of analytics, Google Analytics can help you with this problem. A free Google Analytics account is all it takes to determine where most of your traffic is coming from. You’ll notice which visitors come from which geographic locations. You’ll also receive other information such as how much time a visitor has spent on your website. Based on these insights, you can adjust your marketing plan and promotional efforts to focus on your target customers.

Increases Profit Margin

Businesses that use search engine optimization receive increased visibility. Not only does this decrease bounce rates, but it also increases your conversion rates, click-through-rates, and organic traffic flow. Since SEO doesn’t cost a lot, maintaining that high-profit margin with SEO campaigns and efforts is key to success.

Increased Online Presence

Ninety-seven percent of users search for businesses in their local area. Out of 87%, 50% of those customers use the internet to find information about certain products or services. While most brick-and-mortar businesses don’t have an online presence, most of them still rely on product reviews. Businesses should focus on optimizing their website so it can be found by their targeted customers.

Ecommerce is Dependent on Search Engines

Over 80% of customers who shop from the major e-commerce stores found these websites through organic search results. This number is likely to increase over the years. That means your customers will be searching for products and services on the internet as well. They could end up with competitors who offer similar products and services. You don’t want your e-commerce business to be shoved down the search results.

Search engine optimization is not going away anytime soon. It’s just changing for the better. E-commerce businesses are sharpening their SEO skills to increase visibility. It’s about following the search trends, SEO trends, and updates to keep your website active, populated, and visible.

Brands worldwide are flocking social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to gain access to billions of consumers. There are numerous approaches for this online marketing strategies, but it seems like brands are relying mostly on content creation. It’s effectiveness and reliability when it comes to drawing the online audience have made others to dub content as the king of online marketing.

Online content can mean many things and it’s not solely limited to articles and huge chunks of texts. It could be anything from images to videos, surveys to flash games; so long as it gives the followers of a brand something to spend their time on. Marketers have dubbed time and time again that “content is king,” this 2019 and onward, but what makes it such a huge hit with brands?

It Boosts SEO

SEO, or search engine optimization, is basically what’s responsible for putting a website on the front page of search engines. Being at the front page and being at the top means brands have better chances of being noticed over its competitors. Of course, mastering the art of SEO is easier said than done.

Content marketing provides brands with a new avenue to increase their SEO ranking. They can naturally squeeze in the keywords and tags they need to make sure that they remain at the top. Moreover, content that has high impact and quality tend to push websites at the top of search engines as well.

The Internet Is Becoming The Primary Source Of Everything

Throughout the years, we’ve come to cope with the fact that almost everything and anything we want can be seen on the internet. The nearly infinite number of items online has made people more dependent on the internet and that dependency is continuously growing as well. That basically means that there’ll be more online users in the coming years.

For companies, this basically means that they have constant revenue flow ahead of them so long as they have content that people are into. It’s hard to see when and if the internet will die off. Ahead of companies is an endless stream of consumers who are hoping to see what they need online and those brands will need to provide them with just that.

It Promotes Engagement

Back in the days, companies only had engagement with their audience once they avail their service or product. Now, engagement is achieved so long as a consumer browses through any piece of content that is on a company’s website. For companies taking their marketing online, engagement is a big deal as it is the pathway to conversion.

Consumers that directly engage with a company are able to establish a certain amount of bond with them. The more engaging the content, the more interested the consumer is with what the company offers. Engagement cannot be promoted in an empty website so companies need to make it a priority to create engaging content.

It’s A Way To Add Value To A Product Or Service

Online audiences will never see the value of a product or service simply by an image alone. As such, companies need to use online content marketing services to add value to whatever it is they are offering. Whether it’s through a carefully constructed article about the product or a video showcasing what it is capable of, it gives people a better understanding of what they are in for. The more value is added to a product or service, the higher its chances of being availed by consumers. While tricky at first, creating value generating content is one form of online marketing that companies should begin to invest in immediately.

It Generates New Leads

What’s great about online content is that it helps companies create new leads and sales even in a saturated market. Such a thing is impossible with traditional methods of marketing as it is often more expensive and bothersome to generate effective content for TV, radio, and print. As people begin seeing more content from one company, they are more likely to begin patronizing the brand as well. It doesn’t even take a thousand pieces of content to generate great leads. A few memorable and impactful content will already go a long way.

Small and big brands now have a great opportunity presented ahead of them through online content. If they use this marketing strategy properly, they can become a formidable force in the industry they are in. Of course, unparalleled success through content will only be possible under the guidance of great marketers and great web design.

