2023 is over. While most of our clients are enjoying time with their families, some of us online marketing nuts keep on planning and strategizing.
So, if you're in for a treat (other than cookies and champagne), let's enjoy my best 25 online marketing tips for the upcoming year.
If you have new ideas, feel free to share them in the comments section below.
Table of Contents
Get an SEO Audit
Whether you are doing it yourself (not recommended unless you are an SEO god) or getting an expert to perform it, an SEO audit is mandatory for any business owner who wants to get more clients.
It's like going to a doctor for a routine checkup. You could look in the mirror yourself, but I doubt you'd be able to diagnose anything important.
Just like the doctor runs tests to see how healthy you are, an SEO auditor will run an extensive diagnosis on your website and Google Business Profile to understand why they are underperforming and, even better, find ways to improve your results.
Based on the audit findings, you can start working on the tasks that are going to bring you the most ROI.
Which brings me to the next tip, even if not limited to online marketing:
Always Prioritize the Best Returns
Almost 10 years ago I was struggling. A new mother, trying to be the mom of the millennium, while also working for my web design clients 12 hours/day. Add 20-30 websites (from which the majority were forums).
I was tired, angry, ready to stab someone.
And then I read Pareto's principle and it changed my life and business.
The Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is an observation that states for many outcomes, roughly 80% of the consequences arise from 20% of the causes. It's sometimes called the law of the vital few or the principle of factor sparsity.
Do I hear Hallelujah?
I realized then why it was so difficult to manage it all. I had a handful of small clients who were draining me with relentless requests, websites that were taking hours/day to manage (without any thanks from anyone), and a super-unproductive workflow.
In the following weeks, I closed down websites (sold a few for some good money), ditched the whiners (and we're not talking about my baby here), and focused on doing better work.
To manage my attention deficit, I started using the Pomodoro technique, meaning I'd work very focused in short bursts every day. 25 minutes of super-intense work, then a break. I would tally mark my Pomodoros so that my competitive nature would help me improve even more.
How does this translate into your online marketing work?
A few years ago, as I was settling down into SEO auditing, I worked with a client who owned a pretty big e-commerce website. We're talking thousands of products and pages, not your normal small business brochure website.
After auditing the website, my client asked during our video call: "OK, Ramona, what should I do first?"
When you have a bigger website (or just want to focus on what matters the most) doing 1000 tasks and hoping something sticks is not the way to make progress. So you will need to PRIORITIZE.
I joked and replied that, unless he hired a hundred SEOs, we couldn't repair the website all at once. But, fear not, we could actually repair what mattered the most.
How should we prioritize (I'll create a separate article if you find it useful):
- repair the pages that are not indexed. A search engine cannot rank a page that's not in its database, right? So, if the client had pages that couldn't be indexed, we should repair them.
- the pages that are ranking on the second page in Google should be optimized first, as this would push them to better positions, and, bam! instant traffic.
- we should add CTAs (Calls to Action) on the pages and turn the visitors/lurkers into subscribers and leads, etc.
It made sense then and still does now.
So, if you have a new product that needs to be "pushed", improve the page that presents the said product. If your website has poor rankings, choose the keywords that need a little more push to secure some more traffic.
Before we embark on posting 300 super-optimized articles to create our topical authority, how about we make sure what has been written already ranks better? How about we improve our loading speed or at least add a darn call now button so that those few people who stumble across our website have the means to contact us?
Focus on Mobile
More people than ever are using their smartphones and tablets to browse the internet and shop online. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and that your ads are optimized for mobile devices.
No, seriously, we started doing responsive website design back in 2011. A website that is not mobile-friendly is just not going to cut it now. Even if your customers are more likely to buy from you, when they are using their computers, being able to view your website on their smartphones is still mandatory.
Get Involved or Invest in SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website and content so that it appears higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Done right, this opens the door to a plethora of new, more targeted leads.
Say you are a doctor. If you have a well-optimized website, you will get hundreds (if not more) of potential clients who have searched for "OBGYN New York" for instance and found your website.
While SEO in itself is not free (usually it costs $2,000-$5,000/month), trying to pay for ads to get the same patient numbers is way more costly.
From my experience, clients usually paid around $2,000/month for local SEO for instance, and we drove traffic that would have cost them at least 5-10 times more (if they were to rely on PPC).
Not to mention another big difference between paid ads and SEO: once you stop paying for advertising, your traffic is gone. Done deal! When we do SEO work for our clients, we improve their websites and Google Business Profiles, which means that the work will continue to show results even long after we part ways (if that's the case).
Encourage Your Clients to Leave Online Reviews
Whether it's on your Google Business Profile, Facebook page or Clutch, Yelp, BBB or other business directories, ask for reviews. Even better: ask for 5-star reviews.
