Your clients get almost all of their research and information on goods and services from search engines and social media. If your business isn’t there when they go to look for it, you will lose one potential client after the next. If they find you and make swift judgements about your company (and they will!), you will also lose them if your content is boring, off-putting or badly designed. Your business needs to be accessible AND compelling.
Based on a combination of insights from Arnie Kuenn and Mark Suster, among others, here are some easy tips for attracting and maintaining business.
1. Target Traffic Through Keyword Research
Keywords are really important when it comes to content marketing. These words are the connectors between the searcher and your business through the search engine. If you aren’t using the right key words, you’ve lost your clients because they can’t find you. Consider the perspective of a prospective buyer. Do you list key terms, model or serial numbers, components? Do you anticipate your buyers’ questions?
2. Write content for your target audience.
Often, business owners make the mistake of blogging for themselves instead. For example, they write about being an entrepreneur instead of how the shed they are selling will help the customer.
3. Don’t follow more people than are following you on Twitter.
Search engines trust heavier Twitter influence and following more than follow you can indicate the opposite.
4. Maintain Content
If you don’t maintain your content, you are going to misrepresent your business to searchers. Out of date, irrelevant and untimely content sends a message of your company as ‘old news.’ Make sure that your site is consistent with your ever-changing goals and business.
5. Blog frequently.
Businesses that blog daily generate more traffic than those that post weekly only.
6. Use links to emphasize your goods and services
This is a really significant part of how a client will navigate your site. Following these tips to ensure proper use: the link should be a different color from the primary text, make it clear where the link will lead, avoid generic anchor text, and, most importantly, direct users to a useful page that fits their needs.
7. Build online communities.
Ask your users for feedback, offer prizes or other ways for your users to get involved. Mention specific clients and post client feedback.
8. Time your posts appropriately
Think about the time of year, upcoming holidays, even time of day and incorporate that into your posts. If you sell seasonal items, think about the best time to advertise. If your clients work at night, post during the day.
9. Include social sharing and following buttons
The more you’re connected to other sites, the more visible you become online.
Search engines are becoming the most important part of advertising and communication between buyers and sellers. If you’re not paying attention to the best ways to reach out to your audience, you could be missing out on potential business. Using social media wisely is the key to the success of your business.