Social media marketing tips for success in 2020
Many digital marketers love spending time developing social media marketing strategies because there is a lot of room for experimentation and creativity. But. Because social media marketing does not conform to loads of digital marketing rules, it can become overwhelming to achieve success in this medium. Here are a few key aspects that will help you achieve your goals in social media marketing in 2020 How to be successful in social media marketing in 2020: Focus on building your brand through organic engagement Your brand can have incredible products, outstanding visuals and professional customer service, but without organic engagement, you won’t stand out on social media. If you want to win loyalty, you need to engage your audience instead of putting up a perfectly produced image. Your brand needs to be sincere, approachable and even a little light-hearted at times. The idea of social media is to sell the experience that your brand can provide in an authentic way. By engaging with your audience, you’ll gain loyal followers who will be brand advocates. Show up where your audience is By knowing your audience, you will be able to speak to them in the right manner, wherever they are engaging on social media. Don’t waste time creating content for platforms that your audience will never engage with. Instead, invest your time in choosing appropriate channels and participating in discussions with your audience on those channels. Social media should never be treated as a static platform that merely houses your product images, but as a living community that is continuously growing and evolving. Align contests with your goals Everybody loves a giveaway, but if you’re using contests on social media incorrectly, you won’t get the ROI your brand can achieve. Instead of placing the focus on the prizes that your audience can win, shift your attention to creating a way for contestants to engage with your brand. If you successfully implement this approach to all your contests, you will be attracting an audience that wants to interact with your brand, not just those who want to win the prize and disappear into the digital void. Use video content to update and refresh your social media Brands can learn a few lessons from independent creators, including how to use video content to liven up social media feeds successfully. With a good creation strategy, your brand can consistently show up in social media feeds with fresh video content that is engaging, interesting and easy to digest. The best of all is that video content can be short, informal and incredibly powerful in communicating relevant information in an instant. This format gives your brand a way to always remain at the forefront of trends and developments in your industry. If you need a fresh perspective on your social media marketing strategy or any of our other digital marketing services, contact WSI for a...
read more
Essential Digital Marketing Trends During COVID-19
Staying afloat during the global COVID-19 crises can be daunting for businesses. Still, with the ability to access the internet and a few key digital marketing trends, business owners can minimise the impact of COVID-19 and future-proof their operations. Digital marketing trends: Tips on shifting your focus during COVID-19 Create opportunities to interact With a lot of people spending more time at home and the entire business world slowing down (if not stopping entirely for specific industries), your audience may have more time to consume your content, but only if it’s produced correctly. You need to shift your focus to creating content that enables your audience to interact with your business and the content itself. Create opportunities for your audience to provide feedback through polls and quizzes, make your product posts shoppable, introduce video messages to your feeds and make use of AR/VR technology to stand out from the competition. Keep an eye on incoming engagement so you can reply in time to build your reputation among consumers. If you provide shoppable posts, give your customers a clear indication of what they can expect in terms of production and delivery timelines (before they hit the “checkout” button). Use SEO smartly The rapidly changing environment is creating a lot of change in SEO trends. Although this might be hard for brands that usually rank well, it is good news for brands that offer products and services which were typically reserved for smaller markets. No one could predict the upswing in searches for toilet paper and face masks a year ago, but good digital marketers can innovate and use SEO smartly to come out on top of the SERP. The new favourite shopping destination: Social media While addressing trends, we cannot forget about the uptake in online shopping. Due to the restriction of movement (and rules for gathering), businesses are offering services and products online. If you have a product-based business, or you can provide your services online, now is an excellent opportunity to sell on social media. Investigate the different platforms and options for selling online, and engage your audience where they are hanging out on social media. It is vital to remember that good social media marketing means more than pushing your products onto a social media platform. You’ll need to understand how people search for and shop on social media. Addressing Google Ads In 2019, Google announced improvements in bidding goals to help marketers reach to improve their performance. While these improvements helped to optimise ad bids and improve conversion, some industries are now seeing a decline in their pay per click results. It is essential to keep a close eye on your Google Ads performance and make strategic changes to ensure that your budget is spent in the most effective way possible. For help with your digital marketing efforts, including pay per click campaigns, and social selling strategy, contact WSI for more...
