The world of digital marketing offers endless opportunities. The Internet continues to transform the advertising industry, for budding as well as well-established enterprises. Online advertising opens up high-impact, targeted opportunities for advertisers at a fraction of the cost of traditional media. For local businesses that have a slim marketing budget, a good deal of internet advertising could be done for free. Once the product/market fit is achieved, growth is simply a matter of smart marketing on the front end, excellent customer retention on the backend.

For local businesses, advertising is the key, and to achieve transformational results, effective strategies are essential. Traditional methods of advertising are proving to be less effective due to digitization and various funnels online. Modern consumers consider the Internet as an integral part of their shopping process. Regardless of whether they are planning to buy the product or service online or in person, they use the Internet to learn more about the products and business available. The digital marketplace, therefore, cannot be neglected by any company.

Here are some advertising strategies for local businesses:

1. Building a brand name: Without a brand name, a company can get lost in the massive parameters of the World Wide Web. It is very likely that users will search for the products and services they need online, and it is vital for the brand name to appear on the listing. Many businesses get ignored due to an ordinary brand name. Therefore, a unique and catchy brand name increases the brand’s credibility and attracts potential customers and becomes persistent in their minds, which is a great mode of advertising. Along with being catchy, the brand name must reflect the true nature of the company. 

2. Practical SEO: Using SEO tactics to convey the message about good deals, ground-breaking products and services, and the importance and dependability of what the brand offers will be a game-changer. Search Engine Optimization is a process of creating a company’s website and fuelling it with comprehensive articles and blogs to rank it higher on popular search engines when Internet users search for a specific keyword or phrase. SEO strategies will help the companies to improve their online visibility and presence. Placing targeted keyword phrases in meta-tags, titles, and internet links increase the possibilities of the number one ranking. Relevant, inbound links to the website can boost the search engine ranking even further.

a. Relevant data: According to the recent Google Algorithm Update, the key to achieving good ranking is to avoid stuffing the content with keywords, or in general, excessive, unnecessary content. The search engine giant is looking to deliver the right message to the right audience; therefore, irrelevant content will surely not be indexed.

b. Snippets attract more clicks: Snippets are displayed on the search results. Google snippets give the customers short and precise information about the product or content of their interest that they have searched for. Rich snippets boost the click-through rates of the websites. Around 54 percent of clicks from Google come from featured snippets.

c. Secure Websites:  Website security is not directly related to SEO, but it is a substantial aspect of the website user experience. If the user sees the “Not Secure” warning, they may decide not to proceed and will leave the webpage. This will give rise to a high bounce rate, which will hamper the organic SEO strategies. In such cases, it is imperative to enable the HTTPS protocol to the website to give a secure, encrypted, and authentic connection. Implementing HTTPS will provide a minor SEO boost to the site.

d. Try other search engines: Currently, Google is the most commonly used search engine that is continuously updating its platform to improve the user experience. Regardless of the fact, there are other search engines that some people use regularly. Popular search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo require the content to be optimized according to their standard for a good ranking. Depending on the nature of the business or product, understand what search engine is most likely to be searched on and optimize the webpage accordingly.

3. Content Marketing: 8 percent of marketers claim that content marketing had a financial impact on their business of any channel in 2019. Content marketing is the process of innovating, creating, and giving out relevant, valuable, and comprehendible content to attract and maintain a clearly-defined audience and drive profitable customer action. Content Marketing focuses more on long-term, sustainable output. The initial rewards tend to be average, but the long-term, sustainable growth in visitors, leads, and customers can single-handedly carry a business. Content is not limited to posts. It includes videos, podcasts, online ads, and hosts other mediums of information.

4. Creative Web Design: A website is an essential part of a business. It’s like an online portal where many potential customers will turn for information about the products or services. In many cases, the website will be the first impression the business makes on the members of the target audience. A well-designed website can make visitors want to stay longer and keep them more invested in what the company has to offer. It also builds trust with potential customers. In fact, a study revealed that 94 percent of respondents mistrusted a website because of specific design elements. A professional website is necessary for online advertising campaigns to be successful.

5. Social Media Marketing: Social Media websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram present considerable opportunities to connect with the target audience. Therefore, these websites are a brilliant tool for online advertising. Eighty-one percent of adults have a social media profile, meaning there is a substantial online audience base. It is an easy, and cost-effective platform for advertisement, which can potentially lead to high-level customer engagement as expressing views on such platforms has become easier than ever. Perfecting at least one social media platform is better than trying to post mediocre content on all platforms. The essential requirement is to have a creatively-curated and informative page. Once it gains a sufficient number of followers, the content will do the job. The method helps gain credibility and drive’s the brand’s equity. Leveraging syndicates, building an online presence is easily possible.