You know that nasty teacher you had, who used to say A+ (100 or whatever the maximum grade was) is just for the teacher? And kept on giving you less-than-perfect grades, even if he claimed you did a terrific job?
Well, there is the occasional client who is thrilled with your work, but things a 4-star review is cool. Nope, it's not. If they loved your work, ask for 5 stars!
Run Paid Ads if You Do Have a Budget
Nope, I don't have multiple personalities to tell you it's OK to pay for ads when I just recommended doing SEO. If you have the budget, paid ads can bring in customers, while also allowing to to test out different landing pages and CTAs.
Paid advertising can be a great way to reach a wider audience and drive some traffic to your website. There are several different paid advertising platforms to choose from: Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Nextdoor, Spotify, etc.
Make sure you create landing pages for the campaigns and not just send traffic to your index page. Using a heatmap and A/B testing are also mandatory for you to really leverage this traffic boost, not just waste money.
Re-Write Your "About Us" Page
If your about us page is more about you and your mission + vision, please do us all a favor and rewrite it. Honestly, NOBODY cares about you. It's weird, while it's meant to be about your business (hence the name "about us"), it should be about your target clients.
What is their main pain? What is the solution you have for that?
Instead of dry paragraphs about your missions and visions, write about what pains them.
Do they need landscaping? A dentist? Their car repaired?
Write about that. Present what aches them and mention HOW you solve their problem. Stay away from pompous phrases, just present the facts. Show case studies, if you have them. Add 1-2 testimonials to help them see you are the real deal.
Don't forget, we are all egotistic beings, we first care about ourselves and then the others. As a Romanian saying goes "Teeth are closer than parents" (it's more melodious in Romanian and boy, do we have some juicy mottos).
Use Email Marketing
For years I detested email marketing, being on the wrong end of newsletters, if you get my drift. After being spammed to death with useless drivel, I came to dismiss this marketing tool altogether. Even today, if I sign up for a service and get subscribed to a newsletter (without me agreeing to it), I'll mark and report it as spam.
And then I started seeing some decent examples and slowly subscribed to a handful of newsletters. What triggered the change?
The email marketing consultants sending these newsletters were offering a lot of value in these messages. Tips and tricks, sometimes exclusive information for subscribers only. I got value from these emails, so I stayed in the list.
So, the way to do it is easy: no spam and only useful information is sent every once in a while. You could be Shakespeare, if you email me daily, I'll go nuts.
I started enjoying this handful of newsletters and realized email marketing is a great way to stay in touch with your customers and promote your products or services.
The main benefit is that, even if your website visitors are not ready to buy NOW, if your lead magnet is compelling, you can get them to join your email list.
This way, by sending useful information, when they are in a position to buy from you, instead of searching for your type of services online (and maybe getting to your competitors, if your SEO is not pristine), they will turn to you for advice and support.
Use Social Media
Social media is a great way to connect with potential customers and build relationships. Make sure you're active on the platforms where your target audience is spending their time, and be sure to post engaging content that will capture their attention.
Just like with email marketing, social media can be a great way to connect with your target audience. Make sure to focus mainly on your website and not waste too much time and energy on your social media profiles.
At the end of the day, your website is YOUR HOME, while these profiles are just some "rented space". Invest in your own assets, not others'.
Always Create Great Content
Content is still king in the online world. Create high-quality, informative, and engaging content that your target audience will love. This could include blog posts, articles, infographics, videos, and more.
Have a voice. Yours.
Be quirky, be original, don't try to fit a mold.
People do business with people. Before they buy what you sell, they need to connect with a real person, however imperfect. Focus less on looking like the next online mogul and more on answering their questions through your content.
When you deal with clients, what are their questions? What are their objections? Use these to build a "know-how" database and share it with the public.
In over 20 years of doing business online, I barely spent a few hundred dollars on paid ads. And yet I've been booked solid most of the time.
How come?
Because I always loved sharing my knowledge. Whether it was via webmaster forums, or my blogs, I constantly geeked about web design, marketing, and SEO. Which drove a constant influx of clients and referrals.
Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)
Testimonials, reviews, and social media mentions from satisfied customers are gold dust. Encourage UGC by running contests, hosting Q&A sessions, and showcasing positive feedback prominently.
This social proof builds trust and inspires potential customers.
Add testimonials on each page of your website and create a separate page to gather them all. Got tens or hundreds of them? Even better. When a prospective client reads this wall of reviews, chances are you'll get the job.
Offer Excellent Customer Service
Customer service is more important than ever in the online world. Make sure you're providing excellent customer service to all of your customers, no matter how big or small their purchase.