read moreWhy you need a website if you have an offline marketing campaign
You have spent a lot of money on in-store advertising, brochures, flyers, and other forms of promotion. You probably thought that your marketing was 100% sorted before the global COVID-19 pandemic made its presence known. Even if your business has reopened, there will still be a need for social distancing, meaning that fewer people are likely to visit your store in-person. As a result, your offline campaign will not generate the results that you had hoped for. How can you remedy this? The answer lies in creating a website with a web design that is both functional and attractive. Below, we highlight the main reasons why a website is still an essential marketing tool, even if your offline marketing strategy is up to scratch. A website adds credibility to your brand If a potential customer wants to learn more about your business after seeing one of your flyers or brochures, the first place that they will go is online. Not having a digital presence can be a black mark against you and can make your business seem behind the times and unprofessional. However, having a great website mirroring your offline campaign message can be the push needed to encourage the potential customer to take action and convert, visit your store, or get in touch. A website boosts customer support If your customer has any questions about your business, campaign, or offering in general, they will head over to your website to access your contact details. However, if you have decided to implement a simple chatbot in your web design, they might get their answers that way instead. A website increases sales You will need to embrace the world of e-commerce for this to be the case. The beauty of e-commerce and online sales is that customers are not restricted to business hours should they wish to make a purchase. The process of buying and selling will be easier for the customer and for you. Are you looking for a digital marketing agency that can assist you with web design to support your offline marketing campaigns? Choose WSI OMS. Along with expert web design for businesses big and small, we also specialise in SEO, content marketing, PPC, and social media marketing. Contact us today to learn...
read moreUsing SEO to sustain your presence during COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing the emergence of what digital marketing experts are calling the “infodemic”, but with proper SEO practices and a sincere desire to provide your audience with relevant, trustworthy information, your business can remain pertinent to consumers. How SEO can help you sustain your presence online during COVID-19: Stay visible Now is not the time to relax and forget about your SEO strategy- your competitors won’t! Now is the best time to clarify what you want to achieve and how to use your SEO strategy to accomplish your digital marketing goals. The topics listed below can further help you to develop your SEO strategy. The effort you make during the pandemic will help you to establish your reputation in your industry, which will help you to outrank your competitors when the pandemic blows over. Provide your expertise Even if your products or services are not directly related to the pandemic, or deemed to be essential, you can still share your knowledge and improve your SEO ranking. The best way to approach the task of providing your expertise is to think about how your offerings can improve the lives of consumers right now. If you’re a restaurant owner, you might now be able to receive clients at the moment, but you can share some of your recipes or cooking tips that people can try at home. It won’t sell meals during the pandemic, but it will show your audience that you can impact their lives positively and that builds loyalty. Now is the time to serve your audience with your expertise and knowledge instead of trying to merely sell products. Be sincere in showing empathy If you’ve received an email from every brand you’ve ever interacted with, you will understand how awful some of the digital marketing efforts can be. Ensure that your content is positive, hopeful and most importantly, sincere in showing empathy. It’s one thing to tell consumers that you care, but a whole different thing to prove that you are sincere. Extend a lifeline for other businesses If you can help out other brands during the pandemic, create an offer and use your SEO strategy to reach the largest possible audience. If you’re considering an offer that provides a discount on your services or products during the pandemic, think strategically about how you can share the message with the largest group of people, including the use of SEO tactics to generate interest in your offering. Stay on top of trends Keyword research is always essential, but staying aware of the changing trends should be a fundamental part of your SEO strategy at the moment. Because changes are happening rapidly in the digital marketing industry, you need to stay up to date to edge out your competition. Look for trends in digital marketing, including social media marketing, web design and email marketing and implement these trends in your digital marketing strategy to improve your business’s SEO ranking. If you need help to sustain your presence during COVID-19 with a good SEO strategy, contact WSI for a...
