SEO and Social Media in Denver
Social Media is hard for many small businesses to understand. I’m not talking about how it works, or what it is, I am talking about its value as a business tool. Search Engine Optimization on the other hand, is pretty straight forward. If your site is ranked higher on Google, more people will call you.
The reason we have a love hate relationship with social media is it’s not advertising, and we are use to thinking in terms of return on investment when we promote our services. I would use the term branding when it comes to using social media, and branding, up until recently has been the domain of the largest of large companies. Branding also has traditional had a very high price tag.
I recently was reading a research study on how new prospects actually found a business. The premise was very few new customers just make a keyword search, click on your site and call. The vast majority of people had contact or visibility into the company they ultimately bought from in 3 or more places. The search was just the last place.
It’s nothing new. Marketing your business is not done through one path. The most successful small and medium businesses understand this, and use every option available for there budget. Social media, with out a question falls into this. It’s not expensive, and you can laser target your prospects. You want a potential customer to see you every where they look!
One of our clients is currently one of the fastest growing B2C services in the state, if not country. We never use one path, we use a minimum of four at all times.
So what ‘Paths” should you use to reach new clients or customers?
Here is a list. What you pick depends on your industry, but first, always start with a very well thought out targeted prospect list! Who are your prospects, where are your prospects, how do they find companies like yours?
- Search Engine Marketing (Includes SEO, Local SEO, and PPC programs)
- Customer referral programs
- Direct mail ( To very specific targeted prospects)
- Radio and TV
- Trade Shows
- Cross selling
- Yard and truck signs (B2C)
- Networking (B2B)
- Awards
- Print advertising
And many more. I assume some of you are saying and thinking you have tried many of these and they “don’t work”. Well, you’re right, unless they have been exceptionally well thought out, and targeted, then they probably won’t work. A branding campaign needs a great deal of thought, experience and great execution, and nothing replaces experience, nothing. That’s one of the reasons we constantly survey and review what advertising and promotion does work for our clients and other businesses across the country.
If you need help with your companies branding, we have the experience to safely navigate the way. Call us for a free consultation at 303 500 3053 Ext 1.
I have been in marketing for almost 15 years now and your words could not be more true! Thanks for the great perspective.
Thank you for your angle on social media marketing. This article rings true to my business.