3 Google Digital Garage workshops.
2 speakers.
1 message:
Stop the thumb.
We’re addicted to the internet
Good news:
Digital is growing.
According to We Are Social and Hootsuite’s latest collection of Global Digital reports, over 3 billion people use social media. And we’re spending more than 6.5 hours online each day.
Bad news:
Attention spans are getting shorter.
We’re constantly bombarded with content. We crave more and more new information. But we’re finding it hard to pay attention to any one thing for very long.
Are declining attention spans making it difficult for you to create engaging thumb-stopping content?
It’s time to improve your content.
Engaging images, videos and copy increase engagement.
But creating great thumb-stopping content that stops audiences from swiping past your post and missing your message isn’t easy.
This requires smart strategies for making the most of our declining attention spans.
Here are my key takeaways from three Google Digital Garage workshops to help you stand out and grow.
1. Developing a digital marketing strategy
With over 60% of searches carried out on a smartphone, you need to know how you’re going to reach new customers online.
The first step is to learn how to develop, implement and track a digital marketing strategy to maximise your visibility.
Here are some top tips:
Identify your objectives. Are you looking to build brand awareness, manage brand reputation, build and manage an engaged community, increase conversions/sales, identify/nurture leads?
Set your budget & resources. Your marketing plan will change depending upon your budget. But even as a small business, you can use social media without much financial investment. Don’t think you can’t drive customer engagement without a big budget. There’s even a whole host of free marketing ideas that will give your marketing efforts a boost from signing-up to Google My Business and creating a Facebook page to online local business directories
Define your audiences. Is your audience B2B, B2C or B2B2C? Think about building marketing personas for your core audiences to help you identify with and better solve their problems. Define who the person is, what they value, and how best to speak to them
Map the buyer’s journey. Think about the process buyers go through to become aware of, consider, evaluate and decide to purchase a new product or service. The journey consists of three-stages. 1. Awareness stage: the buyer realises they have a problem. 2. Consideration stage: the buyer defines their problem and researches options to solve it. 3. Decision stage: the buyer chooses a solution
Select your most appropriate marketing channels. With so many different options, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Make sure you’re spending time and money on the channels that will have the biggest impact on your business. Options include Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Social Media Marketing (SMM – organic and/or paid), Display Advertising, Email marketing and Content Marketing
Plan your activity. Think about where you are now, what your business objectives are, and how you’re going to get there. What tools do you have to get there? How are you going to implement your activity?
Measure. If your business is on social media, you need to know how to navigate social media analytics. Take advantage of the free analytical tools like Google Analytics – and automatic access to your social channels’ free analytics tools. Set goals for your campaigns. Track. Make changes. And adjust as you go. Just remember, you get what you measure – so think about how you will assess your achievements
2. Creating a social media strategy
You know that social media can help your business grow.
But, where do you start?
Whether you’re a small business owner or an aspiring social media marketer, the next step is to create a social media strategy – based on your business goals.
Identify your audience : Who, What, Why, When, How and Where
Define your goals: business and social – and how they connect
Select your social channels: determine which will work best for your business
Articulate your brand’s social voice: brand personality
Define success: you only get what you measure
But, remember. Reach goes both ways. Social media is not your megaphone. It’s your tool for collaboration. So, create content for conversation.
3. Creating engaging content with confidence
Every post matters.
But, with sophisticated algorithms influencing our searches, quantity over quality won’t cut it anymore.
You need to be creating content and experiences worth sharing. Compelling copy. Interesting infographics. Educational eBooks.
But that’s easier said than done. Finding the right words to describe your business isn't easy. And it’s even harder when you have limited space or characters.
Don’t try to create content for everyone – or you create content for no one. Readers are obsessed with themselves. So, make your content personal.
Talk to them. Address their pain points. Agitate their problem.
Then offer your solution.
Here are some top tips:
Develop a tone of voice for your brand on social media
Write for your audience, not for the search engines. Appeal to their desires – tell stories
Encourage conversation
Be visual with your content
A/B test headlines to find out which one performs the best
Keep your messaging short and sweet - make the first 8 seconds attention-grabbing
Finish with a call-to-action
Here are some tools to help you with your content marketing:
Grammarly – free writing assistant to enhance your writing
VSCO – a creative channel with tools to enhance and edit your photos
Canva – a simple online design tool
Word Swag – a simple way to add text to your photos
Hootsuite – manage all your social content in one place
Got your attention?
Digital is growing. And, as marketers, we need to keep up.
Social media has become the heart of all digital touchpoints, so we recommend that you take action.
Combine social with other digital marketing tactics as a whole strategy - and create actionable goals.
Leverage your brand’s tone of voice and create interesting, useful content for your audiences. Craft your words carefully. Get personal. Be visual. Write for goldfish.
And remember. Digital is a marathon, not a sprint.
Let’s stop the thumb, together.
Please leave a comment below or contact me if you would like any help creating your digital strategy and content.
About the author
Rob King is an award-winning brand consultant. As the owner of BrandDNA: Distinctively Different, based in Windsor, Berkshire, he works with business owners, brand managers and marketing agencies to help improve the efficacy of their brand and marketing communications. If you would like to evolve your brand, please email rob@branddna.uk
Credits
Banner photo by Juan Camilo Navia
Neon signage photo by Prateek Katyal
Facebook icon photo by Norwood Themes
Do Something Great photo by Clark Tibbs
Black framed eyeglasses photo by Jesus Kiteque
Smartphone photo by Rodion Kutsaev
Goldfish photo by Claudio Guglieri
