Three tips to ensure you’re choosing the correct marketing partner for your business

1. Get some background

Treat your meeting with potential marketing partners like a job interview. Don’t be afraid to ask them hard-hitting questions like how they measure success, scale of operations, if they specialise, and ways of working.

Don’t underestimate the power of testimonials, references, and online reviews. If you spot a negative one, read the agency’s response! This is a great way to see how their customers are serviced post-sale.

2. Transparency is a two-way street

Your marketing partner should be open about their strategies, timelines, and performance metrics, providing you with a clear understanding of how your marketing budget will be utilised. Be sure they can also show you how you can track your campaigns independently, via dashboards or apps.

Transparency should go both ways, be sure to be clear on the goals you want to achieve and the budget you have to spend. For example, if your goal is to grow your local presence and boost business within your local community, be sure to share this with your potential marketing partner. You’d be surprised how much your business goals will influence the strategy taken.

3. Data and security measures

Data and privacy measures have never been more important so be sure to enquire about the agency’s data security measures. Any partner should have robust data protection protocols in place to safeguard sensitive information. Don’t be afraid to ask them about how they plan to keep you and your customer’s data safe, especially if you’re building a new website.

Other things you may want to consider

• Industry knowledge and expertise – Look for a marketing partner that has experience and expertise in your specific industry. A deep understanding of the nuances and challenges within your sector will contribute to more effective and targeted marketing strategies.
• Adaptability and flexibility – The business landscape is ever-changing, and marketing strategies must evolve accordingly. Choose a partner that demonstrates adaptability and flexibility in adjusting strategies based on market trends, consumer behaviour, and your business’s changing needs.
• Do they take a collaborative approach – A successful marketing partnership involves collaboration. Choose an agency that values your input, considers your ideas, and works collaboratively to achieve shared goals. A partner who sees the relationship as a true collaboration is more likely to contribute positively to your business’s success.
• Response time and availability – Evaluate the agency’s response time and availability. Quick response times and accessibility are crucial, especially when time-sensitive issues or opportunities arise. A responsive partner demonstrates a commitment to your business’s immediate needs.

It is more important than ever that SMEs have a strong online presence in order to stand out among the saturated competition. Although the large selection of digital marketing options can be overwhelming, these tips should make this decision more manageable.

The post Three tips for choosing a digital marketing partner appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Maintaining a robust online presence is crucial for businesses in our increasingly digital world. With Google phasing out websites created through Google Business Profiles, it’s imperative for businesses affected by this change to act swiftly.

In our most recent State of Small Business report, Localsearch found 78 per cent of small businesses are using websites as a key tool in their marketing strategy, and a quarter (24.5 per cent) have expanded their online presence to reach wider audiences and connect with communities. Responding to this phase-out accordingly is just one way to stay ahead of the curve.

With limited time, resources, and budget, it can be challenging for small businesses to execute big changes to marketing operations. The same can be said for responding swiftly to major disruptions to their day-to-day functioning. At Localsearch, we work with over 28,000+ Australian small businesses to maximise their digital presence. We recommend following these simple steps to make a smooth transition for you and your business.

What to do if you have a website made by a Google Business Profile

All impacted websites should have already received email communications from Google, to the email address linked to the website. To ensure your online presence remains uninterrupted, there are some quick and simple steps businesses can take:

Select an alternative website solution

When selecting a new website provider, it’s important to consider ease of use, cost, integration with marketing tools, security features, search-engine compatibility, and the provider’s track record for reliability.

Update your Google Business Profile and other online platforms

Once your new website is ready, update your Google Business Profile, Localsearch Business Profile, social media and any other online presence profiles you may have with the new site address. This should be done before the deadline to avoid any disruption to your online presence.

Adjust your ad campaigns

If you have any Google Ads or social media campaigns linking to your Google Business Profile website, update the URLs in your ads to the new website. This should be done before 1 March to prevent any impact on your ad performance.