Always give the extra 5 minutes, and do something more than just your contract work.
It doesn't mean you're being taken for a fool, it means you CARE and your clients will appreciate it. Just as you are excited when someone is giving you a little extra care, make sure to treat your own clients the best you can.
Just a little effort can go a long way.
Track Your Results
It's important to track your results so that you can see what's working and what's not. Use analytics tools to track your website traffic, social media engagement, and email marketing results.
Just like you track your finances and look at graphs on a regular basis, when it comes to online marketing, you need to see trends and tweak your strategies in real time.
Focus on Local SEO
If you have a brick-and-mortar store or business, focus on optimizing your website and online presence for local search. This will help you attract customers who are searching for businesses in your area.
Even if you provide services and products at a national level, ranking locally allows you to get clients and money in the bank, while you promote at a higher level. This is why a well optimized Google Business Profile is always a must, it gets you leads faster than other marketing strategies.
Get Involved in Online Communities
Participate in online forums and communities where your target audience is active. This is a great way to build relationships and promote your brand. It goes hand in hand with your content strategy, always offering the best insights and advice you can.
For many years I've been the "crazy forum lady" and, together with my blogs, forums have always been a great source of constant clients and work.
Focus on Customer Experience (CX) and User Experience (UX)
Every touchpoint, from browsing your website to interacting with customer service, shapes your brand image. Prioritize a seamless and positive CX across all channels to build loyalty and advocacy. Make sure that, from the moment a visitor comes to your website, she has valuable content to read and is slowly move upwards into your sales funnel.
This is why a website should be created by a professional, not by nephew Jimmy (unless he is an expert SEO web designer). Your website is the foundation of your marketing efforts. It's your stronghold. If this is flimsy and not well built, your entire marketing structure crumbles.
Partner with Complementary Brands
Collaborations can be mutually beneficial. Partner with businesses that cater to similar audiences to cross-promote products or services, run joint contests, or host co-branded events. This expands your reach and opens doors to new customer segments.
As an SEO expert and web designer, I love partnering up with PPC experts for instance, social media consultants etc. While I can provide these services and have done in the past, since my focus is mainly on website building and SEO, these partners can easily fill in (and expertly do so), the areas I don't usually work in.
Run A/B Tests
A/B testing is a great way to experiment with different marketing messages and strategies to see what works best. Even better, use heatmaps to see where your visitors are clicking on your website. Microsoft Clarity is a FREE heatmap service I recommend.
Use Marketing Automation
Marketing automation can help you save time and effort by automating tasks such as email marketing and social media scheduling. MailChimp, Aweber and Contant Contact are great email marketing platforms you can leverage.
Social Pilot, Hootsuite and Sprout Social are 3 social media automation platforms that can save you a lot of time.
Embrace Micro-Influencers
Influencer marketing is huge, but you need a hefty budget to come even close to some of the biggest names. While big-name influencers can grab headlines, don't underestimate the power of micro-influencers (those with smaller followings but highly engaged audiences).
Partnering with niche influencers relevant to your brand can build trust and authenticity, leading to valuable conversions. And you can do this with more sensible budgets as well.
Repurpose Your Content
Don't let great content gather dust. Repurpose blog posts into infographics, videos into snippets for social media, and webinars into downloadable guides. Maximize the reach and impact of your existing content without reinventing the wheel.
Embrace Storytelling
We all love stories and have done this since childhood. Your potential clients are no different.
Facts and figures are important, but stories resonate. Craft compelling narratives that connect with your audience on an emotional level. Showcase your brand values, highlight customer success stories, and use humor or inspiration to make your marketing memorable.
Learn to Focus Your Digital Marketing on What Works
Don't create 30 social media profiles. You would need to keep them active. Do you have time to post regularly on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, Threads etc.?
No, then keep only the accounts your potential clients use to reach you. Have 2-3 main ones and engage with your community.
Tweak Your Strategies Constantly
The way a lot of SEO companies used to do business years ago was to create a list of keywords for their clients and just drip content every month. What we do is to constantly look at ranking stats and decide what to push every new month.
Do we have new products or services? Do we see a decline in ranking? Do we run sales on certain merchandise?
What happens every day should dictate our next move.
Don't just set up strategies and leave them unchanged. Do a monthly audit of your performances and understand what the next logical step is. Remember, one of our tips was to always run for the strategies that are going to be the most effective in getting you business.
One last tip: BE PATIENT. Online marketing doesn't work overnight. Before you see new clients for your business, you will need to invest at least a few months into marketing and SEO. Or, if you are the DIY type, you need to work for at least 4-5 months to really see results.
