With nicer weather upon us and new phases of reopening, how can you begin to attract more customers again? I’ve outlined below a few ways that will help you kick off your online marketing and put your brand on the map!
Host a virtual event
With tradeshows and events being a thing of the past, virtual events are a great way to engage with your customers and prospects. Webinars and online videos were already popular, but have increasingly rose since “quarantine” became a buzz word. To better guarantee success, send out event invites via eblasts and use social media channels to boost the event.
You will want to create some buildup, i.e. a countdown, as the day draws nearer to help drum up interest. If you have time in your campaign, you might want to consider adding Google Ads to promote it—but, as always, make sure the ads link to a new landing page and sign-up page.
Run contests
While you may instinctually weigh the cost versus reward in running online contests, if you execute it professionally and track it correctly the benefits are worth it. Check out these stats from Kickofflabs.com:
- New campaigns acquire a 34% audience increase on average
- 1/3 of contest entrants sign up to receive email updates from brands and partners
- Running a mobile contest increases the number of entrants by eight times
- Statistically, the best duration for a contest campaign is 25-60 days
Getting your audience excited about the possibility of winning entices and attracts more entries. Send out an eblast to your customers about the contest, create a landing page on your website (including your home page), then push the message out via your social channels. Make sure that the contest also relates to your service or product. It could be winning a free product or significant discount, an introductory service, etc.
Base the content on what your customers value. If it’s the right offer or incentive, your contest will drive entries and leads. If you have a key supplier or manufacturer as a business partner, they might want to participate in the contest, too. This is an opportunity to expand your contact lists, share social followers and cross-promote.
Engage with your local community
Engagement with your local community is at the core of a lot of successful online marketing. Reach out to your local online community paper, and local online listings to announce your event or contest, or even ask them to cover the event on the day. Supporting your local community will set you apart from your competitors as it brings positive feelings from potential buyers.
Social media has become an incredibly effective mode of marketing business products and services and creating online communities. But it also helps to have the right people in charge of your social profiles. If you don’t have the means for an in-house staff member, I encourage you to reach out to the experts at CreativeWorks Marketing for support.