This time of year most businesses are taking time to reflect on the past year and look for ways to make the new year even better. Successful businesses know that by combining two or more tactics will almost certainly guarantee a boost in their business visibility – resulting in more business.
Here are just a few ideas for combing marketing strategies for great results.
Email marketing. Use your website to build a list of interested prospects with opt-in pages. Then create interesting email campaigns to keep your audience engaged. Keep your subject lines short (no more than 40 characters) and address the specific problems or needs of your prospect. Short, text emails are best with links back to your website, blog or offer.
Online banners. Banner ads are a great way to provide your customers with a visual picture of your company and what you have to offer. They are usually more effective than paid search text ads. Consider adding a banner to a local non-profit site or a local event site. Repeat the banner on your website to create a connection in your prospects mind. Add the banner to local search sites such as Google Places or Local.com. The banner ad should then link back to your website. Keep the following in mind when designing your banner:
- Keep it simple. Personally, I don’t link flashy colors and loud sounds when I am navigating through a website. Similar to the concept of driving by a billboard, people are moving quickly through your website and you need to grab their attention quickly and effectively.
- Make your ads relevant. If you are placing the banner on a local event site, gear it to the event. This will help you to speak to the audience coming to the website and save you dollars in the long run.
- Change you way of thinking. Use banners as a way to brand your company, product or service. Keep in mind that exposure to your banner ads on a regular basis will result in an increase in interest and subsequent sales for your company.
- Properly designed banner ads placed on relevant local sites are highly effective as long as they are seen by the correct eyes. They are effective in branding a company name as well as driving highly targeted traffic to your site.
Create an event. Combine a local event with your social media sites and boost your visibility. This event could be a contest, a seminar or better yet a webinar. Business people often do not have the time to travel to seminars and a webinar provides a great alternative. Get together with someone in a parallel but complimentary business to your and hold a workshop. Volunteer your office or shop to a non-profit organization to be used for an event and then promote the event online.
