It’s Time To Catch Up To The Competition
The modern business world is more competitive now than it’s ever been. Of course, a competitive edge has always been important when it comes to running a successful business. But, it truly never has been easier to fall behind and not to catch up to the competition, so suddenly, as it is right now. This is down to one simple thing: technology.
There’s an old adage that says that every six months a piece of technology gets twice as fast, twice as powerful, or half as large. It’s not hard to see that this is probably true, after all just look at smartphones. In just a few short decades we went from mobile phones being giant bricks with long antennae, to having a tiny screen in our pockets that’s more powerful than the computers that first sent humankind to the moon! Because of this, it’s hardly surprising that the company that embraces technology is going to be the one that gets out ahead of the competition.
However, there are plenty of businesses out there that assume that they simply don’t need to adopt new tech or new working methods in order to grow their business. They think that the things that have worked before will continue to work in the future. It’s not going to come as much of a surprise that these are the kinds of businesses that tend to get left in the dust. In order to make sure that this doesn’t happen to your business, here are some modern practices that you will probably want to adopt in order to finally catch up to the competition.
SEO
SEO, or search engine optimization, is one of those things that even businesses who use it, don’t really know how to use it properly. A big part of this comes from the fact that it’s something that is constantly changing and evolving. The face of SEO used to be a rather odd, and slightly cynical one. All you really needed to do was to fill your website with as many of the correct keywords as possible. And then, watch your search engine rank go through the roof. It didn’t matter that these websites were often very unhelpful and borderline unreadable, all that mattered were the clicks.
After a while, search engines like Google started to get wise to these kinds of techniques. They adjusted their algorithms accordingly. This means that sites that just overload their posts with keywords are often blacklisted by many search engines. The key now is to integrate your SEO seamlessly with the content of your website. Making it as readable and engaging as possible.
Of course, this means that it requires a great deal more skill than it did before. Because of that, you’re much better off trying to find an SEO company who can take care of it for you rather than plugging away at it yourself. There are plenty of companies out there who specialize in creating the most engaging content possible. While they still helping your website climb the online search engine rankings.
Social media
Of all the technology innovations to modern marketing, social media is probably the newest, and most interesting. It involves a pretty fundamental shift in the way in which companies and customers interact with one another. Rather than trying to engage with customers as a group, many companies use their social media profiles to speak to customers as individuals.
Replying to posts, making humorous comments, and offering direct help and support are all made possible thanks to social media. Look at some of the most effective corporate Twitter accounts to see just how effective this kind of marketing can be. Of course, you’ve got to make sure your business is actually enjoyable to interact with. Otherwise, it’s going to come across and cringy and embarrassing.
Content marketing
Marketing used to be a matter of displaying an advertisement where you could pretty much guarantee that customers could see it. TV adverts, billboard, and newspaper ads were some of the most effective marketing methods of their time. However, times change. The modern generation isn’t interested in traditional advertising techniques; instead, they engage much more heavily with content based marketing.
Content marketing is the act of creating interest dynamic content that your customers are going to be interested in even outside of the marketing that you’re doing. It is often most effective when it is emotional or entertaining in some way. Often customers aren’t even fully aware that they’re being marketed to. Instead, it creates a bond between your customers and you that can generate an intense sense of loyalty. Once you have that you can be sure that the customers are going to both keep coming back for more. And also, that they will tell everyone they know about your business.
Online Video
Many businesses are realizing the value of online video at this point and with good reason. Much like how content marketing gets to customers on an emotional level, online video does the same but without them having the long walls of text that you might find in blog posts. Not only hat but it’s an even more effective way to provide customers with a face and personality that they can attach to their conception of your business. Customers will tune into your video content as long as the person on screen is entertaining and engaging.
Over time they will build an incredibly strong connection with your business that would be near impossible to create any other way. The interesting thing about all of the modern marketing techniques is that they don’t actually change the most fundamental thing that all businesses are already aware of. If you want to bring in customers, you’ve got to be able to connect with them on a personal level.
What has changed however is the method through which you’re able to do just that. Rather than sending out a large scale TV campaign, or commissioning a billboard, you’re getting up close and personal with your customers online. Letting them see eye to eye with you and your business. The methods might be drastically different, but in the end, it’s still about making that all-important human connection.
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