About a month ago on my blog, I shared Content Ideas for Social media. Here is a link to that post in case you missed out on that. Today, we will be briefly touching upon different aspects of digital marketing: Website, Company Profile & Portfolio, Social Media Marketing, Blog, Email and Mobile Phone marketing.
1. Website
A company website is the main reflection of a company and that is where a strong brand image builds. We must endeavor to make an excellent quality website with no mistakes/errors nor misrepresentation of facts. We must focus on making our website very attractive and as close to the truth as possible.
We must keep the following in mind:
- Theme consistency with company logo, slogan and brand image.
- Concise home page with all useful links prominently displayed.
- Update the website consistently especially whenever new events or news take place.
- Pay special attention to users comments and feedback. Consider changing, adding and removing tabs whenever issues arise or where ever appropriate.
Social media pages are never enough for a professional business. You must have a good website in place. It doesn’t cost much (I pay Rs. 2800 a year for hosting plus domain) but your reputation depends heavily on whether or not you have a website with a great user experience.
- Buy Domain (WordPress.com/Blogspot.com on your URL gives a very unprofessional image).
- Buy reliable web hosting services.
- Work on layout (WordPress good option).
- Connect your platforms. Social Media links on website. Website links on social media.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Learn about it on Google once your website is up.
2. Company Profile & Portfolio
It is very important for every company to have a well-structured and organized downloadable of profile. This should cover its company introduction, history, products and services portfolio, clients, time-line etc. This profile can be emailed to clients & prospects, downloaded from company website, or its hard-copy can be distributed to potential clients and on events. A company portfolio is a pdf file which is downloadable on company website. Here is a sample company profile of a top IT company. Small businesses should consider a professional flyer with all company/product details on it. Another example is as follows.
3. Social Media Strategy
You must define your social media strategy as there are too many platforms and you must choose them wisely. According to www.ebizmba.com, the world’s top five social media platforms in August 2016, as determined by number of unique monthly users are as under:
- Facebook – 1,100,000,000
- YouTube – 1,000,000,000
- Twitter – 310,000,000
- LinkedIn – 255,000,000
- Pinterest – 250,000,000
Following platforms in my opinion are definitely worth considering seriously for your company:
- Facebook page
- Instagram page
- InstaStories for daily updates so people can connect with you
- Linkedin company page
- Twitter page for status updates
- YouTube channel
- Skype
Facebook page
Facebook has been the undisputed king of social media for over a decade now. Twitter threatened to take its place some years ago but it quickly took back its place on top. The reason is that it is a flexible medium and has fewer limitations.
- Good quality profile picture
- Great resolution cover photo that also describes who you are and what you do
- Set target audience demographics and interests in settings
- Graphic designing
Instagram page
Instagram has been a very popular social media application for the last 6 years or so. It provides instant photo and video editing tools and sharing facility to other social media apps like Facebook and Twitter. It is known for its dynamic and impactful images. Here are some tips for Instagram advertising:
- Give a lot of attention to your Bio. In less words, define your business fully
- Give your website link in bio. Whenever you add a new post, make sure you give its address in bio and write ‘Link in profile’ with that post
- Only good quality edited pictures are meant for Instagram. No place for blurry images
Increasing audience strategies
- Follow accounts of your potential customers, so they follow you too
- Message competitors and suggest collaboration ideas
- Leave meaningful comments on competitors posts to attract followers
- Raise awareness
- Focus on quality content
- Giveaways
- Free trips/gifts
- Client testimonials
Follow benchmark pages on
4. Blog
Blog is the voice of a company. Blogs are becoming increasingly important these days. That’s how a company builds awareness on market trends, and gains insight on related industries.
- Ideally a blog post should have between 500-700 words
- Content Strategy
- Marketing strategy
- Editorial calendar
- Use headings, bullet points, pictures
- Less text
- Visual stimulation
5. Email Marketing
Email marketing is mostly used for clients who are not yet ready to buy or those who have asked for our company links. Company profile/portfolio in PDF format is attached with emails and sent to leads. We need to invest some time and start preparing email templates which will be sent to different types of prospects.
6. Mobile Phone (SMS & Whatsapp Messages) Marketing
Mobile marketing is when we make direct cold calls to our potential customers or send SMS, MMS to them. SMS reminders for upcoming events is a good idea. A day before big events, SMS is sent to participants as a reminder. It can also be used to inform them that an email has been sent to them and they may check it. A lot of businesses these days abuse this form of marketing. If a customer has not given his/her phone number then we shouldn’t get their details from somewhere else and bombard them with SMS marketing messages. Only interested customers should be sent SMS/Whatsapp messages.
Let me know if this post helped. All the best for your business ventures.
Just what I needed to read. I have my own bakery and I wanted someone to guide me how to go about its marketing on social media. Thanks a million! Regards, Hina. Lahore.
Well I knew most of this already. Just got a reminder now. Thanks for the effort. $@R@H
Good work!