As the cost-of-living increases and the country heads into another recession, this coming year will prove challenging for all of us.
Knowing how to properly promote your business online can be tricky, particularly if you’re not sure where to begin or what kinds of digital activity could benefit you. Here are 5 top tips to help you fortify your business in the digital space so you can make sure you are well-placed to help your business prosper during the coming year.
Tip #1: Plan ahead
Many people think that business plans are documents which are only used to help raise money when a new company is just starting out. This is inaccurate and businesses of all sizes have business plans which are constantly reviewed and adjusted over time. Benchmarking your business is essential and using a business plan can help with meeting targets which will keep the business on track.
Having a clearly defined digital strategy in place is a great way to plan for the coming year and make sure everyone in the business is on the same page regarding key factors like goals, KPIs, targets and action plans.
Tip #2: Enhance customer engagement
The internet is a fast-moving environment in general, but sometimes where a business is concerned, it can feel quite static. When this happens, businesses can easily fade into the background; to avoid this happening a business may start to offer discounts or drastically cut prices. This isn’t necessarily the best approach when trying to make your business stand out from the crowd.
To differentiate your business from others within your sector you need to use the unique selling points of your products and services and engage with your audience at every possible touchpoint in order to promote your brand, your services or products, and your customer service.
Email marketing and social media marketing can play a crucial role in engaging with your audience and promoting your brand. By using email marketing, you can send personalised messages to your customers, informing them of your latest offerings and keeping them up-to-date with your business. Social media marketing, on the other hand, allows you to interact with your customers in real-time and create a sense of community around your brand. By using both strategies, you can effectively communicate your unique selling points and provide excellent customer service, ultimately helping your business stand out from the competition.
Tip #3: Measure the impact of your efforts
Do you know all the key figures that relate to your business, not many people do…This isn’t always related to financial figures, it can be the number of enquiries, the number of conversions that are part of your website’s statistics. Keeping accurate records of figures throughout the business is critical regardless of if they are mostly static or fast moving. Measuring Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) helps to benchmark performance and see areas of the business that are doing well against areas where there’s a need for improvement.
Tracking web-specific metrics such as website traffic, bounce rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates is essential to benchmark performance and identify areas for improvement. Measuring KPIs allows you to make data-driven decisions and enhance your online performance. One way to improve online performance is through Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), which focuses on improving the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action. By implementing CRO techniques, you can increase your website’s conversion rate and drive more revenue for your business.
Tip #4: Give your customers a great online experience
It’s important to put users at the heart of the online experience. This means designing your website with the user in mind, providing a seamless and intuitive experience that makes it easy for them to find what they’re looking for. By creating a user-centric website, you’ll not only improve the user experience, but you’ll also increase the chances of users returning to your website and becoming loyal customers.
User Experience (UX) services can help you achieve this goal by focusing on the user journey and identifying pain points that may be hindering the user experience. UX experts can provide insights on how to improve website usability, simplify navigation, and enhance the overall design and functionality of your website. By investing in UX services, you’ll be able to create a website that delights your users and helps your business stand out from the competition.
Tip #5: Look for opportunities to improve
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with a familiar approach instead of identifying opportunities for improvement. Try and set some time aside each week to review how your online efforts are performing. This can then be discussed with colleagues and research and process changes can be carried out where necessary.
An experienced digital agency can help you with this. Sometimes it’s easier to call in fresh, expert eyes to help your business scope out new avenues of operation.
Need some support? We can help
Coast Digital is well placed to help implement the methods we’ve suggested above to help you improve your online presence.
As an award-winning digital agency, we specialise in providing a range of digital services that can help enhance your website’s performance. Our team of experts has the skills and expertise necessary to create a user-centric website that engages your audience and promotes your brand. By partnering with us, you can take advantage of our knowledge and experience to improve your online performance and drive more revenue for your business.