Wednesday 17th of January 2024
We live in a digital world where most people are glued to the screens of laptops, computers, smar
...tphones and smart TVs. With the internet penetrati...
We live in a digital world where most people are glued to the screens of laptops, computers, smartphones and smart TVs. With the internet penetrating every aspect of human lives, it has become crucial for businesses to leverage online marketing. Customers use digital platforms for every big and small need, ranging from paying bills and reading news articles to shopping and engaging with friends and colleagues.
Thus, businesses must showcase their presence on various digital channels to grab their attention. It offers excellent engagement levels with buyers and allows sending out highly targeted messages that minimise the wastage of the marketing budget. So, here is how businesses can cost-effectively build a strong online presence to persuade the target audience. These strategies will help you outsmart competitors and build brand loyalty.
When looking for a brand, most buyers search for its company website to know more about its origin, founders, products and vision. A basic site with no information or striking images is as good as no site in today’s digital age when businesses create immersive websites.
Thus, business owners must invest in creating an easy-to-navigate and mobile-friendly site with high-quality visuals and an engaging layout. It must have highly relevant and valuable content with all the required information and keywords to be found in search engine results.
SEO is beneficial in generating organic traffic to the website, which helps to increase the brand’s credibility. Updating a company blog with the latest and most informative content is vital to rank higher on the search engine results page.
The business owner must get referrals (backlinks) from reputed websites to gain a better ranking and use appropriate keywords and meta tags in the content. Following SEO best practices and avoiding black hat improves the brand’s online reputation.
Businesses need to build an email list of potential and existing buyers to follow up and send information about discounts and offers. It is a cost-effective way of quickly reaching the entire customer database with personalised messages.
Marketers can even measure the click-through rates and conversions achieved through emailing to make improvements. Entrepreneurs who acquire a business for sale in South Africa must utilise the existing client database to maintain online visibility and long-term relationships.
Entrepreneurs must devise a social media marketing strategy because South Africa will have 40.77 million social media users by 2026. It is imperative to be present on the platforms most used by your target audience, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Besides creating profiles, businesses must upload interesting content to capture the attention of users and get it shared widely to increase brand awareness. Engage in conversations with potential buyers, answer their questions and quickly respond to consumer complaints and issues to get social approval from buyers.
Another way of getting noticed online is to get listed on Google My Business and maintain updated business information. It helps local buyers find your store when looking for your products and services. Also, make listings on search directories like Yelp and Yahoo and mark your location on Google Maps to be found by those using maps to locate the business.
With online shopping gaining prominence in the country, it is vital to have online customer reviews. Most buyers look at user-generated content to assess the credibility of the business and the value of the products. Thus, businesses must encourage existing buyers to write testimonials for the website and post product reviews to increase word-of-mouth publicity.
They must also be incentivised to offer Google Reviews and ratings to improve the reputation of the business. Reward customers who provide positive feedback with discount coupons and codes. It is also helpful in boosting brand loyalty and generating customer referrals.
Online advertising is much more affordable than TV and print advertising. Also, it can be monitored and adjusted per the business needs. The best part about online advertising is that it targets potential customers rather than sending a mass message.
It can reach a global target audience and can be created and executed comfortably. It has a higher probability of generating leads and conversions. The reports generated through tracking customer response help in identifying trends and improving marketing messages.
After the pandemic, most businesses realised the importance of having an online store. Using e-commerce helps increase the customer base by shipping products to new locations.
If it seems like an expensive endeavour, entrepreneurs who have acquired a business for sale in South Africa can sell on online marketplaces like Takealot, Gumtree, Amazon, etc. Businesses can also sell their products on both these digital platforms to increase their availability and online presence.
Content marketing is a tool that helps build a strong online brand presence. Businesses must provide their audience with authoritative, trustworthy and relevant content regularly to win their trust. It must maintain consistency in tone and language to create a solid brand image.
When the audience like the content, they will automatically like, follow and share it. The rise in followers will help gain traction on the website and improve visibility and brand advocacy. Thus, businesses should create blogs, videos, social media posts, images, infographics, webinars, case studies, presentations, and everything that grabs eyeballs.
Social media influencers enjoy massive following online, with millions of viewers watching their content. Brands partner with them to get their products endorsed and increase their online presence and sales. Using influencers increases the business’s credibility and creates a buzz among the target buyers.
They can expose the brand to many prospective customers and boost sales. They can also help get many followers on social media pages and increase website traffic.
Wrapping Up
Every business must have a strong online presence in the digital world to stay relevant. Competitors are vying for the attention of buyers across channels, and it is necessary to beat them with an effective digital marketing strategy.
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Business2Sell is one of the biggest and trusted marketplaces for buying and selling businesses in South Africa. Our website is visited by thousands of buyers and sellers every day, which makes it the most active and dynamic online platform for transactions. We are committed to providing our clients with advanced technology and value for money services.
