Whether you are a new company or have just been intimidated by creating a digital presence for your company, we totally understand how daunting “going digital” can be.
Most of the reason we (Six Street Marketing) exist is to take away the burden and anxieties that surround this task and simply do it for you.
Knowing and organizing the initial steppingstones on how to get started are extremely helpful in manifesting your companies digital future.
Here is what needs to happen to begin the momentum as well as allow you to progress naturally through the life of your company’s digital presence.
Step One: Website
Your website is the foundation where you will build the rest of your online empire. If we look at digital marketing as a funnel, your website is the base where all the rest of your endeavors will lead people. Your website is where the gloves come off and you offer the viewer the absolute nuts and bolts about what you do, how you do it, who you do it for and where you conduct business.
Pro-Tip: You probably don’t need a 10K website! Unless you are primarily an ecommerce company or a government agency you can utilize the many drag-and-drop website builders to achieve the look and function of what you are looking for.
Step Two: SEO Audit
SEO (search engine optimization) are the breadcrumbs that Google, Bing, etc. will use to trace themselves back to you. Constant activity, or changing of your SEO terms monthly, train search engines that you are active and generous with your breadcrumbs. They will get used to feeding at your doorstep and reward you handsomely with rankings (how to get on the first page of Google).
Get an audit of your industry, company and demographics and then pepper in these long tail keywords throughout the written content on your website. You will use these terms in your social media endeavors as well.
Pro-Tip: Back in the day an SEO company would charge you $5000.00 and produce a single spaced 15-page document full of your SEO Terms. Times and search habits have changed and so a monthly audit for a couple of hundred dollars are the way to go. This will produce 5-10 specific terms that the public are currently using to find products like yours. They will change next month.
Step Three: Social Media
Going back to the funnel example, social media is the top of the funnel or net that you will use to engage, entertain and educate your public with the desire to get them to your website and potentially become a client. Social media is crucial in the attraction of new business as well as increasing your ranks on search engines by showing activity.
Pro-Tip: Pick only the platforms where your demographic hang out and forget the rest. The only thing you can do wrong on social media is be inconsistent. Create a weekly schedule and stick to it! Post content that doesn’t just preach your product or service. Give your audience meaningful content that gets them to stop and check you out. They may not need your widget today but they know somebody that does and they will in the future.
Of course, there are endless tools to use in addition to your initial list and you will feel much more confident exploring which tools to use once you dip your big toe in the digital waters, but let go of the notion that you have to be “everywhere” and know “everything”. You don’t, but you do need to start. You will always lose if you don’t play.