February 2024: A Quick Digital Marketing Win For Small Business
This month I took half-term off so we could escape grey, rainy Northumberland for grey, rainy Krakow. It was just nice to get away and mooch around the gift shops, drink hot wine and sample the cocktails in the beautiful and bargainacious hotel we stayed at.
Work-wise this month was also a great one for my self-employed learners seeing results from the activities they started to implement during their digital marketing bootcamp.
Is there such a thing as a quick marketing fix?
Anyone who works in marketing understands that you’re in it for the long game. It’s unrealistic to post a few times to Facebook and expect this to translate into sales straight away. Most of the people I work with whether it be self-employed learners on a boot camp or small business owners wanting coaching understandably want to see immediate results. Even the Department for Education require training organisations to meet milestones which don’t always align with how marketing works, something I find consistently frustrating. One of the key milestones upon completing a bootcamp is for a self-employed learner to show that they’ve increased revenue through digital marketing. Naturally this is what we all want, but because of the nature of the beast, it can be difficult to directly attribute an engaged Instagram audience which was built in January with increased footfall through the shop door in May. Unless you can record a customer saying “I’ve been following you on Instagram for a while and decided to pop in.” it can be tricky to evidence. Learners can also be reluctant to directly attribute their growth in revenue to increased brand awareness. Optimising websites for conversions and using email and retargeting adverts are a much more straightforward way of demonstrating success.
Digital Marketing Tactics That Yield Quick Results
All that said, there are some quick fixes that any small business can put into place which will start having an impact pretty fast. Exploring these has given my self-employed learners more trust and confidence in digital marketing encouraging them to invest time and resources with a view to the long-term as well as the short.
Digital marketing tactics that I’ve found to give quick results include hosting targeted competitions, re-targeting advertising on social and Google Business profile which I’ll explore in this post.
Google Business Profile For Small Business
One of my learners this month was a self-employed hair salon owner in Sheffield. They were relying on attracting new customers through word of mouth,and although they had regular loyal clientele there were not enough bookings to fill the diary.
The salon also had two other seats they wanted to rent out, but they needed to show that the salon was busy and popular before other stylists would have the confidence to invest in them.
Over the course of the digital marketing boot camp they set up and verified their Google Business Profile. Within two weeks, just this simple action resulted in more enquiries. They were able to demonstrate that these were as a result of the Google Business Profile by looking at the insights data available. These insights showed how many people had visited their profile, as well as how many people made a call and/or asked for directions to their salon. During our weekly support calls we talked about how they could optimise their presence by adding photos, videos and updates and ensuring all opening hours, services and contact information was kept up-to-date.
Whilst setting up a Google Business Profile pretty quickly resulted in increased enquiries for my learner, it’s not just enough to set it up and forget about it. The key to maximise the effectiveness of your Google Business Profile is active management — so it’s important to keep it updated, post engaging content, and be responsive to your customers.
The benefits of having a Google Business Profile
Increased Visibility:
Having a Google Business Profile allows your business to show up in both Google Maps and Search results. This makes it easier for potential customers to find you when they search for businesses like yours in your local area. This is especially important these days when so many of us use our mobiles for searching when we’re out an about, often relying on map results.
Local SEO:
Google Business Profile plays a big part in local SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). An optimised, up-to-date profile with accurate information and positive reviews can improve your ranking in local search results, making your business more visible to potential customers searching for relevant products or services in your area.
It’s FREE!
A Google Business Profile is free to create and manage, so it’s a no-brainer to set one up. It gives you a platform to showcase your business with essential details like contact information, address, opening hours, and a link to your website. You can also add photos, videos and post updates to attract and inform potential customers.
Build Trust & Credibility:
A Google Business Profile allows you to respond to customer reviews, both positive and negative. Positive reviews can significantly boost your credibility and trust with potential customers, while how you deal with negative reviews can show potential customers the type of business you are.
Customer Engagement:
A Google Business Profile allows you to directly interact with customers. You can respond to reviews, answer questions and add posts about promotions, events or new products to keep your customers informed.
Tips For Optimising Your Google Business Profile
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Ensure your information is up-to-date
Regularly check that your business information is accurate and current: your opening hours, contact details, and services offered -
Add High-Quality Photos
Photos help to draw attention to your profile. Upload images of your premises, your team at work, and any products or services you offer. -
Encourage Reviews
Positive reviews can significantly enhance your business’s credibility. Encourage happy customers to leave a review and remember to always respond. -
Post updates
Google allows you to publish posts directly on your business profile and posting regularly keeps your profile active . Use this feature to share updates, promotions, and news about your business. -
Insights
Google provides insights into how customers interact with your profile - use this data to understand what works and what doesn’t.
You can only have a Google Business Profile if you see your customers face-to-face in some capacity – it’s completely free to set-up and will help with your Google visibility, so why wouldn’t you use it?
