Thinking of planning your next marketing campaign for the festive season?
From social media advertising to newspaper advertising there are numerous ways to achieve your marketing goals this Christmas, so which should you choose? When you have a lot going on during the festive season it can be difficult to stand back and analyse the available options – which is why we are here to help.
In this blog, we will provide you with seven simple but highly effective ways to promote your business. Giving you all the information you need to decide what will work for your business, and how we can help you achieve your goals.
Before we begin, there are a few things you should consider before creating any marketing campaign. So ask yourself: what, who, when and why?
What are my goals?
Set realistic goals by asking what you want to achieve from your campaign. Would you like to increase sales? Launch or promote a specific product or service? Increase website traffic? Or do you want everyone to know about your business?
Who are my customers?
Knowledge is power. Knowing who your customers are allows you to tailor your message and channels to their preferences and needs. This not only helps you save budget and time, but also ensures your efforts resonate with the right people, in the right place, at the right time.
Why should I promote my business?
It’s important to ask yourself why you want to promote your business and keep this at the forefront of your mind when planning and executing your campaign. Understanding why will help you make decisions that align with your overall marketing strategy.
Finally, when should I start my campaign?
Planning a campaign’s starting date can dictate its success. You want to make sure your campaign message and goals are relevant and aligned to your available resources. You can look at historical data, and understand customer behaviour. Ultimately you want to align campaigns with peak seasons and industry trends. We are at the beginning of the Christmas season so if you usually generate more revenue around this time of the year it’s probably a good idea to start planning a festive campaign.
Here are steps to consider when planning your campaign:
1 | Make a name for yourself online
Having a recognisable brand online is key to any business. Your online activity promotes your business 24/7 so it is worth spending time getting it right. This includes a user-friendly website, active social media profiles, and consistent branding across all platforms. Your website is often the first point of contact for potential customers, so make sure it’s optimised for both search engines and user experience. If you are not sure if this is the case for your website you can request a FREE online marketing report from us here.
2| Are you making the most of organic traffic?
SEO is a key player in promoting your business online, it helps you attract organic traffic to your content. To get your website to show up for relevant search terms or ‘keywords’ in search engines like Google, they need to be optimised across three different areas: technical, on-site and off-site.
Technical SEO ensures that Google understands and can easily and quickly access all pages you want to rank. Having a technically sound website is only one aspect of great SEO.
On-site SEO – ultimately, users want to read about your product or services, so you need high-quality, informative, and engaging content that’s optimised to rank high in search engines.
Off-site SEO – refers to the strategies and activities undertaken outside of your website to enhance its search engine rankings. This includes building high-quality backlinks from reputable websites, establishing a strong presence on social media platforms, and engaging in online partnerships and collaborations. Off-site SEO is essential because search engines like Google consider factors beyond your website’s content and structure when determining its credibility and authority.
3 | Make it more social
Social media platforms are one of the most accessible and effective ways of promoting your business online. Share your content, and your story, engage with your audience, and use paid advertising to extend your reach. You can exist where your customers spend their time and become part of their day-to-day routines. Educate and entertain, don’t forget the fundamental reasons why your customers are on the platform. Try and generate two-way conversations on social media – this humanises your business, increases engagement, builds loyalty and trust and helps you gain and maintain more brand advocates. Create your own community.
4 | Video will humanise your business
Videos are highly engaging and can convey messages more effectively than static images or text. It also helps with storytelling to create an emotional connection with current and potential customers. Videos are highly shareable, increasing the chances of your content reaching more people. You can also encourage customers to create and share their own videos using your products or at your shop, it will feel more authentic and at minimal cost. This will help in building brand loyalty and trust.
