Written by 2020 TM Marketing Intern, Haley Skowronski
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit small businesses hard. Because of digital marketing, some businesses have been able to stay afloat. Whether it be through their websites, social media, social advertising, etc., businesses are using digital marketing to stay up to date on the latest trends while practicing essential skills.
Advantages of Digital Marketing Skills & Trends
Since we’ve unveiled digital marketing has been a solution for businesses during COVID-19, we can see exactly why this is the new norm and how it is creating a ton of opportunities. Digital marketing benefits both the business that is seeking out assistance and the company that is providing the digital marketing service.
As a digital marketing agency, TM continues to see new trends forming. It is crucial to stay up-to-date on these trends if you want your business to be elite. However, we’ve also noticed certain trends have more of an advantage for a specific business over others. For example, if a restaurant has been temporarily closed because of the pandemic, they will need to mainly depend on digital and social media marketing to promote announcement updates, location hours, and engaging content to keep their audience informed.
Local Royal Oak Restaurant
Social media is an asset for restaurants because they are able to advertise their business and reach their audience even if they are not currently open. A local Royal Oak restaurant, Mesa Tacos + Tequila, turned to Instagram while they were closed. They advertised how they were using carry-out services, posted updates on their restaurant, and even included funny content to engage their audience. This causes their audience to browse a website, potentially buy or visit their website once their doors are open.
As social media becomes more rooted in our daily lives, it only makes sense the role of influencers will continue to increase. Social media influencer marketing has reached a high because of the increase in online ordering over the past few months. Scrolling on Instagram and noticing delicious food or a product pop up on your feed will definitely grab your attention. We follow people because we admire their lifestyle, and if they are sharing something we like, what more of a reason do we need to go buy it? Or at least, in this case, follow a recipe they shared or even order the food we are craving through take-out. Mesa Tacos + Tequila could get even more attention if they considered this trend.
The role of social media influencers has risen. More individuals admitted they watch more influencer content now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is less tolerance for regular advertising, so influencers are playing a more important role as brands discover what their audience wants to see.
New Imperative Digital Marketing Skills
Digital marketing has been a way to communicate with others while we have been told to “stay at home.” Interestingly enough, we want to share five essential skills for digital marketing that were important even before and even important now. We’ve also added another valuable skill for you to learn from home:
Copywriting
Copywriting is more or less used to increase awareness for a brand and have a goal of persuading a person or group to take action. It creates profitability and achieves your business’ goals by convincing the customer you are targeting how your product will benefit them in some way. This is the number one skill needed for any other marketing aspects because, in some form or fashion, you will need to write descriptive copy.
SEO
Do you want your website to rank on the first page of Google Search Results Page? If so, you need to increase your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. It builds credibility for your business and website. SEO is important to consider during the web development process. TM offers SEO consulting and services to help you reach that first page.
PPC
PPC, known as pay-per-click advertising, allows your business to show in top spots, but you pay for each click your ad gets. So, this is where your skills would come into play because you would know which keywords to use. PPC advertising drives exposure for new products and services you might offer. This directs traffic to your website to meet goals, such as promote new offerings, brand awareness, or purchases.
Another essential skill is email marketing which frames your brand’s communication to your customers. It is a different way to display loyalty and advertising to build relationships with prospects, leads, current customers, and even past customers. TM explains how and why we use email marketing – there are numerous ways and reasons to use this skill to reach your audience.
Conversion Rate Optimization
Conversion rate optimization refers to the action you want a viewer to specifically take on your website. This way you can monitor the engagement on your website. It is important to use this skill because it is a way to find the right customers for your business.
Social Media
As we mentioned, social media is imperative to small businesses. Those interactive platforms serve as an alternative to the website while bringing the latest, up-to-date information, such as new restaurant menu changes and business hours. It’s important to choose the right social media platform so you can speak directly to and with your audience.
How Can You Start Today?
There are many free courses and tools you can have access to. You are able to understand how to correctly utilize the skills you are trying to improve or learn. Even though these skills are not new, there are so many recently discovered aspects to take into consideration. We also discussed easy ways you can do a lot of this yourself, including conducting your own SEO audit. Think about using the helpful resources offered for your benefit, so you can be the best.
Why These Skills Are So Important
It is still uncertain as to when everything will go back to normal, so now would be the best time to enhance your marketing knowledge. Consider the positive impact your business will have once you start implementing these skills. Digital marketing will only continue to grow and remain a necessity for your business even when we finally get through this pandemic.
Contact us today! We ensure great business success online with our digital marketing skills and only want to see you thrive.
Leave a Reply