Disclaimer: If you’re new to this internet marketing thing, we really don’t think you’re stupid. It was just too good of a title to pass up! If you’re reading this, it got your attention right?
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Is your internet marketing strategy showing your business any love? We’ve written a few blogs comparing different parts of internet marketing to dating because that is exactly what you are doing – wooing your customer. (You can find links to these posts at the end of this article).
There are many components of an online strategy that all work together in a holistic way to ultimately get you customers, but where on the stupid to cupid scale do your efforts fall?
Website Creation
This is the first impression you’re making to customers. Just as you would put careful consideration into planning your outfit for your first date, careful planning, design and writing should be considered when creating or recreating your business website.
Stupid: You change your website design once a year – or haven’t changed it ever!
Cupid: Your website is the central component of your internet marketing strategy. It doesn’t have to be updated every year just because you feel like it or there is some flashy new trend happening. But it should reflect who you are as a company, what you offer, be appealing to look at, and easy to navigate. If it has all these components you will get noticed by potential customers.
Blogging
Your blog is how people get to know you to see if you’re worth pursuing further – like a first date. When people are searching for you online, and they click on an interesting blog title, they’ll read it and decide if they want to get to know you better. Blogging is the heartbeat of your internet marketing strategy.
Stupid: You blog once a week at best, and just talk about whatever comes to mind.
Cupid: To see any sort of traction in the next year you should be blogging a minimum of twice a week to breathe any sort of life into your internet marketing efforts, and you should be blogging about what people are searching for related to your business. You wouldn’t pursue someone you really weren’t interested in dating, would you?
Lead Generation
Before you actually go on a date, you have to find someone to date, right? This can happen by seeking someone out because they’ve got your attention somehow, or by being introduced to them. That’s where lead generation comes in.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is how you get noticed by the search engines, so that when a potential “date” or customer types in a term, the search engine can “introduce” you to your potential customer. This can also be done on your website with a call-to-action (CTA) that should be designed in a way that stands out to people visiting your site, but also helps direct them what to do next.
Stupid: You have no idea what people are searching for online in your industry and you don’t care.
Cupid: You have a keyword strategy in place so you not only know what people are searching for, but you’re providing great content in the form of blogs, offers, and email marketing campaigns to capture their attention and keep them interested.
Social Media
The only way to get to know someone is to continually interact with them and learn their likes and dislikes. That is exactly what your customers and potential customers are doing with your business on social media platforms and what you can do with them. Answer their questions and ask them questions. Give them helpful tips and ask what they want to know more about. Give them flowers - a little something extra to make them feel special - by sending them to your website to download a valuable offer or share something fun and interesting. Like any relationship, there’s a give and take.
Stupid: You think someone created a social media account for your business at some point, but you don’t ever post on it – heck you aren’t even sure what the login information is.
Cupid: You know which social media platform your target customers use the most and you are posting and interacting with them consistently – at least once a day. You’re getting “liked” and making good “impressions.” (Pun intended).
Analytics
Everyone has some way of evaluating their relationships. Maybe if he makes you laugh he’s a keeper or if she laughs at your jokes you’ll ask her out again. If you don’t have standards, goals, or something to measure against, then you’ll end up alone living in your parent’s basement. Just kidding. The point is, you shouldn’t be with someone who doesn’t make you a better person and you shouldn’t be implementing an internet marketing strategy that isn’t giving you results.
Stupid: You have no system in place to measure your efforts.
Cupid: You are using Google Analytics or some other software to give you monthly reports that show you the full customer picture across all your internet marketing efforts to see if what you have is worth continuing or if it’s time to break up.
Lead Conversion
You just finished your first date. She gave you her phone number and said “call me.” That’s kinda what converting a lead does. They’ve taken some time to get to know you by reading your blogs or perusing your website. You caught their attention when you showed up in the search results, they interacted with your post on social media, or clicked on a call-to-action on your website. They’ve now been taken to a landing page where they will give you their phone number (or whatever information you ask for) because they like you and want to get to know you better.
Stupid: The landing pages you have created are sending mixed signals. Your date or potential customer doesn’t know what to do or what you’re providing because it’s unclear what you have to offer.
Cupid: Your landing pages clearly tell your potential customers what they will get and give them helpful information that they actually want without seeming confusing or too needy.
Email Marketing
Email marketing nurtures the relationship you have with your customers by sending love letters – well, sort of. You want to keep the sparks alive in your relationship. This is done by getting to know each other better: keeping them updated on your business, sharing important changes happening, and providing helpful, enjoyable content. Your goal is to get into the relationship, and your ultimate goal is to make it last.
Stupid: You are making all the common mistakes to make your emails feel like spam.
Cupid: You follow email marketing best practices that get you high click through rates and signal to you that maybe they’re THE ONE.
The pieces and parts of internet marketing are used to create an online strategy that people love. Has cupid’s arrow struck your internet marketing strategy? If you think your business could use some love and advice in this area, contact us for a free 30 minute consultation – no strings attached!
Related Articles:
The Best Landing Pages Are Like a Love Story
4 Lessons an Email Marketing Consultant Can Learn From Online Dating
Why is Social Media Important? One Night Stands vs. Long Term Relationships
