by Novi S.

A phrase we hear occasionally from our clients is, “I’m not a marketing person”. We often hear this when discussing the more technical side of marketing – using terms like SEO, PPC, bounce rate, click rate, open rate, etc. This jargon probably sounds like a foreign language, so it’s no surprise that someone who is not familiar with marketing may become frustrated at the thought of maintaining a website.

Fortunately, there are very simple things you can do to ensure that your marketing efforts are not done in vain. The foundation of marketing is telling people about your business, one way or another, and your website can be an excellent tool to reach a broader audience. By using these five simple tactics, you can build your web presence without the need for a translating guide:

Create & Sync Your Brand

Your brand is your identity. Without your identity, it will be difficult for anyone to recognize your business. So even before your website, you must ensure that your branding is easy to understand. Luckily, you don’t need to be a graphic designer to obtain a nice logo, nor do you need to be a brand specialist to create a unique business name. Just follow this general rule: If you respond well to your branding, others will likely also respond well. You are a consumer too, after all.

We also recommend a special rule for those who work for a larger company and are not able to create their business name (whether that’s due to compliance or any other reason). Make sure you are branding yourself first (i.e. Bob Smith – Mortgage Company, Inc.). This is very important if you change companies so your clients, social media followers, and anyone else who has been exposed to your business will remember you first.

The next step is to ensure that your brand is consistent throughout all your online profiles. We frequently see business owners catering to keywords instead of brand consistency. However, consumers may become confused if they see different business names, phone numbers, URLs, etc. from one profile to the next. Also, the keyword tactic often has an adverse effect since search engines will not be able to establish a strong relationship with your profiles. Using one identity across the board will help instill brand confidence in your clientele and help search engines recognize your business more easily.

PRO TIP: Create custom URLs for your social profiles whenever possible.

Set up the basic social media profiles

While we will always advocate for syncing the 70+ directories available (especially since this is the easiest way to ensure brand consistency), we understand that not everyone has the time or money to invest in that right away. However, there are three profiles you must have if you want to start building a solid web presence: Facebook, Yelp, and Google My Business. These profiles allow your business to gather reviews and therefore increase your ranking. Google itself states, “more reviews and positive ratings will probably improve a business’s local ranking.”

Additionally, not only are these platforms commonly used as search engines themselves, they also have the chance of displaying in search results on Google or Bing, ultimately giving you a greater chance of being found.

Use your website as an extension of your contact information

When a potential client asks you how they can contact you, what do you tell them? Your phone number? Your email? What if we asked you what is easier to remember: 619-758-9696 x2 or 220marketing.com?

This should be the same thought process you go through the next time someone asks how to contact you. As long as your phone number and email are easy to find on your website, your domain may be the only piece of information that potential client needs.

Even if the client has already contacted you via phone or email, you’ll want to make your website URL easily available to them. You should include your URL in:

• Your outgoing voicemail message
• Your email signature
• Your other online profiles (Facebook, Yelp, Google, etc.)
• Your business cards, brochures/pamphlets, and any other print media

If you are unable to speak with someone or respond to their email right away, they can always visit your website. Perhaps a nurse gets home at 2:00 a.m. and knows you wouldn’t answer the phone, that person can still visit your website. Maybe you have a client in your office so you can’t take a call at that moment, the caller can be redirected to your website. See the pattern?

Create a Promotion Plan

You may or may not have heard “The 7 Ps of Marketing”. This theory covers the principles followed to successfully start a business. However, arguably the most important P is Promotion.

To implement promotion effectively, create a feasible plan that starts slowly and progresses to include more and more promotional activities. For example, your plan could start with emailing your current clients about your new website, then build to running Social Media Advertisements.

The hardest part is building the momentum. Once the ball starts rolling, you’ll be able to spend less time on the setup and shift your focus to maintenance and/or incorporating new activities. It’s also important to understand that you may need to adjust as you go and that you do not need to have firm dates set for when new promotions can begin. Some promotions may be dependent upon hitting milestones, whenever those may happen.

So, make a plan that works for you & your business and stick to it! The worst thing you can do is give up instead of adjusting the plan to make it work.

TELL PEOPLE

Most importantly, tell people! We have been discussing ways to do this throughout this post, but we should never forget good old-fashioned “word-of-mouth”. At first, if you don’t tell anyone about your website, no one will know about it. Gone are the days of setting up a website and everyone flocking to it simply because it’s online.

Suppose your business establishes a new location, would you open it without telling anyone? Of course not! You’d likely have big signs, “Grand Opening” promotions, and your employees telling everyone they know. This same methodology should apply to your website:

• If your client didn’t find you online, mention your website to them: “If you have any questions you can call, email, or go to our website at myinsurancecompany.com”
• When you ask for referrals, have the referrer send them to your website for more information.
• Share your URL on your personal social media profiles. You may find someone who needs your services whom you already know!

The most important thing for any business to have is the right foundation. These basic tactics provide the building blocks to ensure you are heading in the right direction.

Want more tips? Contact us today to schedule an appointment with an Advanced Marketing Consultant or read some of the other articles from our blog that cover topics such as Local SEO and Social Media.