All changes that have greatly impacted the normal business world as we knew it, pre-Covid days.
That being said, Covid 19 and its variants are not going away anytime soon. So in the meantime, Day Media Consulting has been asked on many networking occasions
“What can a business or businesses and owners do to drive more revenue and business to their websites during these changing times?”.
Today we will focus on answering just that. What can a business do today to stay ahead of the digital online curve tomorrow.
Here is a list of our most easy and attainable tips to claim your spot in the digital world.
1. Have a mobile ready website.
Well, first I should open with, it helps to even have a fully functional website! I cannot tell you how often we come across clients who say they have a website, but pages are missing, the site is not formatted, it has no theme in design or structure, there is no flow and worst of all it is not mobile ready. Meaning you cannot view the ENTIRE site on your mobile smart phone. This is key to any online presence and should be the first place you start as a smart and savvy business owner. Should your website already be established, ensure you have ironed out all the above kinks before embracing a mobile ready platform.
Should you need assistance with the above or even need a fresh take on your branding, we at Day Media Consulting, can help.
2. E-Commerce is King.
E-Commerce is buying a product or service online and actually exchanging currency or funds, typically via credit card. If you are lucky enough to have a tangible product you are selling, you need to make the experience as user friendly as possible to buy from you. What does that look like?
Well start by using a stable well known platform like Shopify. It’s not the only platform but Shopify comes embedded with different options for payment built into the E-Commerce structure. That includes easy to use plug-ins for alternate currencies. Clients need to see high resolution pictures and content. They need to feel like they are right there at the store buying. There should also be limited clicks needed to get them to their buying carts or checkout. Making checkout and returns simple and uncomplicated not only creates a wonderful customer experience but also allows for easy website reviews later and the return of your customers. Thereby creating a base of customers you can sell and resell to. An optimal outcome for any business.
3. Is your current website conscious of equality?
More and more the millennial generation is setting higher expectations of where they want to work and who they want to do business with today. A business’ online presence should consider not only their target audience but also how they are speaking to other audiences. Watch for gender inclusion, fairness to the LGBQ communities, sexuality, gender biases, environmental sustainability, education, and mental health awareness. All these are simple easy changes that should now be included or openly discussed in a digital presence and will have an impact on your target market. This should also be reviewed if there is/are tie-ins with the product or service you are selling. Should you need experience with copywriting for some of these topics, please feel free to reach out to Day Media Consulting to align your messaging with your brand.
4. Speaking SEO.
Once your website is complete, you may want to start jumping into or budgeting for your next and most important step in the digital space, SEO. Search Engine Optimization is so important to a website. It allows your website and all its information to be crawled, searched and scrutinized by the ‘big kahuna’, GOOGLE. We say this time and time again as marketers at Day Media Consulting, “there is no point in having a website if you cannot be found!”.
So if you need some SEO in your life, look no further. Day Media Consulting can help, but most importantly know that this “long-game” really is the game changer and will be to your business. If you spend a little time here tagging your website properly to be found by Google, it will reap rewards over a year or so. For short term success a good Ad Campaign is useful- no doubt, but data shows a slow consistant drip of spend on SEO will ensure your website gets found and follows the right target audience. Using the information then from Google Analytics will ensure you know where your audience lies and what they want from your website. It can act as growth areas to your website you never knew needed more content, but can also uncover where your audience is following in your social presence. So many jewels to be uncovered by SEO data. Do not take this little marketing step, adding SEO, for granted.
5. Branded Video/ Audio content, a must!
If you have not already decided where your news or videos or live content will sit on your website, now is the time. Do not delay. Google love, love, loves live fresh video content. The more you have the better. Not only does this boost your presence and drive customers to visit and stay on your website, but it also shows a 3D perception of your brand and space. Some things cannot be communicated in a 2D environment, ie: sitting on a page. Some need to be expressed with emotion and conviction through a source like video. Should you have a good videographer or video editor, it should be BRoll if possible or shot on an iphone 11 or above. There are some great editing tools for lighting, sound and even better, audio captions. Audio captions or closed captioning, allow a visitor to navigate your video and take in what is happening despite them not having the sound turned up on their laptop, smartphone or perhaps they are viewing in a quiet or loud area that cannot have sound or sound cannot be heard. This allows the viewer or target audience to still get the just of everything being said by reading alone. Closed captioning is a wonderful tool for social media too as viewers remember and retain facts more easily, can parse complex topics, and even build greater vocabulary. It is helpful in the digital space as it captures a new audience as well as holds the target audience in place, and removes the extra step of the client having to turn on sound. By making the messaging easy to be perceived you are yet again creating connection which is key to moving conversions (clicks or payment) over faster.
Video can work all sorts of wonders. From uncomplicating the how to on “How to” videos, to creating a more lively presence in online staff directories. Video broadens stimulation to the brain but also marketing data suggest that a client will share a video 98 times more than a website of a current product or service if the video is executed well and speaks to the needs of the client. If you have not tried video yet, put it on your to-do list for 2022. Your website will thank you.
*Disclaimer: The aforementioned blog tips are merely simple tools to be used and included in your online digital business practice and presence. The tips and sources therein are only a guideline for increasing revenue and growth. Each implementation is different to each company and should be reviewed step-by-step by a seasoned marketer like Day Media Consulting.
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