We are JM2 (JM Squared) Webdesigners & Marketing from Valparaiso Indiana but that is not what we are talking about today. We are going to talk about the power of two great digital marketing products that separate are good but together can be great. We hear many social media marketers say you need social media and a website is a waste of your dollars and marketing time. We hear the opposite from those that do websites but not social media in that you only need a website and social media is a waste. Both thought processes are the furthest from the truth. Quality marketing requires you to use both and use both effectively! They should work together, complement each other, and help drive traffic to each other. Why you need both we will describe in this article and this will certainly not be a complete list, but it surely will show you why you need both.
What you will notice is the pros for each are very similar but handled different. as your audience may be the same but are still different This difference is what makes both an important part of an effective marketing strategy. You might be targeting the exact same audience on both marketing channels but need to captivate them in entirely different ways. Social media is sharing information where a website is educating in deeper detail and driving users through a predefined sales process. Social media can be seen more as a browsing experience as information is given to you based on what the social media platform believes will interest you and drive advertising dollars to them where going to a website your visitors are going through a search engine and looking for direct answers to a specific question that came up in the search engine query the site visitor performed.
Social media has more people on it in any given day than many of our websites will ever see in its lifetime. Millions to over a billion users visit social media on a daily basis. Not all of them will ever see your products and services, not even if they are next to your business. The closer they are to you the better your odds are though. They have to have shown some interest in your products or services or social media will hide you from them (unless you boost your post -- we'll cover that in a bit). There are many great tools that are available to streamline your efforts, analytics, and interaction with current and future customers. Key items to do with social media are:
With your content and everything you need to drive people to your website. The key here is it is your website. You own it, you control it, and your competitors are not on it (hopefully; unless you allow paid ads and they are slick enough to target correctly).
Websites are controlled by you and promote you and only you. You have the complete control of your audience. You can drive every visitor through the sales process (e.g. sales funnel). Whether it is to further educate and keep them tied to your brand, or to teach them how awesome your services are.
When it comes to the search engines you have two types. We prefer “organic” which means you've earned your place and best of all you're doing it without paying to get there. We also understand the reasons many of our clients use paid advertising to get to the top spots. They might not be able to achieve the top two or three organic listings as their competitors truly own that space due to many factors. Paid advertising allows you to show above them but comes at a price per click. When it comes to the search engines most of us think about our websites, but have you thought about your images as well? When organic SEO is done, and done well, you will have most, if not all, your images within the search results under the keyword phrases you want.
You can see from the above that both social media and websites are virtually identical in that you need to have:
Have a process with following up with your customers through a sales funnel. This could be lead generation forms, newsletters, or using a list of current customers. A key item for social and website marketing is that your information follow a "marketing plan". This plan should not be like throwing spaghetti against a wall and seeing what sticks. This can work short term but will almost never work long-term. Take the time and establish a marketing plan to grow your business.
When it comes to marketing your company let your passion and your culture come through. Don't be fake and don't be stuffy (unless your business is being stuffy and then by all means be stuffy!). Marketing is a game and a game any company can do themselves (did we just say that?!?!?!?). The key when determining to do this in-hoes or to use a marketing company is where is your time best spent, what are the costs, and which way will help your business grow to where your dream is?