Inform your customers

Communicate with your customers about the change in your website address so they know where to find you online. It’s a good idea to include links in bios on social media accounts, and to either send a newsletter and/or post about the website change to keep your base informed.

What will happen to ad campaigns linked to a website from Google Business Profile?

If your Ads campaign is linked to a website from Google Business Profile, you should change the link before 1 March to keep your ads running. Alternatively, you can choose to pause your campaigns until your new website is up and running. 

What happens to my website after 1 March?

Your website will be turned off on 1 March, and customers attempting to visit your website will be redirected to your Business Profile until 10 June. After that they will encounter a “page not found” error.

The post Google to shut down business profiles websites in March appeared first on Inside Small Business.

1. Plan early

It’s crucial to begin your preparations with a well-thought-out plan. This should serve as your roadmap throughout the entire process. Start by setting clear and specific goals that you want to achieve during the Black Friday season. These objectives could include increasing sales by a certain percentage, attracting a specific number of new customers, or boosting brand awareness.

Make a list of things that need to be done and ensure you include due dates. This could include things like making signs for in-store, letting your digital marketing provider know of any sales and rostering extra team members on.

2. Run an audit on your website

Running a manual website audit before Black Friday is key to ensuring a seamless and successful shopping experience for your customers. Optimising website speed guarantees that your site loads quickly, preventing potential customers from leaving due to sluggish loading times. Accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information fosters trust and helps local customers find your physical store easily. Ensuring updated content keeps your site relevant and credible, which is vital for conversions. Finally, checking functionality identifies and rectifies any glitches or broken links that might deter potential buyers.

3. Update your opening hours

If you’re planning on trading later or opening on additional days, be sure to let your potential customers know. Remember to adjust your opening hours on all your online platforms including Google Business Profile, Localsearch Business Profile, website and social media.

4. Prepare your marketing materials

Creating visually compelling and persuasive Black Friday marketing materials is crucial in engaging your audience with enticing deals. This involves designing eye-catching graphics that showcase your promotions, crafting engaging email campaigns for your customer base, creating attention-grabbing social media posts, ensuring consistent messaging across all channels, and strategically scheduling the release of your materials across all channels to build anticipation. These will ensure that your marketing materials are not only visually appealing but also strategically designed to engage your audience and drive excitement about your Black Friday promotions. If you’re looking for a place to find inspiration for your marketing materials, head over to Canva and check out their templates.

5. Make the most of paid advertising

Make the most out of your paid advertising, such as Google Ads and social advertising, during the Black Friday season, by focusing on precision and optimisation. Meticulously target your ads to reach your ideal audience, taking advantage of location, demographics, and interests. Craft ad copy and visuals that are tailored to Black Friday, emphasising the urgency and value of your promotions. Allocate your budget strategically, prioritising high-performing campaigns and keywords.

Continuously monitor and optimise your ad campaigns by adjusting bidding strategies, refining keywords, and A/B testing ad variations. Leverage retargeting to re-engage potential customers who have shown interest but haven’t converted yet. Lastly, schedule your ads to coincide with peak shopping times, making sure your brand is at the forefront when customers are ready to make their Black Friday purchases.

Conclusion

By following these tips, you can get your business ready for a successful Black Friday, attracting new customers, boosting sales, and bolstering your bottom line.

The post Five Black Friday tips to make your small business stand out appeared first on Inside Small Business.

1. If you don’t have an online presence, get one

For the purpose of this article, we’re going to assume you already have a website, Facebook Business Profile, Google Business Profile and Google Analytics setup. If you don’t, this is your first tip…get it all! The wider your online footprint is, the more people your business will reach.

2. Check your NAP and citations

NAP is marketing lingo for your business’s name, address and phone number. A citation is simply the name for anywhere your NAP is shown online. It’s important to check your NAP and citations because search engines use your NAP to confirm they’re looking at your business whenever they find a citation. So, your NAP should be the exact same anywhere it’s shown online to ensure you’re reaping the benefits of some of your search engine optimisation (SEO) activities.