read more
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on SEO Trends
The global reach of the COVID-19 pandemic is making an impact on every aspect of the digital marketing world, and SEO trends are not exempt from the changes brought on by COVID-19. Digital marketers have seen a shift in SEO trends. These are some of the current SEO trends that could influence digital marketing until the COVID-19 pandemic dies down. SEO Trends during the COVID-19 pandemic Trends on the rise – Online shopping: Instead of heading out to physical retail stores, consumers are now more likely to use online shopping to purchase goods and services. Click and collect options, delivery of shopping and purchase of digital vouchers to support small businesses are all included in the online shopping trend. This trend is rising as the pandemic becomes worse all across the globe and might positively influence the future of commerce, as many people are shopping online for the first time. If the experience is positive, customers may return to online shopping even when the pandemic has runs its course. – Essential products and services Searches for essential products and services are rising daily, and consumers are searching for items that used to be reserved for smaller, niche markets. Personal protective equipment such as face masks and gloves and hand sanitizers are becoming more popular as consumers try to keep themselves safe from infection. Local searches are becoming increasingly important because many governments are restricting travel, and people are starting to self-isolate, consumers will be looking for convenient, local options to solve their needs for products and services. – Health, hygiene and wellness information With the rising awareness of the existence and dangers of COVID-19, consumers are searching for products, services and information to keep themselves safe from the pandemic. Rising search trends include the symptoms of COVID-19, how to prevent infection, methods of sanitising your home, and reports on the global and local infection and death rates. – Recipes, food trends and nutrition Due to restaurants and fast-food outlets being closed during the pandemic and stricter rules for movement being put in place, people are preparing food at home more often. Searches for recipes, meal ideas, nutritional information and tips on how to meal-prep and make ingredients last longer have been on the rise. Spending more time at home and having limited options for shopping for food items has necessitated a more creative approach to preparing meals, and online sources that supply this kind of information is seeing an increase in website traffic. – News Most news outlets and news media companies are seeing a lot more traffic during the pandemic, but the increase in search traffic isn’t limited only to traditional news publishers. Independent creators are providing information related to the disease to consumers. A physician from Michigan posted a video on YouTube with recommendations on how to disinfect grocery items and got over 20 million views in a week. – Safe recreational activities In areas where governments are allowing their citizens to move around freely while practising social distancing, there has been a tremendous rise in searches for recreational activities that are relatively safe to practice such as hiking, camping, and renting video games. Because facilities such as sports clubs and gyms are no longer freely accessible, at-home exercise equipment and home-based workouts are also becoming more...
read moreSEO: Ranking during COVID-19
The world is currently facing a challenge like never before with the COVID-19 pandemic. Because this virus has permeated every part of our lives, SEO will definitely be influenced by the pandemic. If you’re trying to understand how you can switch gears to rank for the SEO keywords during the pandemic, here’s a list of our top tips. 6 ideas for SEO ranking during COVID-19: 1. Find ways to connect with the issue The time is ripe for brands and businesses to show how they can provide value to their audiences, so don’t slip in a few COVID-19 related keywords for the sake of ranking. Insread, do proper research and find ways to connect your business to the issue at hand. You don’t have to provide an essential service to be relevant, but you do need to create a clear link between your business and the issues your audience might face during the COVID-19 pandemic. Think about the products and services you provide and emphasise how your business can solve problems. 2. Research COVID-19 related keywords and plan your target strategy Even if your brand does not directly relate to the COVID-19 pandemic, you can still find ways to target certain keywords and rank in search results. You will have to spend a considerable amount of time in researching which keywords are appropriate to use and find creative ways to use those keywords in your content. 3. Ask your audience If you feel lost in your attempt to rank for questions related to COVID-19, ask your audience about their experiences, pain points and worries. If you understand what your audience needs, you can change your strategy to align with what your audience wants to know right now. 4. Create a dedicated page to address the COVID-19 situation If you want to provide information to your audience about your business during the COVID-19 pandemic, you can create one dedicated page on your website that contains relevant content, answers their questions and stipulates how your operation will address the challenges of the day. Be sure to include appropriate SEO keywords on this page to get the best results. 5. Be sure to update your FAQ page If you don’t want to dedicate an entire page to COVID-19, be sure to at least update your FAQ section so your audience can stay informed on your strategies for coping with the situation. If your business can still operate normally, tell your audience of the measures you have taken to keep them safe when interacting with you. 6. Explore new channels Most businesses have suspended regular trading, which has created the perfect opportunity for you to explore new communication channels. Experiment with providing content via webinars, create video content or host online meet-ups to stay in touch and add value for your audience in this time of uncertainty. Are you looking for the best ways to improve your SEO ranking? Contact us to find out more about our SEO services, web design and mobile...
read more
What is SEO in digital marketing?
