Whenever you hear the word research, what are some of the first things that come to mind? Well, if you’re anything like I once was, hearing the word research instantly causes your mind to recall the days back when you were a student in high school or college, and the angst you felt whenever one of your teachers or professors announced a class assignment that required you to do a significant amount of laborious research.
It’s because of that reason, I often try to avoid using the word research when discussing particular subjects with clients, leads, and prospects.
Instead, I prefer replacing the word research with a word that has a similar meaning—but doesn’t evoke the same level of dread from listeners in conversation. And that word is analyze.
After years of analyzing startups and hearing from many frustrated startup founders who have come to us looking for ways to fix their company’s digital marketing strategy, I’ve discovered that there are 4 common things that often go overlooked that prevent the vast majority of startups from seeing a ROI on their investment in digital marketing.
1. Local Area SEO
Although the topic may be discussed ad nauseam by digital marketing professionals, SEO (search engine optimization) is still a very perplexing process. No matter how much some may claim to be SEO experts, unless they are currently working at Google, Bing, or Yahoo, any marketing professional that tells you they’ve mastered SEO—isn’t being completely factual.
The truth of the matter is that SEO is an ever-evolving process. And no matter how much we learn about the process—it is constantly changing.
Notwithstanding, what we do know about SEO and digital marketing overall—is that it is very profitable to have your business rank as highly as possible on a local search engine results page on Google.
Why is that, you ask? It’s because whenever consumers in your area search online for a specific product or service—if your business is the first to pop up on the top of their screen—the likelier it is that they’ll visit your website and take the necessary actions to become a customer.
Also, even if your startup isn’t locally based, but instead focuses more so on providing products and services to customers nationwide or internationally; search engines still tend to lend more credibility towards websites that are well-ranked in a specific geographical area. Which is why it is so important to put an emphasis on improving your local area SEO.
These are some of the best ways to establish and enhance your startup’s local area SEO:
Build citations by listing your business's name, address, and phone number (NAP) on websites and directories like Google’s business profile, Bing Places For Business, and Yelp.
Placing your startup’s location and phone number on the homepage of its website so that whenever Google crawls the page, it will help your business rank higher for that location.
Publish content marketing materials online that lists your startup’s name, address, and phone number.
Ensure that your business is listed in its correct category on the above-mentioned directories as well as on all other directories you decide to utilize.
2. Active blogging
There are some statistics in business that just make so much sense—a company would be crazy not to adjust its business plan around them. The problem is that when it comes to startups, far too many founders and executives simply aren’t privy to these stats.
For example, it's safe to say that most execs who work at startups probably aren't aware of the fact that according to Hubspot:
On average, companies that blog produce 67% more leads than those that don’t.
Businesses that blog get 55% more website visitors than those that don’t.
70% of people would rather learn about a company through articles than advertisements.
I could go on for hours discussing the benefits that having an active blog on your website could have on your startup’s bottom-line. But you probably get the point. The key to having a blog isn’t just to have a blog page on your startup’s website; but to have a blog that consistently posts content marketing pieces that are deemed so valuable by viewers—many who come across it will feel compelled to become a customer.
3. Executing the 5 T’s of email marketing
Speaking of stats, if one of your objectives is to generate more revenue for your startup (which I would hope is the case), you’ll probably find these stats regarding email marketing very intriguing:
78% of consumers make a purchase once a month based on an email.
Email campaigns drive more than 25% of consumers who view them to make a purchase multiple times per month.
60% of consumers openly admit emails influence their purchasing decisions.
You don’t have to be a data analyst to come to the conclusion that email marketing could be extremely profitable for your business. Especially if you execute the 5 T’s of email marketing.
Which consists of:
Targeting - Reaching the right people with your marketing communications.
Timing - Reaching them at the right times of the day.
Template - Having optimized designs.
Testing - Are you measuring data? (e.g., conducting A/B tests)
Tone - Are you shipping captivating content?
While most C-suite execs at startups understand the importance of email marketing, far too many overlook the 5 T’s of the process. Which often costs their respective companies millions of dollars in potential revenue.
4. The halo effect
Sure, at this point, we could go in depth discussing technical things like keywords, pay-per-click advertising, or CRM. But all of those things are already highly focused on. This article is about addressing facets of digital marketing that often go overlooked—which are likely already preventing your startup from securing new customers.
One of the most overlooked facets of digital marketing that often goes unnoticed is the halo effect.
The halo effect is a term that is used to describe the boost businesses receive across all channels as the result of their above-the-line advertising. As written by authors and branding experts Al and Laura Ries in their book, The 22 Immutable Laws Of Branding, “Sooner or later a brand has to shift its branding strategy from publicity to advertising.”
Above-the-line advertising will have a positive impact on every component of your overall digital marketing strategy. As more people become introduced to your brand, it will lead to them turning towards search engines like Google to learn more about your company.
Which is a facet of digital marketing that often goes overlooked by way too many startups.
Contrary to popular belief, the most successful digital marketing strategies aren't separated from a brand's overall business strategy. It's simply a component of it. Keep that in mind and eventually your startup will certainly experience the halo effect.
Final thoughts
If you’d like further help creating a comprehensive digital marketing strategy for your startup, contact us today to schedule a complimentary client call in which we’ll discuss the best digital marketing strategy to utilize that'll help your startup attract new customers and advance.
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