If you haven’t already, then it’s time to step into the digital age, where establishing a strong online presence has become crucial for businesses of all sizes. In this fiercely competitive world and overcrowded online marketplace, it’s imperative to master the art of effective marketing strategies to truly stand out.
If you want to learn some of Harvard Excelerate’s top ten digital marketing strategies, then you’ll want to keep reading. From leveraging digital advertising and social media marketing to optimizing SEO and custom-tailored approaches, these strategies will help your business thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Get ready to kick-start your digital marketing endeavors and excelerate your business to new heights.
What is Digital Marketing?
Marketing is a constantly evolving landscape, and in order to keep up, businesses like yours need to be able to find innovative ways to captivate their audience. To battle this, digital marketing has evolved into a force that allows businesses to connect with their customers in unprecedented ways.
But it’s not just about visibility; it’s about harnessing the immense power of these online channels to propel your brand forward. With the right digital marketing strategies in place, businesses can create an immersive experience that leaves an indelible mark on their target audience. It’s a journey that leads to increased website traffic, heightened visibility, and, ultimately, a surge in revenue.
Together, a few of our digital marketing experts have put together a top 10 list of digital marketing strategies any business can use to excelerate their local business and gain more customers and revenue.
Harvard Excelerate's Top Digital Marketing Strategies
1. Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) improves website rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords. SEO techniques enhance visibility to potential customers actively searching for products or services.
Three vital elements for your SEO strategy:
- On-Page & Off-Page Optimization: Refine website content, structure, and HTML code for search engine friendliness. Optimize titles, meta descriptions, headers, images, and URLs. Build authoritative backlinks from reputable websites to establish trust and authority.
- Keyword Research: Understand your target audience’s search keywords. Optimize content to target those keywords and improve search engine rankings.
- Ranking Factors: Search engines use complex algorithms considering content quality, relevance, website speed, user experience, and backlink quantity and quality.
SEO requires ongoing monitoring, analysis, and optimization. Implement effective strategies to improve rankings, drive traffic, and boost revenue.
Wondering if you’re doing enough for your SEO strategy? Try our free business assessment to learn how your business is faring online.
2. Pay-Per-Click (PPC Advertising)
Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC) is a cost-effective digital marketing method where you only pay when leads click on your ads. If you’re not familiar with PPC, these are the ads that appear on SERPS, social media platforms, and other websites.
PPC enables home service businesses to target specific keywords, demographics, and interests, reaching the right audience at the right time. Retargeting allows reconnecting with users who visited the website.
Google Ads and Facebook Ads provide detailed analytics, allowing businesses to track ad performance and optimize for better ROI.
PPC offers immediate results, cost-effectiveness, targeted reach, and measurability. Strategic targeting and retargeting maximize ROI and foster business growth.
3. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is a vital strategy for home service businesses to promote their brand, products, or services on social media platforms. It fosters engagement, relationships, and brand awareness.
Businesses can use various social media marketing approaches, including organic posts, paid ads, influencer collaborations, and contests. Creating captivating, relevant content is crucial to getting engagement
Popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok provide tools for content creation, audience engagement, and campaign analysis.
The advantages of social media marketing for home service businesses include increased brand awareness, improved engagement, cost-effectiveness, precise targeting, and comprehensive metrics.
To succeed, identify your target audience and their social media preferences and then pick the best platform that aligns with your goals and their social media use. This will help you better engage with your audience, boost brand recognition, foster loyalty, and drive revenue.
4. Email Marketing
Email marketing is a valuable strategy for home service businesses to promote their products, services, and brand message directly to subscribers, driving sales and revenue.
Forms of email marketing include newsletters, promotions, announcements, and automated sequences. Success comes from creating relevant content and utilizing automation for personalized delivery.
Benefits for home service businesses include enhanced customer engagement, cost-effectiveness, targeted reach, and measurable results.
To succeed, focus on building an engaged email list, selecting a suitable platform, creating engaging content, utilizing automation, and leveraging analytics to optimize campaigns.
5. Content Marketing
Content marketing is a valuable strategy for home service businesses to attract and engage their target audience. By creating and sharing relevant content, businesses can build brand awareness, establish trust, and drive customer actions.
Forms of content include blog posts, social media updates, videos, podcasts, e-books, and infographics. Success comes from addressing audience pain points and interests with valuable insights and solutions.
Benefits of Content Marketing
- Building strong relationships
- Establishing thought leadership
- Improving search engine rankings
- Increasing visibility.
