FGCtv – 3 Ways to Boost your Marketing Strategy in the Summer of a Pandemic

Here are 3 ways to boost your inbound marketing strategy in the summer of a pandemic:

1. Content marketing. Content is King. Content marketing is a great inbound marketing tactic as it can spark interest in your business through original content like blog posts, photo galleries, blogs or vlogs (video + blog). Blog posts are great for inbound marketing because it helps attract individuals interested in the topic you are discussing to your website. Think about the content on your website currently; it only provides a set amount of information to your visitors. Blog posts help diversify your content and provides your business with its own unique platform to share information on.

Blog posts serve three great purposes:

1. Allows your business to connect with your audience in an authentic, storytelling way
2. Positions your business as the ‘expert-in-your-field’ to your audience while building trust in your business as a knowledgeable source of information and advise
3. Helps your website SEO by maintaining fresh content on your website
4. SMM (Social Media Marketing) Social media has paved the way for direct access to any business’s audience. Many businesses utilize Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn to connect with their audience and customers. These platforms provide businesses with a following of individuals interested in their business. Connecting with your audience on social media is another great inbound marketing strategy that can help nurture and generate leads. While social media marketing may not always result in direct sales for your business, it builds awareness of who you are, what you do and why you exist. Here are three ways you can implement an inbound marketing strategy with your audience on social media:
   1. Post ‘real life moments’ – Audiences enjoy viewing behind the scenes photos, process photos, etc. as it shows the ‘reality’ of your business and its authenticity. It allows your audience to connect with you on a human level.
   2. Run contests to promote your page and gain more followers – Audiences that have never interacted with you may need a little incentive to do so. Social Media contests are a great way to increase post views (through shares, reposts, etc.) and encourage new page followers.
   3. Ask your existing followers to share your posts – Yes, its just that simple, just ask. Sharing a post on Facebook, retweeting a tweet on Twitter or sharing a post to your Instagram story can exponentially increase your post views and help reach new viewers.

3. SEM (Search Engine Marketing) Everyday millions of internet users are online searching for a product or service. Search engine marketing can help your business’s website search rankings and makes you visible to potential customers. SEO is an important part of your inbound marketing strategy because it attracts individuals already interested in your products/services and allows the individual to visit your website instead of your competition’s website. Here are three SEO basics to know:
   1. Make sure your Google My Business page is setup and the information is updated. Google My Business is a great starting point for your business to be found on the internet. It is free to set up and will allow your business to be found in local search results.
   2. Understand what your customers are searching for. Knowing how to market first starts with knowing who you are selling to. For example, if you are a hotel or bed and breakfast, instead of users searching your business name in Google, i.e. “Dubuque B&B” most likely, users searching for a hotel or bed and breakfast will be using search terms such as “hotels in Dubuque” or “lodging in Dubuque.” You will want to know how your customers are searching for your so you know how to write copy for your website.
   3. Optimize your website images. While us humans can easily look at a photo of butter and be able to identify that as butter, search engines need a little more help. Alternative Text (alt text) is important to include on your images as it helps search engines identify what those images are. A simple example is the logo on your website. Your logo’s alt text should include your business name so search engines can identify the image. You can add alt text to all your website images through your website editor.

As you can see, inbound marketing is no simple feat. It takes time, thought and an understanding of the digital platforms. If it was easy, everyone would do it. FGC Creative can help your business achieve a comprehensive inbound marketing strategy.