Your business is being found…but maybe not via that website home page you worked so hard to perfect! It’s the truth that more and more users are finding your business via a Google review, Facebook post or EventBright link. A website is required to provide validity and content but if that is all you are focusing on you will be LEFT BEHIND!
Landing Pages, Newsletter Sign Ups or Webinar Registrations are not going to cut it anymore with Google Search. Your Homepage is not the end all and has not been for a while. Users are searching for answers, product reviews, and CONTENT with their searches. Your success should not and will not be based on your homepage visitors. We have always considered the user behavior as one of the main analytics that we review consistently to watch and see where the user goes, what are they most interested and what pages are the 2nd and 3rd click once they visit the website.
If you are still trying to capture emails, sign up webinar viewers or create expert landing pages with no menu and control your user you are going to fall behind with the new engagement that has begun to happen and will continue to happen. It’s not that easy – it takes work. Content, videos, articles, online reviews, and authentic social engagement must be considered.
The variety of ways consumers can engage with a brand without ever visiting the brand’s website are ever-increasing and so it is all the more important to ensure your brand through SEO, Online Reviews and Social Engagement.
If you are a small business it is MORE POSSIBLE THAN EVER to be found!
With consumers changing their engagement behavior companies must be flexible and fluid. Telling of a story, case studies and relatable content will be appreciated and SHARED! We have the top 3 keys to make sure that your company is FOUND even if the user does not land on your website.
We are going to assume you have a website, (still need one) and move on to the 3 keys to partner with your website online. Our motto is still the same “if you build it, they will not come.” Your website should ALWAYS be partnered with at least 1 of the following keys.
SEO (Long Term Play for Long Term Success)
How do you think users find your business on directories, engage with an online reviews and click through to blog? It’s with SEO and the new version of SEO has come along way from keywords and meta tags. Those things still need to be completed and maintained but SEO is so much more than that! SEO now includes social platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. YouTube is now the second largest search engine…are you there? People are craving authenticity and videos have become a key part of SEO. Of course when they find you they will want to learn more about you so the website is the most natural progression but it’s not the start anymore. SEO now includes ONGOING Quality Content/Story Telling which comes in the form of a blog or videos most times. People are craving content that is not fake and from authorities in the industry. Ongoing blogs that are relatable and authentic will be much more important than a landing page. SEO now includes directory listings which you can confirm and ensure the information that is listed is correct – business location maps, website links, phone number and social profiles to ensure the user finds you! From Yellow Pages to Yelp to Canada 411 – companies are being found and if you do not have the proper verification completed the information will be wrong or old.
Online Reviews (Short Term Play for Long Term Success)
Are you allowing and making space for online reviews? Yelp, Google and Facebook are the top spot users are reviewing businesses they are considering using or visiting. It is the first step for most users. Using a service company or going out to eat – they will be looking for other clients to share their experience before moving forward and spending their hard earned money . A 5 start review will be much stronger than a gimmicky landing page or click bait ad. It creates a warm lead. Who doesen’t want one of those?
Social Engagement (Ongoing Game for Ongoing Success)
Yes we have heard it all before –
- I don’t like social media.
- I hate being part of Facebook, I am deleting my account.
- I hate being on video and am camera shy.
- I don’t have anything to say or share.
The comments and feedback go on and on and on….but the truth is that the users are craving authentic companies. They are not wanting to be engaged with “LIKE if you agree” or “SHARE if you want to win” These types of posts are being given less authority, especially with Facebook. Social Media is not dead but it has changed.
Here are a few stats from Brand Watch to help you see it’s very much alive…
- The average daily time spent on social is 116 minutes a day
- 96% of the people that discuss brands online do not follow those brands’ owned profiles
- It’s estimated that video will account for 74% of all online traffic in 2017
- The average user spends 35 minutes on Facebook a day
- The average person watches 40 minutes of YouTube content a day
- There are 4.2 billion Instagram Likes per day
Social Media is not just for promotion anymore, (for the most part.) It is a space where you can create a conversation, provide customer service, answer questions and create strategic partnerships. It is a place to have a voice. When working with clients we always encourage video followed by a blog (links to their website) and a paid ad to promote the video and/or blog to their ideal audience. We are not creating clickbait – we are engaging their specific audience with authentic social behavior. Your user is online using social platforms – find out which ones are most applicable to your business and BE THERE!
GET REAL! The users are real people and no longer looking for quick answers to their solutions but are researching, watching and listening. Our 3 Online Marketing Keys for Online Success for Small Business in 2019 are ones that can be integrated very easily for your business. If you do not have a budget for online marketing we would suggest you reassess where your marketing budget is going these days. With 91.47% of all internet searches carried out by Google and those searches carried out by 1.17 billion unique users your business had better be online via searches, directories, social platforms and reviews.