You are probably still trying to ‘find your feet’ if you are relatively new to the world of online marketing. You might have started creating a presence for your business on social media, or investing in PPC advertising to boost website hits. However, you need to be aware that if you do not dedicate enough time and money to perfect your website’s SEO, all of your other digital marketing efforts are almost certain to be in vain. So, what is SEO, exactly? And why is it such a vital aspect of any digital marketing strategy? Furthermore, how can you master it? Below are all of the facts that you need to know. What is SEO? SEO revolves around optimizing your website in line with best practice guidelines as outlined by Google and other search engines. By adhering to these recommendations, Google will rank your website higher when potential customers type keywords or keyphrases relevant to your service offering. The higher towards the top you rank, the better the chances of potential customers clicking through to your website before clicking through to your competitors. In order to understand the true meaning of SEO, you need to look at its three main components – the quality of the traffic, how much of it you are getting, and organic results. Ultimately, the goal of SEO should not be to attract hordes of people to your website. It should be to attract the right people to your website. Those people should be individuals who are actually interested in buying what you are selling. When you have the right people making their way to your website, only then can you focus on boosting the numbers. SEO is all about generating organic results – in other words, organic traffic for which you do not pay anything extra. Having said that, paid traffic / PPC is a great way to support your SEO efforts. What is included in SEO? There are various aspects to consider when putting an SEO strategy together. You will need to ensure that you cover both on-page and off-page SEO factors. On-page SEO factors include metadata, engaging content, proper inter-linking, and easy navigation across the site map. Off-page SEO factors include links from trustworthy websites back to your own website, as well as reviews and social media. Other great tips to remember to maximise your SEO efforts include ensuring optimal crawl accessibility so that the search engines can effortlessly scan through and ‘understand’ your website. You should also focus your attention on crafting compelling content that strives to provide in-depth answers to the questions that searchers are typing into Google. Doing this also boosts your chances of your content appearing in a Google snippet! Marketers need to spend time researching keywords that will attract both searchers and search engines, all the while dedicating time to enhancing user experience through faster loading speeds, easy navigation, etc. Finally, be sure to include relevant keywords in all meta titles, URLs, and meta descriptions to draw in a higher CTR when it comes to your rankings. Here at WSI OMS, we specialise in everything from SEO to social media marketing. Get in touch today for the full scope of our service...
read moreHow to Adjust Email Marketing During COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses across the globe are shifting gears when it comes to email marketing, using this platform to communicate a variety of important messages. If you are unsure of the kind of information you should include in your email marketing efforts, take a look at our guide. Useful information to share in your email marketing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Taking your business online If your business can provide products or services during the pandemic without compromising the safety of your clients or overstepping regulations, you need to communicate this to your clients. Be sure to comply with any local regulations and only provide products and services that have been approved by your local government. You will need to inform your clients of your safety measures and communicate clearly what you can deliver and how you can continue with your operations. New communication methods and channels Due to the nature of the situation during COVID-19, your business might be expanding to include new communication channels. If you are engaging via webinars, podcasts or new social media channels, you should let your clients know so they can get access to your content and offers on all their preferred channels. Stand-out communications If you’re looking to make an impact, it will benefit your business to get creative with your branding or messaging during COVID-19. You can follow the example of popular companies such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Coca-Cola and adapt the visuals that will accompany your email communication to encourage social-distancing, self-isolation and staying home. Find ways to modify your branding to communicate your support for these health and safety measures. It will help you to stand out from your competition if they are sending generic communications. Communicate special offers or discounts for essential workers If your business can provide special offers, discounted prices or anything that will make life easier for essential workers, be sure to include this in your email marketing. You can include shareable images with your information in your emails and ask your audience to share it on social media so it can reach a broader audience. Even if your business only allows essential workers to skip to the front of the line, you need to share this information with your audience. Your audience members may know essential workers who deserve some special treatment and share your offers or special allowances with those essential workers. Create special offers to encourage appropriate behaviour If you have products or services that will make it easier for your clients to self-isolate, keep their distance and adopt better hygiene practices, create special offers around those products and services. This could include discounts on home-deliveries, special prices for protective equipment (like masks) and discounted rates for online interactions versus physical meetings (if meetings are even still allowed in your area). Be sensitive in the use of your designs and copy When creating your email content, be careful that you are not encouraging actions that could worsen the pandemic. Remove visuals depicting close contact like hugging or shaking hands and don’t encourage your audience to break the rules or take risky actions. Provide discounted or free access to your resources If you have valuable content that users can access online, now is the time to draw attention to it via...
