5 Hot Tips to Maximise Your 2020 Marketing Strategy

2020 brings not only a new year but a whole new set of challenges on the web.With increasing numbers of websites online, it's daunting to think about how to stand out from your competitors and get traffic flowing to your site. On a more positive note, the increasing numbers of websites brings an increasing number of users! In 2019, internet users grew by a staggering 1 million users per day, which was a 9% growth from 2018. These are huge figures but not something to shy away from! More users means more chances to get noticed, and that's an exciting idea to work with. So, how can your business bring its A-game to its digital marketing strategy this year?

1. Make the most of social media

Alongside the growth of internet users comes the growth of social media and currently, 50% of small businesses aren't taking advantage of social media to promote their business. Between 2018 and 2019, the population of Australian social media users grew by 5.9% meaning a total 72% of the Australian population are active users. But what's even more exciting are there are so, so many benefits to social media that it's important not to overlook it. So, what are the benefits for you and your business?

• Create brand recognition
• Spread awareness
• It's generally a more cost-effective marketing tool
• Allows a place for you to recieve reviews and engage with your customers
• You can see what your customers are saying about your business, which can help you learn what you're doing right or where you can improve
• Social media can be used as the voice of your business - use it to tell your story, create trust and relationships with your customers
• Get data on your campaign efforts and help drive customers to your website
• Get creative! Show off your product, services and what you can do to benefit potential customers

How can you know which social media sites are right for you? Click here for more information!

2. Leverage video features

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to anyone that the most visited website annually is Google. However, lurking in the shadows of Google in second place is Youtube. A colossal 92% of internet users are consuming video content online, making it an absolutely vital area to tap in to. You don't need super fancy and expensive equipment; if you own a smartphone or tablet - you can make a video. Some ideas for your business could include "meet the team" videos, "welcome videos", "get to know the business/product" video and even "thankyou" videos. Use it as an opportunity to tell your story and show what you have to offer potential consumers.

If you have an Instagram presence, you could make use of the "stories" feature which also has a video option. These short stories on Instagram are easy and don't need to take a lot of time but posting them can keep you at the forefront of your followers minds. It truly doesn't have to be anything fancy, but have some fun with it and be creative - this will help keep users entertained and interested.

3. Content is still KEY

The days of content being extremely important are not over yet. This doesn't mean pushing out multiple pieces of content just for the sake of it - it's quality over quantity when you consider the impactfulness of content. Content marketing is known to produce 3 times more leads and helps be the voice of your business. Good content revolves around creating a story that's compelling enough to keep the user on your page and taking them through to the engagement or purchase stage. It helps to increase visibility through SEO optimization, develop trust and relationships with existing and potential consumers and helps build credibility that you're an expert in your field.

You want to ensure the content is relevant to you and your business - if you specialise in landscaping, you could write a blog on "Keeping Your Plants Happy This Season". Alternatively, if you have an upcoming event, this is something you could write about to showcase what you have going on and build excitement (this could also then be used in an email campaign to drive people to your website).

4. Focus on your client's problems

In 2020, make it easy for your clients and consumers to find answers to their problems. While it's easy to create content that amplifies the features of your service of products, we can't expect clients to know from this information how their problems can be solved. Focus less on selling and more on solving.

How can you do this? Your website copy should take the client on a journey through the benefits of the product/service first. You should already know what your target market's challenges and goals are in relation to why they are searching for you - you know how your product or service answers to the issues your clients have. In your content, talk about these problems your clients are having, how to fix it, why it's important to fix it and discuss how you and your product or service can do this for them.

5. Email, email, email!

Don't forget the importance of email campaigns in your marketing mix. Email is often an overlooked and underrated marketing tool. But, the global usership of email is set to rise to 4.3 billion by 2023, meaning there is still plenty of opportunity to leverage it as a communication channel. It's also 40% more effective at bringing new customers to the table than Facebook and Twitter combined. Not to mention, users also have greater access to emails at all times, every day of the year with the increase use of smartphones and tablets in modern society.

If you haven't started your email marketing journey yet, get going with a newsletter - if you've got new products, services or an update within your business you want to share, this is a great place to begin. Additionally, upcoming promotions/sales, especially if you're close to a holiday period, are a great way to create buzz via email.

Do you want to maximise your marketing campaigns this year, but want some extra help with any of the above techniques? Feel free to reach out to your local search specialists here for more information.