Do you go get the yellow pages when you need a plumber or photographer? No?! Well surprise, neither do your clients. While we always want word of mouth to be a large part of our marketing strategy and hope to count on it forever, it is not the only form of marketing, nor should it be the only marketing you put all of your future in the hands of.
But I have a website, why would I need to do anything else?
Our firm hears this half question, half answer a lot, and the answer is no. Simply having a website is not enough and certainly never will be. Most business owners feel that because they have a website, even if it ranks on the first page of Google search results their marketing is perfect and it’ll stay that way. Well, Google makes changes every day to how they rank websites in their search results, and a website that is not making proactive and reactive changes to adjust with them will not stay on the first page.
So what are some of the big changes I haven’t thought of?
Have you heard of cyber security and all the breaches in the past couple of years? Well, they are kind of a big deal and Google doesn’t take it lightly. Therefore, a major change coming is any site that does not have a security certificate installed will have a notice displayed by Google saying the site is not secure. Do you think your clients will want to buy when Google starts saying their connection isn’t secure? Of course, SSLs have helped your website rank better in searches for years, but this is a big move to make it even more important. I’m sure you know your site has to be mobile-responsive for user-friendliness. Did you know that if isn’t your website will also reduce ranking results?
Ok, so a website and social media must be the end-all, be-all, right?
Unfortunately, no. Marketing in 2017 is so much more than just posting on Social Media and having a nice, effective, and resourceful website. As marketing becomes more competitive and your competition gets better at it, you have to step up your game too. If you don’t have an effective inbound marketing strategy with at least 3-4 inbound marketing techniques, let our team help you create your 2017 marketing strategy. Effectively implementing a blogging program, a newsletter follow-up, relationship marketing, and a digital strategy are all marketing methods you should have working for you and that you know how well they work.
What does this all mean for you?
Simple, NOW is the time to make a plan to implement new marketing strategies, refine your current marketing platforms, and review the analytics from your 2016 marketing efforts (if you don’t have them, make a plan to start tracking in 2017).
If the thought of all this marketing stuff is overwhelming, or maybe you just don’t have time… Call, E-Mail, or Book an Appointment with our team today!
