97% of consumers search online to find local businesses and 87% of shoppers begin product searches on digital channels. Having a well-established digital marketing strategy is critical for any business because as you can see, most people are utilizing internet technology not only to access information but also to make purchases. While traditional forms of advertising are still applicable, digital marketing has become indispensable these days, no matter what industry you’re in.
Digital marketing is a broad term. It refers to various forms of online advertising, along with the tools used to enhance a company’s online visibility. A major component of digital marketing is building relationships with customers through different online channels, from the company website to emails, social media, and more. Thus, many businesses find it more practical to hire a digital marketing agency because such agencies have multifunctional teams that can handle all aspects of online marketing, rather than hiring an in-house marketing professional.
On this post, we’ll talk about the major communication channels that many businesses use to reach out to their current and potential customers and how to maximize these channels:
Managing Email Channels
Despite the arrival of newer platforms, email marketing still remains to be a major channel used by businesses to communicate with their customers. Many consumers prefer email as a digital channel of interaction. In fact, it is considered the second most important channel, next to phone calls. Creating a well-planned email management strategy that focuses on clarity, responsiveness, and speed is the key to maximize the benefits of this communications channel.
Here are some important tips to manage your email channels:
- Get an email service provider. Email providers, such as Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, and iCloud, are built to handle large-volume emails. They come with tools that make email interactions with customers easy.
- Automate emails. Automating certain emails, such as acknowledgment of customer inquiries, is very helpful because it gives customers the impression that they are heard and given priority. It also makes email management much, much easier for your marketing team.
- Use personalized templates.
Managing Paid Ads
The quickest way to get targeted traffic into your website is through paid advertising. It is important to have different types of campaigns set up, including branded search campaigns and audience retargeting. One of the major responsibilities of PPC professionals is to find ways to ensure the highest return on their marketing spend. Paid ads can be run through websites and blogs,social media platforms and search engines.
Here are some helpful tips to effectively manage ads:
- Use a marketing platform that allows you to set up campaigns and schedule them, and gather insights through data analytics.
- Invest in different forms of paid ads.
- Managing Organic Traffic
Many businesses don’t have an optimized website or are unable to maintain it. When launching a company website, it is necessary to integrate search engine optimization so it is highly accessible to consumers. The challenge for every business is that when people search online for products or services, they find yours, not your competitors’.
- Blogging is a proven strategy to boost organic traffic which allows you to create helpful contents that provide value to your potential customers.
- Optimize web contents. Create educational contents that resonate with your buyer persona to naturally boost your website’s SEO. Keep in mind the buyer’s journey to be able to provide relevant content.
- Consider affiliate marketing. Find reputable affiliate websites that can bring more traffic to your website.
Managing Google My Business Account
Google lets local businesses promote their companies online without the need to have their own website.
Google My Business is a free, easy-to-use tool that gives consumers access to essential information relevant to a local business, such as the company name, contact numbers, address, reviews, ratings, popular times to visit, and more. It is important to keep your Google Business Account active, maintain the stream of reviews, and do posts regularly.
Here are some other ways to manage Google My Business Account:
- Upload high-quality images. The more the better. According to Google, businesses with photos get 42% more requests and 35% more clicks through their website than those who have fewer images.
- Respond to reviews. The reviews on your page can make or break you. 85% of consumers trust online reviews.
- Use posts to promote events, special offers, etc. Now, you can have your content show up on Google searches and maps through the knowledge panel.
Managing Social Media Channel
Social media platforms are the second most popular way to research brands. Thus, having a social media following is a must for today’s businesses. Make sure you have an account on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to reach out to more people. Managing social media channels can be time-consuming. Here are some tips to make it easier:
- Only share contents that are good enough to be posted, shared, or retweeted.
- Set auto-reply features to acknowledge customer queries.
- Use scheduling tools. Platforms like Hootsuite and Buffer let you auto-schedule posts and give you access to insightful data analysis.
Feedback Management
Customer feedback is powerful. There are many ways to get feedback from customers online. It can be done through surveys, comment boxes, emails, social media posts (polls), or social media listening (monitoring).
To manage feedback effectively, here are a few suggestions:
- Make use of a feedback management system.
- Be responsive to feedback. Positive or negative, always acknowledge them.
- Reach out directly to your customers. While internet technology makes feedback gathering convenient, connecting with customers in person encourages them to contact you in the future.
A big part of digital marketing is reaching out to the people and building relationships with them. By learning how to manage digital marketing communications channels effectively, you can connect more with your target audience and align your products and services to their needs. Ultimately, this benefits your business and contribute to your success.
____
by Nelly Muradkhanyan
