Customers of every industry are spending more time online than ever, and thus, advertising budgets are moving online, as well. Over half of all web traffic is now from digital devices. As customers move online, the way they shop and purchase changes. The brick and mortar stores are losing marketshare to Amazon and other online retailers. But, take heart! They can’t TAN online![gap height=”15″]
The burden of marketers and small business owners is always to meet people where they are. As customers spend less time watching TV, less time listening to the radio, and less time reading papers and magazines, traditional advertising is slowing and giving way to digital. Over $10 billion will be spent on digital advertising in 2017. So, how do we get a piece of the pie? I’ve outlined the starting line below.[gap height=”15″]
Have a social presence, starting with Facebook. People spend the majority of their time online on social media sites. It’s been estimated that a staggering 60% of web traffic comes through Facebook. It’s important that you have a presence on Facebook, so that you can meet your customers where they are. Additionally, Facebook allows you to target demographics very specifically, and for very reasonable costs. In traditional advertising, you may be $.30-$.70 per impression on a print piece or postcard, but on digital, you can reach your exact demographic for less than $.20 per impression. Start with a couple of quality posts per week, then build from there. Moving an inch is better than not moving at all![gap height=”15″]
Once you’ve mastered Facebook, look next to Instagram and Snapchat. Our market is a vanity market, and our customers are on these social media multiple times daily! Use Instagram and Snapchat to promote the lifestyle aspect of your brand, making it fun and attractive – something people want to be a part of. (Need Instagram ideas? Check out @FindYourSHADE)[gap height=”15″]
A vital part of the digital landscape is Google Plus or Google My Business. Most search engines are indexing Google for web traffic, and most users start with Google already. Naturally, the first information Google chooses to serve us is the information they have at home! Navigate to Google.com/mybusiness and follow the prompts to set up your account.[gap height=”15″]
One of the beautiful things about this platform: no need to post often to keep up! It’s just important that you have your business info listed and up-to-date there. Additionally, you can enter your hours, contact information, and closed dates, so if customers search for you, they see this info (as well as if you’re open or closed!) immediately.
If you’ve got these platforms taken care of already, congratulations! You’re well on the way to success. Take a look at Yelp and other review services to see what customers are using in your area – but, beware! Yelp ads are always pricey and never pan out. Take the freebie, ignore the phone calls, and run with it! [gap height=”15″]
Good luck in mastering the digital sphere![gap height=”15″]
The burden of marketers and small business owners is always to meet people where they are.[gap height=”15″]