read moreReducing digital marketing due to COVID-19? Read this first
It stands to reason that companies would begin reducing digital marketing efforts, due to the downturn in the global economy during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, while reducing marketing spending may seem, intuitively, to the be the smart choice, the drop in search demand for your brand and/or products may actually indicate that you need to take precisely the opposite action. It may be time to increase your bids You many have noticed that the prices of pay-per-click ads have been dropping in certain industries. This is because many companies have stopped or reduced their bids for ads. There has been no corresponding reduction in internet traffic, meaning that your audience is still browsing and is still there to see your ads. You can now reach them at a fraction of the price than you previously would have been able to. So, far from reducing your ad spend, it’s time to ratchet it up! Email marketing still works Even if you do decide to reduce spending in some areas of digital marketing, you should still keep your email marketing steady – or even increase it. Email doesn’t cost you much, so you have very little to gain from cutting it – and plenty to gain from continuing to use it extensively. You may not be able to influence search demand to your liking but you can compensate for this through upscaling your email efforts. Hitting people’s inboxes directly is more reliable than taking your chances with search engines. Pulling back on SEO now will affect your rankings later on While it may be true that there is a reduction in search demand, it would be very short-sighted to cut back on your SEO work as a result of this. Demand will return to normal and when it does, your SEO homework should all be perfectly executed so that you can maintain and even increase your rankings. In short, while it may seem that a reduction in digital marketing is now called for, the best the thing to do is carry on regardless. Through increased pay-per-click activity – now at a reduced price, you can get much better return on ad spend (ROAS). Through continued email campaigns, you can maintain your presence in spite of search demand reduction. Finally, with sustained SEO work you can ensure that you’re in a prime position when search demand returns to normal. WSI OMS can help you modify and perfect your digital marketing campaigns during the COVID-19 crisis. Contact us for more...
read moreHow to adapt your marketing during COVID-19
As has become very clear to anyone doing any kind of digital marketing, strategies and tactics need to change substantially in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. For a long time to come, we will not be able to rely on the same techniques and approaches we used before. In fact, we may never be able to go back at all to the way things were. The beauty of marketing, however, is that it is endlessly adaptable when we set our minds to it. Here are some ideas that will help you maintain your relationship with your audience during these difficult times. Be willing to help others If COVID-19 has proven anything, it’s that none of us is in this alone. Accordingly, we can’t just carry on doing business by looking out for ourselves alone. Be prepared to make some sacrifices and to give to your clients and associates. Giveaways are always a good tactic, even in a good economic climate but there’s a distinction here: don’t offer giveaways as sales tactic, but rather as a demonstration of your social conscience, as a way of giving back when times are tough. Customers are very likely to respond to this. You may not get increased sales right away, but you will boost your brand and you will draw more followers, friends and subscribers who will think very highly of you. That will pay dividends further down the line. Invest in pay-per-click ads while prices are low The demand for paid ads has dropped substantially since the crisis hit. This means that ads are cheaper than ever. At the same time, people are spending more time online and are thus a captive audience for you to reach with ads. So you can spend less on ads and have a greater impact. If you tended to avoid spending on PPC advertising before, now is a good time to start making the investment in bidding for those ads. Adjust your payment options to boost conversions Since the outbreak started, conversion rates have taken a massive dive in most industries. People have not stopped visiting pages – the hits are as high as ever – they just don’t move to close the deal. This is understandable, of course, as people are being especially careful about their spending at the moment. So why not, meet people halfway? Introduce payment plans or discounts to help people take advantage of your offers. The people who really want what you are offering will gratefully grab the opportunity. Those who are less sure may be swayed by your willingness to accommodate them. Offer training courses As unemployment and redundancies loom large for many people, they are starting to look for alternative career options. As their old industries become unviable, they seek to upskill themselves in professions that are likely to be more in demand. If you offer training, you can both help to lift people out of unemployment and expand your own HR capital, both of which are also great for your brand. Diversify your audience geographically The current crisis is affecting different countries in different ways. If your business depends on only one country, you are limiting yourself severely. Through international SEO, you can expand your reach and find new customers in territories where the economies are more...
read more