6. Pay-per-click: Pay-per-click or PPC is an online advertising model that allows placing ads in search engine results for specific keywords where advertisers accrue costs when users click on the ads. While SEO focuses on earning rankings through content and optimization, PPC focuses on generating revenue through each click the links receive. PPC revolves around aptness. Users are searching for particular products, services, and information at any given time. Advertisers can show a targeted ad at the exact moment their search is occurring. The benefits of running a pay-per-click-advertising include:

a. Cost-effective:- PPC is one of the most cost-effective advertisement methods because the companies only pay when the users reach their websites. Therefore, it proves to be a good value for money. It gives out the liberty to spend as much or as little. 

b. Targeted audience:- PPC helps companies choose the audience according to location, demographics, and the devices they are using.

c. Measurable campaigns:- PPC campaigns can be set up to measure the effectiveness of the method intelligently. It helps in determining the number of returns each investment in such an advertisement is getting.

d. Customizable ads:- There is always room for small tweaks and adjustments in the PPC advertisements. As the companies run their campaigns, it helps determine what works best in the given scenario.

e. Fast results:- PPC advertisements reflect the results immediately if done right. Organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies are useful as well but can take months to make a difference.

7. E-mail Marketing: E-mail Marketing is the cornerstone of digital marketing. Capturing contact information for additional marketing and lead nurturing is the best way to sell in 2019, and emails remain the highest converting channel for engaging with leads. Email marketing begins with a ‘lead magnet.’ Possible lead magnets can include a free digital download, a free service trial, ‘seat’ at a webinar, site memberships, and coupons.  Many companies tend to go overboard with their emailing content. Regular emails and constant spamming might throw some customers off. Here are some tips and trick that will help to put up the right email marketing strategies to use:

a. Personalize the emails without using the recipient’s name: The practice of personal greetings may not seem as useful as it may seem. Since there are significant concerns regarding identity theft, phishing, and credit card fraud, many customers would be wary of emails, especially those with personal greetings. The relationship is a significant element of email marketing. When an email is too personalized and heavily stuffed with content, forcing familiarity too soon, the personalization comes across as off-putting. But this doesn’t mean that all forms of personalization are off-limits. A particular class of personalization can pay off big time, such as sending emails that acknowledge a subscriber’s individuality, for instance, their purchase history, demographics, and suggestions. The catch here is using personalization as an email strategy in a meaningful way. It reflects far greater care to send personalized email that is specific to a recipient’s need and history.

b. Precise Subject Lines: When it comes to crafting a perfect subject line for the emails, there seems to be the only area to avoid; the subject line of 60 to 70 characters. Digital Marketers refer to this length as the “dead zone” of subject length. According to various polls, which tracked over 900 million emails for its report, there is no increment in open rate or click-through at this 60-70 character length of the subject line. On the contrary, subject lines 70 characters and up tested to be most beneficial to engage the readers in clicking through to the content, and the subject lines 49 characters and below tested well with open rate. Either way, a helpful email strategy is to omit more words or cut out just a few to avoid that 60 to 70 character dead end.

c. Pay attention to the timings: While quality emails may be built during office hours, the ones with the best open rates are being sent at night. According to a survey by Experian Marketing Services, the time of the day that received the best open rate was 8 pm to midnight. This time frame not only performed better for open rates but also click-through and sales. Optimal mailing time often depends upon the customers’ behaviors, inbox crowding, and the deployment times of the marketers. Inbox crowding and the deployment times of other companies go hand-in-hand. If the email goes out when few others do, it stands a higher chance of getting noticed. 

d. Free Content: According to a survey, on their mailing list of 6,300 subscribers, Australian web developers Bluewire Media checked various types of content to see what led to the highest rates for opens and clicks. To check the strategy, the company gave out free templates and tools, and they turned out to be just the kind of freebies that email readers want. Talking about resources, Bluewire Media’s test results say that templates and tools outweigh ebooks, brainteasers, expert interviews, and even photo albums.

e. Email over Facebook and Twitter: Social Media is a powerful gizmo within itself, but emails still have a grasp over a heady population. Over 18 months, SocialTwist conducted a study and monitored 119 referral campaigns from top brands and companies. The results showed a noticeable advantage to email’s ability to convert new customers compared to Facebook and Twitter. Of the 300,000 referrals who turned into new customers, 50.8 percent were reached through email, as compared to 26.8 percent for Twitter and 22 percent for Facebook.

f. Mobile-Friendly Content: Emails opened on mobile phones accounted for 47 percent of all the emails opened in June, according to the data provided by email marketing firm Litmus. Since most people are on-the-go and mobile is the most easily-accessible device, people prefer just to read out the mail. Companies can design responsively to ensure that the email looks great no matter where it’s read. Here are some quick tips for email designing:

i. Convert the email to one column template for a comfortable mobile fit.

ii. Increasing the font size will encourage improved readability on smartphones.

iii. Many users tap and scroll using their thumb, so essential tap-able elements should be kept in the middle of the screen.

g. Engage with inactive customers: According to research, the average inactivity for a list is 63 percent, meaning that after joining, they are less likely to follow-up with those follow-up emails. Email marketing firm Listrak identifies the first 90 days as the window for turning a subscriber into a customer. For the remaining 63 percent inactive users, re-engagement campaigns are an excellent place to start.

Today, instead of creating noise that distracts the customers from the content they want to read, digital advertising can potentially be a part of the conversion that the brand has with its customers. With the right techniques and intelligently crafted solutions, any business can put itself on the map, avoiding excessive expenditure and channel organic, high traffic to its website. Whether it is social media networking, email marketing or just web design, all these factors are essential for the effective execution of these digital advertising techniques. Due to behavioral targeting technologies, it is easier to spread out engaging and quality content. By leveraging these tactics and technologies, businesses can utilize all forms of digital advertisement as an integral part of their business strategies.