While there have been over 600,000 Coronavirus cases in the U.S., every single American is being affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and shutdown.
Recently, we have been seeing unprecedented occurrences in the economy. Businesses were forced to close their doors, over 3,000,000 Americans filed for unemployment, and the stock market plummeted. But the country will eventually get through all of this, and the economy will bounce back.
To help get your business ready for the end of the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve put together a list of digital marketing strategies you can use now to set your company apart. After all, we’ve been through with the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s going to be important for companies to bounce back in the second half of 2020.
1. Directory Listings
Posting a free directory listing is just like the traditional marketing method of listing your company in the Yellow Pages. Adding your listing to a business directory is a fast way to get a step ahead of your competition.
Companies can be categorized by niche, size, location, or activity. All you have to do is find a good directory that pertains to your business and link to it. This will help gain more exposure to your website and draw in top-quality traffic.
The people who visit these directories are likely to be in need of your services. Why else would they be there? Additionally, many business directories allow customers to leave reviews, ratings, and testimonials. Having great reviews located right alongside your contact information makes it easy for customers to put their trust in you and then locate your company.
2. Local Citations
These listings are specifically designed to help local searchers find the information that they need about businesses. If you have a physical location, this is a terrific way to generate foot traffic.
Google rankings are influenced by a business’ number of citations, their accuracy, and the quality of the platforms that they’re on. Any inaccurate data in your listing can deter consumers and give your business a bad reputation. If you’re not taking advantage of local citations, it’s likely that your competitors are using this online advertising tactic and getting local traffic.
3. Google My Business
Getting about 75% of desktop searches, Google dominates the other search engines. And an updated Google My Business Listing is a free, easy way to bring in customers from your immediate area.
A map with three local results is located under the paid ads but before search results. To find its way towards the top of listings, your entry needs to be optimized and filled out completely. GMB provides helpful statics that show how your audience is engaging with your profile and postings, and you can track website traffic with the help of Google Analytics.
Also, you can email your customers a link to your listing, ask them to leave a review, and thank them for providing a positive rating. A customer review is just like a word-of-mouth recommendation for your company that adds credibility. Over 50% of consumers use a business if it has positive ratings in the Google Local Pack.
4. Blogging
If you want to attract new customers and keep current customers engaged with your website, a great, inexpensive online marketing tactic is creating blog posts.
According to HubSpot, marketers that prioritize blogging are 13 times more likely to get a good ROI. Search engines (like Google and Yahoo) are more likely to rank your site higher if it regularly gains new, relevant content. Blogs provide an easy way to do this, and they can set your business apart as an industry expert. If you provide people with enough helpful, informative blogs, they’ll eventually see you as their go-to source within your industry. Also, people are more likely to share a top-quality blog post on social media, attracting an even wider audience.
5. Guest Blogging
Whether you’re an individual or a large company, guest blogging is a fantastic way to instantly generate quality traffic for your site. Contributing practical tips to an authoritative blog with regular traffic proves your credibility to a wider audience.
More people learn about you, value the knowledge you shared, and remember you when they need your services. Make sure you stick to your brand’s voice in all of your posts. If the blog you’re writing allows you to leave a link for your site, don’t forget to add it to your backlink profile.
6. Backlinking
Google has hundreds of different ranking factors, but one of the top factors is backlinks. According to an Ahrefs study, over 66% of sites don’t even have a single backlink. To further help your rankings, you should create SEO backlinks to top-quality relevant sites—not spammy sites with no authority.
Getting a vote of confidence from a well-known site lets search engines know that you’re reputable. When a search engine crawls your page, it doesn’t only look at your site’s content. It also studies the number of links that are coming from quality websites towards you. Additionally, backlinks can help generate brand awareness and draw traffic towards your site. But you don’t want to overuse backlinking or cover topics that people won’t search for—Google will penalize you for this.
7. Social Media Posts
With the COVID-19 lockdown, more people than ever are going online and using social media to connect with the outside world. If you want to develop a younger customer base, your online advertising campaign needs to include social media platforms.
Faster than ever, customers are able to leave grievances and feedback with businesses, who can then respond with great customer service. Consumers feel like they’re being heard and are appreciated. This can help you build a great reputation and humanize your brand. When you’re connecting with people, and they feel like they’re getting to know you personally—they’re more likely to do business with you. Don’t forget to include links to your website in your posts.
Digital marketing is a long-term strategy that can help your business long after the Coronavirus shutdown is over. If you need help developing effective online advertising, get in touch with the professionals at NuStream today.