April 12, 2022
So, you want to drive sales through digital channels but feel like you’re in the wild, wild west of the internet. You’ve got social media here, email marketing over there, and SEO playing hide-and-seek with your sanity. Also, you know that 82% of users browse the purchase they are about to make, even if it’s in a store, meaning your digital presence has never been more important.
But fear not! We’re here to help you corral all those unruly channels into a well-oiled sales machine.
If you add a fun twist and look at driving your sales up as throwing a party, you will soon realise that you need your coolest customers to show up. The ones who are ready to buy what you are selling. To get them in the door, you need to know exactly how to send out the invitations, what music to play, and how to keep them entertained.
So, let’s get this party started and dive into the fun world of digital marketing.
The term people lightly throw around, “digital channels” can feel like a catch-all phrase. But what does it really mean for entrepreneurs like you who want to drive sales and not deal with terminology?
In simple terms, digital channels are various online platforms and tools you can use to connect with your potential customers. They range from social media channels and email newsletters to e-commerce platforms, search engine optimisation (SEO), and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. That’s a lot of channels offering unique opportunities to engage with your customers.
But how can you choose the right channel for your business model and goals?
The key to resolving this problem is to use sales intelligence tools to understand where your target audience spends their time and what type of content or interaction they prefer Start this mission by asking yourself important questions like:
Let’s divide and conquer by breaking these channels into understandable and manageable pieces and see how they fit into your business strategy.
Your online presence, aka your website and social media platforms, is usually the first impression potential customers have of your business. It’s important to make it a good one!
Let’s see how you can optimise your website and leverage social media to build brand awareness and engage with your customers.
Think of your website as your digital storefront. Just like a physical store, it's where customers come to learn more about your products and services. Considering how tech-oriented new generations are, you need to make every visit unique and give them a reason to stay longer.
There are a few steps you can take to make the user experience better and boost conversions, such as:
You never know where your potential customers browse your content — on their desktops, laptops, smartphones, or tablets. So, you need to ensure your website looks and functions well on all screen sizes.
CTAs are the prompts that guide visitors to take specific actions on your site, like “Buy Now,” “Sign Up,” or “Contact Us.” Make sure your CTAs are clear, compelling, and easy to find. They should stand out visually and use a language that encourages your target audience to click.
No one has the time to wait for a slow-loading webpage, so if your website takes too long, visitors will most likely leave — and browse your competition. To overcome this, you can optimise images, use efficient coding, and leverage caching to ensure your website loads quickly and smoothly.
To see just how crucial fast loading times are, take a look at the chart below. It shows the significant impact that different page load speeds can have on conversion rates and bounce rates, underscoring the importance of optimising your website for speed.
Source for data: Unbounce, Think with Google, Akamai
Just like no one has the patience to wait for your website to load, no one will search endlessly for information. So, your website needs to be easy to navigate, with a logical structure and clear labels for each section. This simple organisation will help users find the information they want without getting lost or frustrated.
Remember that content is king, and focus on high-quality, relevant information on your website. This will help with SEO by providing valuable information that search engines love, but it also ensures that your pages are indexed properly, boosting your visibility in search results. Effective page indexing means that your content is more likely to be found by potential customers, and that, in return, keeps your audience informed, engaged, and more likely to convert. Make sure your content is well-written and informative, as this improves the chances of your pages being effectively catalogued by search engines.
Continuing on the premise that your content is one of the most valuable assets that will drive sales, we can dig a little deeper and find out what truly matters when it comes to content.
The foundation of any successful content marketing strategy is creating content that resonates with your audience. This could be in the form of blogs, videos, infographics, podcasts, or social media posts — whatever format best captures your audience’s attention and conveys your message.
Your content needs to be relevant, informative, educational, engaging, and actionable. That might sound like many tasks for one piece of content to achieve, but once you get started and understand what works for your audience, it will get easier.
In addition, let’s not forget the importance of good SEO practices. By optimising your content for search engines, you make it easier for potential customers to find your business when they’re searching for relevant information or solutions.