Here are a few places to check your NAP is consistent:

• Your website (including your header, footer, contact page and location pages).
• Your online listings (including your Localsearch.com.au business profile).
• Social media pages (including Facebook).
• Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).

3. Start your paid ad campaigns

If you want to generate sales or enquiries over the Christmas period, it’s time to start your paid ad campaigns now.

For those planning to run Facebook Ads, you’ll want to run a brand awareness campaign for at least two months before you run any customer-led campaigns because the Facebook ads platform takes time to learn about your audience, and who the ads should be targeting. In failing to do this, you’ll waste precious marketing dollars while the platform learns who best to push your ads to.

Google Ads is a similar platform. However the campaign types differ to Facebook. To put your business in the best position over the holiday season, you want to start your ads as early as possible to give the Google Ads platform time to learn about you, your website and your audience.

4. Ensure you have an optimised Google Business Profile

One in two Australians who perform a search on Google for a local service or product provider will visit or contact a business that day. Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is one of the easiest, most affordable ways to get in front of these people.

It’s important to get on top of your Google Business Profile now to ensure it has time to assess your updates and adjust your rankings to suit. Updates include:

• Ensuring your NAP is consistent.
• Complete the information and feature section.
• Respond to any new reviews.
• Answer all FAQ.
• Set up messaging.
• Post regularly.

5. Build up your email database

Email marketing is great for sharing information or generating customer interest at scale over the holiday season, if you have the audience. Building an email marketing list takes time so we recommend you start at least three months before Christmas.

If you use a customer management system (CMS) like Salesforce, you should already have a database of your past and current clients. But if you don’t, you can create an email database in a program like Mailchimp or HubSpot and start building your database through subscription links on your website.

By building your online presence and beginning your holiday marketing strategy as early as possible, you can ensure that your small business is in the best position possible to have a very merry holiday season.

The post How to prepare your small business and maximise sales for the silly season appeared first on Inside Small Business.

But with anything in the social media space, rivals will continue to release new features, functions and offerings in a bid to drive more users away from players like Facebook. These aggressive tactics make it difficult for small businesses to decipher which platforms they should be using and where to focus their marketing efforts toward.

Meta’s plunge on Wall Street is a perfect case study in why small businesses cannot put all their eggs in one basket and use only one platform for their digital marketing efforts. In the last year, SMEs have battled through Facebook and Google news bans where businesses were effectively banned on the platform, changes to privacy limits and iOS updates restricting advertising opportunities, and continued outages across platforms. Social media continues to be a dogfight between all the heavy hitters, but knowing where Australian businesses can operate effectively to speak to their closest customers remains paramount.

It can be easy to fall into the trap of copying what other businesses are doing when it comes to marketing. But, what works for one company won’t necessarily work for another. Small businesses need to be actively monitoring these changing trends to see where they can grow and tap into new audiences on different platforms. Marketers need only look at Twitter’s resurgence since it’s beginning in 2006, with 70 per cent of businesses planning to increase their investment moving into 2022 to see that previously dismissed platforms are presenting new opportunities that could be overlooked.

Using a multi-platform marketing approach will keep your business afloat during these unexpected changes while simultaneously challenging your competitors and capturing customer interest at every touchpoint. Use your customer profiles to understand where they’re interacting and make sure you’re present at these points to interact with customers but to also allow them to evaluate and share their experiences about you.

Creating a plan can be daunting for owners who have minimal resources available for research and development. Start with the most basic, but crucial marketing tool for any business in the world: Creating a Google My Business profile. This not only lets your customers know trading hours, contact details, and location but keeps a constant direct to customer communication where audiences can reach your business for general enquiries.

Despite Meta crashing, Facebook is still an important tool for small businesses to utilise. Keeping in mind a diverse marketing portfolio can ensure they are reaching their customers regardless of what the current landscape looks like.

The post Facebook Meta changing the way small businesses market themselves appeared first on Inside Small Business.