6. Reputation Management
Reputation management is vital for businesses that need to improve their online reputation and gain trust. Online reviews and feedback strongly influence consumer decisions. By actively managing your business’s reputation, you can shape public perception and establish trust.
Steps for reputation management include monitoring and addressing online reviews promptly and professionally. Encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive reviews also enhances reputation. A positive online reputation improves search engine rankings, visibility, and business growth.
Prioritizing reputation management as a digital marketing strategy helps home service businesses succeed in a competitive digital landscape.
7. Video Marketing
Hear us out—video marketing isn’t just for influencers and girl bosses selling homemade candles and mugs. It also works for home service businesses trying to get the word out about their business.
Using videos, you can explain your HVAC services or may talk about the worst plumbing disasters you’ve ever seen—anything that may engage an audience that is chronically online watching short video after short video.
Sometimes, just showing that your business knows trends and can keep up with other businesses utilizing similar campaigns is the best way to engage with your audience.
8. Improve Google Business Profile Listing
When it comes to your small business, your online reputation can make or break a prospective customer’s decision to choose your product or service. Thankfully, Google My Business offers you a level of control to manage how people perceive your business.
To ensure you make the most of this platform, it’s important to avoid some common mistakes. First, steer clear of duplicate listings that can confuse customers. Also, resist the temptation to create unnecessary new listings if your address changes. Avoid misusing your business name by adding promotional messages that come across as unnecessary. It’s crucial to keep your listing up to date and provide accurate information, such as opening hours, to potential customers.
Customer reviews play a significant role, and it’s surprising how often they are overlooked. Research shows that 81% of consumers use Google to evaluate local businesses, and 93% of users say online reviews impact whether they purchased a product or not. Therefore, we strongly recommend prioritizing customer reviews as a top component of your digital marketing strategy. [ExplodingTopics]
At Harvard Excelerate, we specialize in delivering top-notch Google Business Management services to businesses of all sizes. Our approach is completely customized to meet your unique requirements, ensuring that you receive the perfect solution. With our comprehensive suite of Google Business Management offerings, you can effortlessly expand your business while focusing on what truly matters—running your business.
9. Web Design
When it comes to web design for your home service business, it’s about more than just aesthetics. A well-designed website focuses on providing a seamless customer experience, driving higher traffic, and ultimately boosting sales and leads.
One of the most important aspects of web design is mobile responsiveness. With so many users browsing on their smartphones, it’s essential to ensure your website looks and functions flawlessly on mobile devices. This not only improves user experience but also enhances your site’s searchability, attracting more visitors.
Additionally, site speed plays a vital role in user satisfaction. A fast-loading website keeps users engaged and prevents them from abandoning your site. Optimizing your site’s speed is key to providing a smooth browsing experience.
To achieve effective web design, identify the most important actions you want your users to take and design your website around those objectives. Whether it’s making a purchase, submitting a contact form, or scheduling a service, prioritize these actions in your design to guide users toward conversion.
Remember, a well-designed website is not just visually appealing but also strategically optimized for a seamless user experience. By focusing on mobile responsiveness, and site speed, and aligning your design with user actions, you’ll create a website that drives results for your home service business.
10. Mobile Optimization
Let’s talk about the reality of our mobile-driven world. We’re constantly attached to our phones, relying on them for everything we do. That’s why your home service business needs to cater to mobile users.
Your website should be user-friendly and easy to navigate on smartphones. Embrace new technologies and innovations to fully utilize the tools available on smartphones. This is especially important if your target audience includes younger individuals. Remember, if your website doesn’t function well on a mobile phone, you risk losing potential customers right from the start.
Don’t underestimate the power of mobile devices. Adapt your website to meet the needs of mobile users, and you’ll be one step closer to reaching your target audience and achieving success for your home service business.
If you’re looking for a beautiful website to call your own, our team of skilled designers and developers will work closely to understand your business’s unique needs. With our responsive designs, seamless navigation, and SEO optimization, watch your business soar to the top of search results and enjoy the influx of new customers.
Jumpstart Your Digital Marketing Strategy with Harvard Excelerate
By utilizing these 10 digital marketing strategies, you can improve your online presence and drive greater success for your small business. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the digital marketing landscape is constantly changing, so it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and techniques to continue being successful online—but you’re running a business and don’t have time to keep up with everything.
We get that.
That’s why we have a team of experts ready to work with you on your marketing strategy. The first step is to get your free online business assessment so we can understand how your business is doing online to target our focus on where you need it most.
Invest in your business today and work with Harvard Excelerate. Contact us to get or try our FREE digital marketing checkup to see where you need to start first.
