#1: Start using social media in combination with your website.
It’s Twenty-Fourteen—and everyone is using social media in some form or another, and you can bet that your customers are no different.
Over the past year, we’ve seen a dramatic expansion of many different social networks—and that means now there’s a whole lot more out there than just Facebook. YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and even Google+ are all major players now and very worthy of your attention. And image-sharing sites like Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr have taken the web by storm as well.
So the landscape is broadening, but it’s not enough to simply “participate”. Social media is a world full of distraction. The very minute you send that post or tweet, your followers are getting a dozen more just like it.
So what’s the Solution? Distract them better than the rest… Get them to your website!
Businesses who approach social media as a way of engaging potential customers, need to capture them before they find something else to do.
Check out some cool social media stats from 2013.
#2: Start helping your customers find you.
Easier said than done, right? If everyone could do that we probably wouldn’t need marketing at all.
The truth is, however, that your customers are out there looking for you. It’s your job to put yourself in a position to be found. Social media, search engines, press—there are lots of ways to get yourself found… but there is another issue…
Some of your customers don’t necessarily know what they’re looking for. Seriously, a guy who needs a mechanic may start out looking for car parts; and vice versa.
Reach out to these wandering souls and show them the light. Think about all the reasons different customers should come to you… and go from there. Write a blog, send an email, post a Tweet. Few things are more cost-effective for small business than this kind of pin-point marketing.
Be creative, experiment with different ideas and keep going after what works.
Read why content will still be king in 2014.
#3: Start telling your leads how to become customers.
Few things on a business website are so important, yet neglected as the call-to-action. It’s that simple little phrase that ties what you’re selling to how a visitor can buy it.
You can have a website with a beautiful design, a great explanation of your product and better prices than anyone else. But if your visitors don’t know how to take the next step, it’s all pretty much worthless.
Thinking up creative ways to convert those valuable leads into customers is art form, but it’s finding out which of those strategies actually work best that will separate you from the herd.
There’s no such thing as a great, static website. The best companies are constantly changing their calls-to-action (and reverting them if necessary) to maximize the effectiveness of their websites and their marketing campaigns as a whole.
Check out these 10 call-to-action case studies that will blow your mind.
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