Managing a business is something that requires passion, hard work, and most importantly, timing. It also requires plenty of confidence, as a startup will have to compete not just with other ambitious startups but with the likes of industry giants that could very well shift a startup to irrelevance early on. It is necessary to keep pushing in an attempt to future-proof the business, and it is something that takes plenty of work to succeed. Fortunately, there are ways to help make things easier, even for those who might not have the necessary experience. For example, the use of a skilled digital marketing agency is undoubtedly one of the best ways to move forward — which is mainly due to a surprising turn of events.
For most startups in the industry that make use of online stores, it is an interesting time to make their mark. Things are undoubtedly much more challenging due to the COVID-19 crisis, as small business lending has taken hit after hit. There is not enough capital to go around, though business lenders have been trying their best to help. That said, one of the most interesting changes is the fact that people have been forced to stay home.
In the coming holiday season, most people are not going to bother heading to a physical establishment. Instead, they are going to make their purchases online, which guarantees a staggering number of online shoppers in the holiday season — more than enough to accommodate any business willing to make their push with an online store. It is enough of a change where the rules for 2021 business success are influenced by the pandemic and why a digital marketing agency is necessary. Here are just a few best-practice methods to help a business gain success in 2021.
Push for a satisfactory mobile platform as soon as possible
Back in 2017 (and even earlier), it was clear that the mobile platform would rise to be the most used platform when it comes to basic needs. More and more people are purchasing smartphones, and the ever-faithful browsers are being usurped by mobile. However, the surprising thing is that not enough store owners adhered to the dawn of mobile, and continues to make browsers as the main means of online shopping. Such a thing has led many online shoppers to search for other stores, which is where a seller can take advantage of the situation.
Even though many businesses are now on the way to providing a fantastic mobile platform for their shoppers, there are more than enough opportunities for just about any startup owner to push for their own mobile app. Considering how many people are using mobile to purchase what they need, and considering just how many shoppers there will be in the upcoming holiday season, the use of a superior mobile app for the online store is practically mandatory.
A mobile app can already do more than enough to attract shoppers, but it also has the added effect of potentially attracting repeat visitors. There are not enough mobile apps in the market for most online stores, which means they will likely be back, and the seller will have effectively taken steps to future-proof their business.
With a digital marketing agency, consider if the business is better off on local rankings
While it is crucial to be as confident as possible when it comes to making digital marketing campaigns, it does not change the fact that the target audience is quite wide. It could potentially result in less revenue overall due to the lack of focus when it comes to business management. After all, one of the golden rules of managing any type of business would be to find a demand and fill it. In the case of online stores, it would mean finding a niche and taking advantage of the demand through the use of geo-targeting.
An experienced digital marketing agency — depending on circumstances — might recommend focusing the seller’s efforts on a specific city through the use of geo-targeting. Considering that most businesses have to fight issues of irrelevance all throughout their company’s lifecycle, focusing on local rankings is a way of providing a business with more brand exposure and relevance by taking advantage of what the locals want. While it will undoubtedly lessen the target audience, not every business is focusing their efforts, which means you are likely to have a far more active audience than you might realize.
A focus on content marketing and relevant content
As mentioned above, geo-targeting is about focusing a seller’s efforts on a single location — typically a single city. That said, the solutions to narrowing one’s efforts are practically the same compared to businesses that might want to target multiple cities, and one such solution is content marketing. Content marketing is a form of search engine optimization (SEO) that seeks to add more relevance to the online store by providing content that has something to do with the products on sale.
In the case of geo-targeting, the content will likely be articles and blogs concerning local events in the city, as well as articles about the products being sold. It is an easy means of convincing online shoppers to stay longer, as the relevant content will likely encourage them to make a purchase. If the seller’s articles are related to the products they sell, they have a much higher chance of convincing potential buyers to purchase products.
The potential of the pay-per-click (PPC) campaign
While SEO is all about trying to get more organic clicks in the search results, the PPC campaign makes use of the paid search results, giving even startups an opportunity to be ahead of the rankings and in the paid search results. Considering that advertisers pay a small fee for every click on their ads, it could also have the potential of a big payday, provided the seller is able to attract enough online shoppers to their website.
While the PPC campaign is something that a skilled digital marketing agency might recommend for some companies, it is not necessarily the instantaneous result that is the biggest advantage. The primary reason for a PPC campaign would be the data the user receives at the end of a certain period. Data such as keywords and other relevant information of those clicking on the seller’s links will provide a clear direction to move forward. While the use of SEO to go for a more organic approach will also end up in the same destination, the PPC campaign will provide results right away, which could very well dictate how a business pushes forward not just through 2021, but beyond.
Aside from the above best-practice methods, the use of a digital marketing agency also allows a company to learn all about how to make use of effective social media marketing. Even a startup would learn how to utilize the clout of social media influencers to help spread their message. As an added tip for those designing their online stores on mobile, ensure that the loading times are quick enough by removing as many unnecessary widgets and peripherals as possible. When designing an online store, simplicity is the key to success. It would also be a good idea to limit the file size of images to ensure that they do not slow down a website. It might not seem like a big deal, but it can make a substantial difference. No seller would want an online shopper’s first experience in their website to be slow loading times!