Here are key SEO strategies to consider:
Identify the keywords and phrases your target audience is searching for and incorporate them naturally into your content. SEO keyword dashboards can significantly help in this process by providing a comprehensive view of which terms are most effective for your niche. These keyword reporting dashboards allow you to monitor and analyse keyword performance, helping you understand what content resonates best with your audience.
Your content needs to be well structured. This means you created clear headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make it easy for search engines and users to read. Also, include internal links to other relevant content on your site to make it easier for search engines to index your pages and keep visitors in the loop longer.
If your goal is to rank higher on Google search (and it should be), you need backlinks from other reputable sites. This signals to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy, boosting visits and sales.
Search engines favour fresh and up-to-date content. Update your existing content regularly to keep it relevant and valuable, and constantly publish new content to attract more visitors.
Email marketing remains one of the most effective tools in an entrepreneur’s arsenal, and for a good reason — it’s a direct line of communication.
It all starts with a robust and engaged email list. To create one that has the potential to move your sales up, you need to:
Once you have a strong email list, create campaigns that resonate with your audience and drive conversions. Here are a few elements to consider:
Personalised emails perform way better than generic ones. Take your personalisation a step further than simply addressing your subscriber by their first name. For example, you can create an interactive walkthrough for your services and send a tailored option for each segment. Building a walkthrough that feels unique for your subscribers will help with open rates and ultimately drive more sales.
Your email content should be concise, to the point, informative, and engaging. Whether you are announcing a new product, offering discounts, or sharing valuable content, make sure your message is clear and compelling.
Use clever visuals, bullet points, and short paragraphs to make your email easy to read.
An effective way to drive sales is to offer something exclusive and create a sense of urgency to gently nudge the subscribers to act quickly. For example, if you offer a service to convert PDF files to Google Sheets, you can include a special promotion or tutorial on “How to Easily Convert PDFs to Google Sheets.” This simple yet effective offer to learn how to convert PDFs to spreadsheets is enough to keep your subscribers coming back for more and, with that, boost sales.
Social media advertising and influencer partnerships are powerful strategies for enhancing your brand’s visibility, reach, and sales. By opting for paid ads, creating effective campaigns, and collaborating with influencers, you can engage more with your target audience and really reach your business goals.
Paid social media advertising is a fantastic way to expand your reach and connect to people who are not your organic followers. Whether you’re on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok, these platforms offer a variety of ad formats and targeting options to help you zero in on your ideal customers.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start, partnering with a SaaS PPC marketing agency can change how you approach this strategy. These experts specialise in creating tailored ads that align perfectly with your business goals, whether you simply want to boost brand awareness or drive more sales. A good SaaS PPC advertising team knows the nuances of each platform and will help you optimise campaigns for maximum impact.
Whether you manage your campaigns independently or with a team, it’s important to start by setting clear objectives. Are you looking to boost website traffic, generate leads, or drive sales? Focusing on the end goals will make it easier to choose the right ad format and targeting strategy.
It’s also helpful to know how to add someone to Facebook Ads Manager at this point. This can make a big difference when you’re working with a team or partnering with external experts. By adding users to FB account, you can easily collaborate with others and allow them to manage and monitor your ad campaigns.
Collaboration with influencers is another way to reach people who might not know about your product or service and boost sales. To make the most out of these partnerships, choose influencers (preferably micro or nano influencers) whose audience matches your target market.
The goal is to find influencers who match your brand’s vibe and who can promote your product or services genuinely and authentically.
And don’t forget to keep an eye on the results! Track engagement, follower growth, and sales to see how well the partnership works. This will help you fine-tune your strategy and make future collaborations even more successful.
As you explore digital channels' opportunities, remember that every click, share, and like is a step closer to driving sales. While this digital landscape might seem chaotic and fast, with the right strategies we covered above, you are more than ready to conquer it.
The key is to stay curious, keep experimenting, and never be afraid to try something new. The digital strategies you now know will bring real results because, in digital marketing, fortune favours the bold and well-informed.
