Most Small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) struggle with marketing either because they don’t have a dedicated team so the person executing strategies is stretched thin or because the one person dedicated to it is overwhelmed by the speed at which marketing strategy and tactics change. If this is your situation, you’re not alone. Here are the trending marketing tactics and strategies you should pay special attention to – right now:
Mobile First
In late 2016, mobile surpassed desktops as the main device used for accessing the Internet. It can’t be ignored that mobile sites are critical and Google is ensuring marketers play strongly to mobile. In beta now but expected to be fully rolled out in the near future (probably by year end,) Google will switch to mobile first indexing. This means the mobile version of your website is the one they’ll index and base your page rank and relevancy on.
What can you do?
- Make sure your website has a mobile responsive theme
- Trim any “extras” to increase page load times – the faster, the better
- Ensure your navigation is as simple as it can be
- Look at your website on a mobile device, through the lens of your buyers and address user experience issues (such as too many choices in the navigation menu).
Content Marketing is (still) King
Content marketing isn’t a new trend; it’s an old one that isn’t going away any time soon. If you don’t have a blog, you need one but more importantly is to develop content that attracts shares and backlinks (aka someone else linking to your content.) The reason is, those are the two factors that establish relevancy in the eyes of search engines.
Types of content that promotes shares and likes:
- Evergreen content – the type of articles that never age out of being relevant
- Long lists – not 10 reasons to XYZ but rather 110 reasons to XYZ
- FAQs – your customers are asking questions, demonstrate your expertise
- Original research – it might take a little extra work to develop but worth the time
Things to ponder:
Voice Search: With the explosion of mobile and the movement towards mobile first, it stands to reason voice search is going to take over at some point – soon. When developing content, keep voice search in mind and keyword accordingly. In other words, what phrases are people speaking into their devices (vs. typing in) to find you in voice search.
Tip: FAQ pages are an excellent way to easily address some of the voice search content challenges since they are naturally phrased as questions.
Guest Blogging: Writing blogs for other websites that have an audience in line with yours is a smart way to gain exposure. When looking for sites to guest blog on, look for:
- Good audience fit
- Sites that accept guest post submissions
- Sites that allow profile bios of guest authors with links back to your website
- What type of content you could develop that would be interesting on that site
Tip: Many website that are open to guest blogs will have a “how to submit ideas” section that tells you exactly how to submit and what to expect. Also, don’t start trying to guest blog on big sites like Forbes right away, cut your teeth and hone your strategy on smaller sites. The most important thing is finding the right audience.
For more business development growth strategies, visit our blog. If you need help finding the right print or copy solution for your Colorado Springs or Pueblo Colorado business, we’re here to help!
