In today’s context, technological advancements and social platforms have rendered it essential for your website to be built upon three pillars – social media, local search and mobile technology (hence the birth of concept, SoLoMo). These three elements have revolutionised the way business is done, and to not follow suite, is to be left far behind your competition.
In this newsletter we attempt to introduce you to these exciting technologies by simply scratching the surface of Social, Local and Mobile.
Social Media Integration
Source: Huffington Post’s “100 Fascinating Social Media Statistics and Figures from 2012” by Brian Honigman http://istrategylabs.com/2012/12/infographic-huffpos-100-fascinating-social-media-statistics-2012/
In Australia, with over 70% of small businesses and 35% of medium sized businesses and almost all large companies are embracing some form of Social Media presence. Today, the value of Social Media channels is unquestionable. However, the question ishow efficiently the businesses are using social media to better aid to achieve their business objectives, be it increasing sales via followers’ referrals or providing insights on the products and services you offer?
Despite Social Media evolving constantly, it must be noted that customer behaviour has not changeddrastically from the times before Social Media existed.In other words, the basic customer values such as dependency on word-of-mouth and referrals still remain the key factors to successfully closing sales. Social Media has paved way for this immensely. It has even been compared to “word-of-mouth on steroids”.
With increased budgets allocated for Social Media, spending is expected to more than double by 2017 to 18.8 % of the total marketing expenditure (source: http://cmosurvey.org/). However, today, only 6.8% of CMOs were content with the Social Media integration with their marketing strategy and thinks a very good job is being done in their respective businesses!
Social Media is a very useful tool towards expanding your business network, be it sharing useful updates about your organization or even spreading the news about your latest offer. Direct communication too provides your customers to provide valuable feedback and just simply “tell you what they want”. Thanks to Social Media, you can forget spending large amounts of resources on research because, now it’s possible for you to “talk” to your target market audience and better meet their needs and even cater to the dissatisfaction. Here are a few amazing statistics on leading social media channels.
Locally Targeted Web Development
Is your business website targeting your local consumers who are the bread and butter of the business? As you may already be aware, most customers search online when trying to locate products/services that fulfil their needs. This makes it essential for your website to appear in the top tiers of search engine rankings (e.g. first page of Google search results and on location based searches). A clear understanding of localised web presence is essential for a successful online strategy.
Here are 4 ways you can optimise your local presence and their benefits:
- Using appropriate keywords – Identify the region of your target market audience (e.g. Sydney) and the key terms they use when searching online for the services your business provides (e.g. pest control services) and strategically use these terms in your website content for search engines to recognise your business
- Online presence under one domain name – Recognition via several online sources for different purposes can be gained, but it may also lead to confusion among customers as to which parts of your business are to be found where. Furthermore, having one domain name would also increase traffic towards one particular web place and also help with building a strong online brand.
- Using local listings –Registering your business under local, online listings is a great way to cater to local searches
- Google places –Registering your business withGoogle places enables Google and Google Maps to show your presence for free. It also enables you to add your basic details which also includes your website and also provides a convenient way to receive customer feedback/reviews.
Source : Yesmail http://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2013/9948/the-power-of-mobile-infographic
Mobile Friendly Web Presence
With more than 50% of mobile users on smart phones, it has become more important than ever that businesses ensure their websites are accessible via mobile devices. Today’s on-the-go lifestyle has deemed it essential that customers are able to access your website using their mobile devices. If your website is not accessible or appears distorted, they simply move on to your competitor’s website, and you’ve lost the customer forever!
Mobile-friendly websites allow your target audience to check out your products/services while on the move. Also mobilised websites are well streamlined, allowing for a clean, hassle-free browsing experience.
However, you must keep in mind that many organisations have gone mobile and keeping your target audience hooked on to your mobile website can be very advantageous in terms of building your brand and loyalty. You can achieve this by providing special offers via unique content, especially for new visitors, or by using QR codes which can be only redeemed by a smartphone.
In this week’s newsletter, we have merely touched the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to Social, Local and Mobile platforms. Keep a lookout for our upcoming newsletters and blog posts for useful information on the exciting world of digital marketing and awesome updates.
About solomoIT
SolomoIT is a digital marketing agency, based in Sydney, Australia, offering fully integrated social, local and mobile marketing solutions.