As technology evolves and the world adapts, social media marketing also changes. There are always new trends and subsequent practices that accompany technological advancements. As was the case in years past, there are social media marketing trends that you should know about in 2019 if you want to remain competitive. Given the link between sales revenue growth and social media marketing, these are trends that should definitely be implemented into your social media strategy. 

Video Content on Social Platforms

Uploading video content to YouTube has continued to grow in popularity, and it’s not slowing down. A trend that is accelerating is the use of video content on other social platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. In fact, many influencers are shifting their focus to a greater concentration on social media platforms where they are more likely to receive brand sponsorship. Studies have shown that an increasing amount of content is now consumed by video. Additionally, more people are live streaming to boost their following and build brand recognition. Viewers find live videos more engaging and they tend to increase trust and foster brand loyalty because videos are more authentic. When you’re live streaming, it’s not possible to re-record or fix mistakes – you just go with the flow; viewers appreciate this level of authenticity.

Increased Use of Social Listening

The term social listening was derived from the process of monitoring data on social media platforms. It’s a method of collecting information to analyze keywords, including what has been mentioned about your brand, and whether you are tagged or not. There are technologies that facilitate this process across social media platforms, as well as forums, blogs, and news websites. It’s an important aspect of social media management. While it was initially proposed to manage the reputation of a brand, social listening is now used to boost marketing outcomes. 

Social listening in 2019 is used to identify new customers, boost engagement and drive consumers to your website. It’s of significant value when it comes to boosting lead generation outcomes. In fact, an increasing number of companies are leveraging the power of social listening to develop strategies focused on demonstrating the value of their products and services. You can essentially use social media platforms as part of your marketing strategy to communicate how you can meet the needs of consumers based on the data gathered through social listening.

Micro Social Media Influencers

A few decades ago, few would have believed that a person could become a millionaire by posting videos online, yet that’s exactly what has happened – repeatedly. Subsequently, there are social media influencers with the primary focus of building a large following and sharing information about brands online. Whether it’s a post, tweet or video, they influence the way people think and what they buy. There was a time when traditional advertising was the only option; these days, social media influencers have amassed followings that exceed the reach of any TV commercial or billboard ad. As the following of an influencer grows, their prices for sponsorship skyrockets. The solution for a brand developing a social media campaign is to use micro influencers. Although a micro influencer doesn’t have millions of followers, they are still experts in their industry with thousands of followers. Advertisers also appreciate smaller influencers because they tend to be more relatable.

Customization and Personalization

There was a time in the world of marketing and advertising when spam was commonplace. Unsolicited messages were often received that had nothing to do with your needs or purchase habits. While spam still exists for a variety of reasons, legitimate companies with a solid marketing plan focus on customization and personalization when developing their marketing campaigns. There is a wealth of data available about consumers, which means you can customize the message and ensure it’s personalized to address the needs of your target audience.

In 2019, marketers are increasingly monitoring the purchase history of consumers, the links clicked, and the social media posts liked, among other behaviors. There is now an expectation among consumers that you will customize your offerings to their specific needs. Whether you are looking for a movie to watch on a streaming service or buying an outfit from a clothing retailer, personalization will influence your decision at a much higher rate. There was a time when consumers found personalization unsettling because it means marketers have gathered personal information about you and your life. Despite any privacy concerns, most consumers now view personalization as a convenience.

Attracting new customers to your business is easier than ever before if you know how to utilize the internet to your advantage. Your website is a portal where you can reach new potential customers 24 hours a day. Getting customers to connect with your business via your website all starts with having the right web design. Finding a web design company that can create high conversion rates for your business can seem like an overwhelming feat at first. Here are some of our best tips for ensuring you find a good one. 

Before you can find a web designer, you’ll need to understand the various types of digital marketing services that are out there. Different companies specialize in different areas of online marketing. You’ll want to pick a company that specializes in website design and marketing for your website. You won’t want to hire a company that simply does paid advertising as they’re not going to be able to construct a website for you. It’s not uncommon for there to be multiple businesses listed in the digital services area of an online directory. A closer analysis of their website should reveal whether or not they actually offer web design services. 

Once you get a list together of potential web designers in your area, it’s time to take a closer look at what else they can offer you. Web development is essential to build your website and getting your brand noticed online. However, you’re likely going to need more than just these services to bring in a lot of new customers. You’ll also want to look for companies that have clearly laid out strategies. These strategies include things like SEO, social media marketing, website conversion, and so forth. A quick glance at each potential provider’s website should reveal what sort of marketing strategies they can do for your website. 

It’s important to take some time to note that you should be knowledgeable about the various types of online services that are available. If you run across a type of service that is listed on the website of one of the providers on your list and you don’t understand what the service entails, be sure to search online or give them a call to find out. You want to make sure that you’re paying for what you need, not extras that you don’t. When you clearly understand the types of service that are offered, you can make more informed decisions about who to hire and what marketing outlets to pay for. 

