Part 2: Three Key Marketing Strategies Your Business Should Implement After the Facebook Shutdown

When considering ways to advertise with Google, there are a few different channels you might consider investing in:

• SEO — Targeting strategic keywords on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) through organic site optimizations
• Google AdWords — Targeting strategic keywords on a SERP through Pay Per Click (PPC)
• Google Display Ads — Strategically placing graphic advertisements on applicable web pages to target a specific audience (PPC)

Podcasts/Radio Advertising

The rise of podcast popularity has created a new advertising stream—strategic audio advertising is more targeted, trackable, and lucrative than ever before. These types of advertising channels offer strategic tracking through coordinated discount codes or Urchin Tracking Module’s (UTMs) that allow you to build unique links and see real-time results for your advertising efforts. 

While this advertising channel may not be right for every business, there are some clear advantages to both local radio and podcast advertising, especially for Direct To Consumer (DTC) brands, as this Forbes article denotes. 

Video Marketing

Video has always been a powerful marketing tool, but now more than ever, video marketing has moved to the forefront of customer acquisition strategies. Google estimates that 55% of shoppers use video to make purchasing decisions. While social media channels offer a great place to feature your video content, there are numerous other places you can feature your video to help your customer acquisition strategy including: 

• • Your Website — Including engaging content on your website extends users time on page, decreasing bounce rates.
  • YouTube — this also helps with your SEO efforts as YouTube is owned by Google, and an essential part of their algorithms.
  • Tik Tok & Instagram Reels — For DTC products and services, video marketing is a great way to significantly expand your reach and drive traffic to your website. 
  • Content Marketing — As with the main landing pages of your website, adding video content to your blogs, testimonials, etc. significantly increases consumer engagement with your assets. 
  • Google Display Ads — Including video in your display ads can increase your Click Through Rate (CTR), especially if your product or service needs further explanation.
  • Ecommerce Products — By including video on your product page, you increase consumer trust and understanding of the product, removing barriers of online shopping.

I know what you’re thinking: Tik Tok, Reels and YouTube are technically social media channels—and you couldn’t be more correct. This example explains how diversifying your social media channels by repurposing video content for each channel can benefit your business, as certain channels are impacted by outages or legislation. We’ll cover this more below.

Customer Communication and Engagement

Once you’ve brought your customers in, you need a strategy to keep them engaged—enter the coveted repeat customer metric. You’ve already cleared the first test, getting them to make the initial order visit. Now, you just need to keep them in the loop on new product or service offerings. While social media is a great channel for customer communication and engagement, it’s important to have other channels available to reach those customers who aren’t active on social media, or for when the next social blackout occurs.

Email Marketing and Database Management

Email marketing is one of the most effective tools to communicate with your customers. One HubSpot study found that email generates $42 for every $1 spent, making it one of the effective digital marketing strategies available. You’ve already acquired the customer, so you likely already have their email. Now, you just have to put that data to good use. 

The best way to do this is through effective database or CRM management. In fact, that same HubSpot study found that marketers who use segmented campaigns report as much as a 760% increase in revenue. That said, we understand managing and segmenting your email list is no simple task—especially for small businesses who have more important details of their business to manage. That’s when hiring a certified marketing agency to help with segmentation and marketing automation can really help contribute to your bottom line. 

Blogs and Content Marketing

Another great way to increase engagement with your customers is through blogs and content marketing. By publishing regular, relevant content, you’re creating a direct path back to your website and improving your website’s SEO relevancy. Depending on your product or service, some content ideas could include:

• Gift Guides for the Holidays
• Case studies or customer success stories
• Media coverage of your product or service
• How-to guides or checklists
• Videos about your brand

…and so much more. As an added bonus of content marketing, you’re developing engaging content that you can use in your email marketing, social media, paid advertising, or sales strategies. And with that, we’re back to talking about social media, so it’s time to address the giant blue ‘F’ in the room.

You Still Need to Invest in Social Media Marketing

That’s right, I said it. While we will no-doubt see changes in social media regulations and variations in specific channel popularity, social media marketing is here to stay. And that’s a good thing for you, because there is significant value that your business can draw from social media marketing including invaluable insights into your target audience, message testing, lead generation, and so much more. That said, there are some things your business can do to prepare for coming changes in social media marketing:

Diversify Channels

As we touched on earlier, diversifying your social media channels is the best way to ensure your business is prepared for changing social landscapes. That means, don’t put all of your posts on platforms owned by Facebook, Google, TikTok, etc. By utilizing your content to post across multiple platforms, you also increase your reach, as not all audience members are on each platform.

Campaigns to Increase Followers

That said, some of your existing followers on one platform may already have an account on another. By creating strategic campaigns to grow your audience (followers) on each account—and this means letting them know how to follow you on other platforms—you can ensure you’re able to reach your loyal fans during the next blackout. 

Strategic Ad Management

Social media will continue to be an important tool for audience segmentation and targeting for paid advertising. The best thing you can do is routinely monitor your ads to ensure your efforts continue to promote a positive ROI. You can do this with strategic ad management which  includes: 

• Regularly monitoring the success of each campaign
• A/B testing to see which messages are performing best
• Regularly updating ad content so users aren’t seeing the same message over and over
• Retargeting users who previously engaged with your ads or content

It’s all About Marketing Strategy

With any paid—or even non-paid—marketing effort, it’s important to be strategic so you’re able to account for the ROI of your investments and ensure you’re investing in efforts that help your business achieve your goals. Not sure where to start? Luckily for you, your friends at Brand Mark Digital know a thing or two about Marketing Strategy. In fact, it’s at the core of every client relationship we have.

Are you ready to build an integrated marketing strategy built to ensure your business’s continued success? Schedule a complimentary consultation with us today.