After this year, I don’t think I’ll ever have to explain why promoting your business online is necessary. We’ve basically been living in a virtual reality for the past six months, so there’s no more denying that your business needs to be digitally operative.
However, there’s a bit more to it than just setting up a good-looking website or making a social media account for your business. There’s this thing called digital marketing that makes all the difference on whether or not you’ll get results from having your business up and running on the interwebs.
I know it can sound intimidating if you haven’t ever promoted your business online. Perhaps this pandemic has made you realize how important it really is… but you still don’t know where to start or if you’re missing something.
That’s why we’ve created this Digital Marketing Checklist, so you can explore and see all the different ways to digitally promote your business in one place. Before you scroll through this list and become overwhelmed, know that it’s okay if you can’t check all these boxes off right now.
Gear up towards the new year by deciding what new marketing tactic you can implement in 2021. We are always taking new clients here at Be Digital and we’re happy to come on as your digital marketing strategic partner in making you rock your biz online.
Your Digital Marketing Business Checklist:
Brand Identity Check-In
First things first, do you have your branding figured out? Ask yourself the following questions. If you can’t answer these naturally and confidently, it sounds like you could use a little brand strategy.
- Do you have a clear and concise brand?
- Are you attracting your ideal clients or customers?
- Do you know who your competitors are?
- What’s unique about your business and how do you display it?
- If someone asked you what your business does, do you know how to confidently explain it without rambling?
Look Out for these Brand Identity Trends in 2021:
- Geometric shapes throughout a brand’s design
- The dark mode screen feature is coming to social media applications
- Authenticity matters, brands should stand for something
- Inviting hand-drawn illustrations and fonts
Schedule a Be Digital Brand Strategy
Website Check-In:
Your website needs to do more than just look good. The functionality, the accessibility, and the words are just as important as the design. Does your site need a little refresh or complete customization? Ask yourself these questions to find out.
- Has your website been updated in the last three years?
- Is your website mobile responsive? In other words, can you easily browse your website while on your phone?
- Does your website load quickly?
- Is your website easy to navigate?
- Does your website have an SSL certificate? (Do you even know what an SSL certificate is?)
- Does your website feature outdated stock photos?
- Does it clearly explain what you do, who you help, and why they should choose you?
Look Out for these Website Trends in 2021:
- More embedded media features such as videos, illustrations, GIFs, and animations
- SSL & Security
- Better speed and mobility
- Better overall user experience: Site structure, navigation, usability, SEO, and accessibility across all devices and platforms
Take a peek at our WordPress Website Design Services
Email Marketing Check-In:
Email marketing is really the only way that you have direct communication with your customers or prospects. Email can be a great marketing tactic for business, but you have to know how to do it properly. Let’s check in on your current email marketing strategy…
- Are you sending out regular emails to your clients and prospects? (at least 1 per quarter)
- Are your emails providing value to your readers, or are they only selling your services?
- Do you have a compelling opt-in offer that your prospective clients are signing up for?
- Are you segmenting your lists by customer/audience so the right people are receiving the right content?
- Are you actually checking your email analytics and seeing the results you hope for?
Look Out for These Email Marketing Trends in 2021:
- More animated graphics
- Segmented and targeted campaigns
- More personalization (Did you know that emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to get opened?)
- Interactive marketing tactics
Explore our Email Marketing Solutions
Social Media Marketing Check-In:
Social media marketing is one of those things everyone thinks they need to do in order to *grow big* yet few understand it takes years of consistency to build an authentic, engaged audience and become a credible resource. You have to start with the basics and grow your strategy over time. Let’s check-in:
- Do you have one or more social media channels for your business?
- Are your social media pages up to date?
- Have you posted anything on social media within the last month?
- Are you on the right platforms for your business?
- Are you on too many social media platforms?
- What do you think your followers want to see from you, and are you giving that to them?
- Are you showing up consistently and taking advantage of new features and the engagement you do get?
- Do you have a way for your customers to contact you on social media, and are you responding when they do?
Look Out for These Social Media Trends in 2021
- More customers are relying on social media channels for customer service
- Instagram will become more search-friendly
- Social Media Examiner said it better than I ever could, “Smart businesses will understand that being transparent, authentic, and even vulnerable is smart marketing in 2021. People connect with people. This means the brand should be personified in a way that reveals who they stand for and what they stand for.”
Peruse our Social Media Marketing Solutions
Content Writing Check-In:
We thrive off of content. It’s everywhere, it’s all the time, and it’s not going anywhere. You have to ask yourself how your content is making the mark over all the other noise your potential customers hear every day. (Yes, every single day, we are being pulled in different directions by CONTENT). Ask yourself the basics:
- Are you creating new content that provides value to your audience?
- Do you write articles, add videos, or share insight on your website?
- Are you consistent on how often you deliver out new content?
- Are you creating your own content for social media?
- Do you send out announcements via social media or email when new content is published?
- When was the last time you cleaned up or purged outdated content?
Look Out for These Content Writing Trends in 2021:
- BLOGS—but not just written articles, 2021 will bring a better mix of content like video blogs and podcasting
- Content maintenance: In other words, do you have content that could be consolidated to make the user experience better, or are there old pages on your website that need to be de-indexed?
- Valuable content that answers the consumer’s questions
- People-optimized content. No keyword stuffing (BIG ONE)
- Internal linking
- Build content with your target customer in mind and talk like a human, not a robot.
Browse our Content Writing Services
SEO/Optimizations Check-In:
If you have a beautiful website that people can’t find, what’s the point? Throughout my years of being in this industry, search engine optimization is one of the most common things to fall by the wayside yet will always be so, so important. It’s also one of those things that’s best to outsource to ensure it’s being operated properly. Brainstorm this:
- Is your website easy to find on search engines?
- Have you ever done any keyword research for your industry?
- Do you provide content that your audience cares about?
- Do you answer your customers’ questions on your website?
- Are your service pages properly optimized for SEO?
- Do you understand what SEO means and how it coincides with all digital marketing practices?
Look Out for These SEO Trends in 2021
- Featured snippets
- Google pulls FAQs or portions of FAQs from any given website, makes the FAQ into a snippet that offers a zero-click answer for any given search engine query. (You want your site to be the answer).
Schedule a Be Digital SEO Audit
So, How is Your Business Looking?
Instead of letting this massive check-in stress you out, consider the amount of clarity you now have moving into the new year. You know what digital marketing tactics your business is lacking. You know what needs to be done. Now it’s just a matter of building upon the right team to execute the job.
Browse through the Digital Marketing Services and let us know if you have questions about any of the things we discussed here. Chances are, we’ve dealt with it and we know how to fix it. ?