Search engine optimization, or SEO for short, is a term that you’re going to hear often in respect to digital marketing strategies. This essentially means the work that is done to bring your website to the top of the Google search results for various terms related to your business. For example, if you are a carpet cleaner, SEO would entail getting your website ranked in the first position of the Google search results page for terms like carpet cleaning Seattle, carpet restoration Seattle, and carpet cleaners Seattle. Search engine optimization works by allowing your website to be positioned right in front of potential customers who are looking for your exact services. This is an essential digital marketing strategy that is a must in any industry. 

There’s a lot of buzz about whether or not you should hire marketing consultants on a local level or if you should hire globally. The truth is that while any marketing consultant can bring a benefit to your business no matter where they’re based out of, it may be more to your advantage to have a local consultant for a couple of reasons. First, it can be helpful to meet with people face to face instead of online or through email exchanges. That face to face conversation can help build your trust in the consultant and it can be easier for them to explain answers to your questions about digital marketing in person. Second, when you’re dealing with a local company, they take pride in their area. They will work to ensure that you’re high on the search results for the Seattle area. When you’re dealing with a national company, you’re not likely to find that enthusiasm. To them, it’s just another city. 

Finding a local marketing consultant for your business can seem like a challenging feat at first. This holds especially true for those who are not overly familiar with the digital marketing world. However, with the help that you received above, you’ll be well on your way to picking out a great digital marketing consultant to help your business succeed.

Social media marketing isn’t easy, if it were, the more than 40 million active small businesses quoted by Facebook would be significantly more prominent. Instead, it often requires a combination of time, patience, knowledge, and an understanding of your market demographic, which is something that small business owners don’t really have in large supply. If you’re trying to improve your social media marketing, these tips and strategies from local Seattle social media marketing firm, Rory Martin, should help.

Understand Your Demographic

Out of all of the advice you could ever get for your social media pages is that you have to post for your demographic and not for yourself. Understanding what your audience wants, what they want to see, and what they need can help you to create and drive successful social media campaigns. This is especially important if you’re marketing to a specific subset of people. For example, if you’re selling budget fashion geared towards students, then you want to find out what’s happening in local campuses and make your posts relevant to them. This is even more relevant if you provide a service, such as a student café. In this example, you could easily get inspiration and stay up to date by following the Washington University on Facebook. If you’re marketing to business persons like yourself, you could post things that you want to see, but otherwise, you have to aim for your demographic.

Create Content Themes

Content themes can help you with creating great posts and great content that works well together and works inside of a single theme to bring your pages together. You can create large plans for your entire year or period, and then break them down into smaller themes. For example, summer is coming up, and if you’re marketing to the same students used in the example above, themes of summer vacation could include topics on traveling home to see family, studying while away, or etc. and could easily tie into your products or services, while creating a page that is relevant, informative, and useful to students.

Use Variation

You never want to post the same things again and again. This will get boring to you and to your viewers. If you must share the same content more than once, make sure you post it at least a few days apart, and that you specifically mention that you posted it before. One important thing is that Facebook’s promotional options allow you to pay to promote posts so that they keep showing up, so you don’t have to keep posting the same links. Similarly, you want some variation in the types of content you post. Images, links, and videos are the most popular by far, but make sure that everything you put up isn’t a link or a photo.

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook

Gary Vaynerchuk’s bestselling book on social media marketing  has one primary point, and it is one that most marketers knew all along. In order to reach your audience you have to reach them first, and then close a sale. His boxing terminology might make the whole point seem like you have to connect three times and then market, but it’s not quite so simple. Instead, you have to keep your audience consistently engaged, make sure that the majority of content on your page is not promotional, and occasionally following through on your connections with a sale or promotional post they would be interested in.

Crowdsource Ideas

You probably have a great team of people working for you and chances are, they’re closer to your market demographic than you are. Ask them for advice, feedback, and even ideas when you’re planning ideas.

Be Consistent, but Be Real

Seattle is home to nearly 653,000 people and most of them are millennials. As you may know, millennials value authenticity, consistency, and brand values that align with their own. Taking the time to develop brand values, and to ‘walk the talk’ by supporting local causes and events, can help you to build your audience, engagement, and brand value. Finally, you should also make sure that you’re posting consistently, at least once per day, during active user hours.

Social media is a lot of work, and it’s an entirely new skill for many people. If you want to boost your results to make your social media more worthwhile, hiring a professional social media manager is the right way to go. If you want to learn more, or want to know what a local Seattle social media marketing company can do for you, contact Rory Martin, or take a look at our whitepapers to see some of our past results.