At Brain Bytes Creative we talk a lot about that dreaded “billboard in the middle of the desert.” Cue creepy music. This concept (that you want to avoid) is pretty simple. It doesn’t matter how beautiful, bright, colorful, or well-intentioned that billboard is. If it isn’t drawing in viewers or catching people’s attention, it isn’t doing its job. Driving traffic to your website is all that matters. Driving the RIGHT traffic matters even more. No one cares about a billboard in the middle of the desert!
Stop being a billboard in the desert
Let me ask you a simple question: Which of the following would you be more inclined to spend marketing budget dollars on… A billboard sitting on the roadside of route 66 in the middle of the New Mexico desert or a billboard in Times Square that can be seen on Good Morning America and is viewed by thousands, if not millions of people everyday? Clearly they don’t come with the same price tag. But one of these will actually have an ROI. The other is a complete waste.
We see websites all the time that may look great but just aren’t being seen. No one is visiting them. Therefore they aren’t as useful as they should be. We have had prospects turn down our full service, revenue generating approach only to sign with a company that constructs a low budget website that no-one will ever see, except maybe existing clients. They just flushed money down the toilet. Shouldn’t the goal of any marketing venture be to obtain more clients and grow revenue? Yes! So, if you intend on spending money on a website you need to do it in the right way and invest in something that will in turn, work for you. Driving traffic to your website needs to be a priority.
How to avoid being the billboard in the desert
Digital marketing of course! More and more marketing spend is going towards digital every year. In fact, projections show that digital marketing will soon outspend TV advertising. That’s pretty incredible to think about.
Here are 4 simple reasons digital marketing is so effective:
- It’s much more measurable
- It provides you with greater insights into your customers
- It has an ever increasing market
- Digital marketing just plain works!
In using digital marketing you can follow your customers and prospects through their entire sales journey.
Digital Marketing encompasses several areas. It’s goal, and all the aspects it encompasses, is driving traffic to your website. This is a SUPER high level list. So don’t send me any notes about how much I missed or how basic this is. There is much, much more to it than the below. Clearly, if it were as easy as what I am about to describe everyone would be on top. But, then again, not everyone can be on top! So, it isn’t simple! This isn’t meant to be a tutorial on how to conduct top-notch digital marketing. It’s just a simple outline and the beginning of making it happen.
Social Media – Social media channels should be used and used often. Use Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and SnapChat. Each social media channel has a different focus. So learn the focus and how to use it to maximize the results you get. The ultimate goal of using so much social media is driving traffic to your website and to get your products and company name, values, and benefits out there. Post often and have fun with it!
What would you say if I told you I could help you increase clicks on a button on your website 71.2% simply by editing the copy? Or increase clicks on a link 24.93% by changing the formatting of the text? Better yet, what if I told you I could increase conversions by 46.95%, making the page 19.99% more valuable?
Digital Marketing Delivers
Keyword use – Your content should be rich with keywords that are relevant to your company. This means that if your company sells beer, the word ‘beer” should appear often on your website. Also use other words that are relevant to your subject matter. In this case, “hops”, “barley”, and the types of beer your company sells might be other things to think about.
Site architecture – Google and other search engines read and study your website in a very specific method. Designing and setting your site up to succeed with these rules is very important. If your site is set up improperly, search engines can miss key information that it contains. Therefore, it wouldn’t really matter if the information is there or not. Google might just miss it. Properly set up your website with intentional, smart site architecture.
Paid search – When keywords are very competitive a PPC campaign can be a great way to get your company’s website to the top of the list. These campaigns charge a certain dollar amount each time your URL is clicked, based on the keyword search the user submits. For instance: “Company A” sells athletic shoes. They have started a PPC campaign in which they agree to pay $X each time someone types in the phrase “running shoe” and then clicks on their company page. A potential customer runs a Google search for ‘running shoes”, Clicks on “Company A’s” site. Google charges $X for the click.
Organic search – All sites are ranked in search based on specific algorithms. This is the best use for long tail keywords and keywords in which less competition exists. This basically comes together when the above are all working together. So, The better your site architecture, the better your organic search results will be. The better your content is, the better your organic search results will be. The more a searched keyword appears on your page, the better your organic search results will be.
Driving website traffic is very important
Again, the above list is overly simplistic. One article couldn’t even come close to encompassing everything one needs to know in the world of digital marketing. This certainly doesn’t cover it all. But, it is a good start. So, the key here is to do whatever you can to get the word out about your company, and get as many eyes on your company, its products, and your site as possible. When all of the aspects of digital marketing come together you will be on your way toward achieving your goals and raising your revenue. Don’t be a billboard in the middle of the desert!
