Let’s face it, there’s no way brands can afford to not have a digital presence any more. Even brands that target older generations now need to ensure they are available online as silvers adapt to the world of e-commerce. Your brand will be missing out on customers and falling behind the competition if it does not utilize the capabilities and opportunities presented by the Internet, social media and digital technologies. If you haven’t started investing in digital marketing, this article aims to help you.
You can’t cook a perfect steak without a proper skillet. And digital marketing, just like a sirloin, needs proper tools to make it effective. Below, we have identified five essential tools to help you build a successful digital marketing presence.
1. Google Analytics
This is possibly the most powerful FREE tool to have in your toolkit. Long story short, Google Analytics offers insights into the source of traffic, user behaviours, and the performance of website conversions. Sound too technical? Basically, Google Analytics will tell you exactly where your customers are coming from, what they are looking for, how long they search for it, and how they end up paying you for the products or services purchased. If you don’t have this tool for your website already, we recommend you implement it as soon as possible.
2. Hotjar
Have you ever visited a website where it takes more than five minutes to find the specific product you are looking for? It’s a frustrating experience when that happens, don’t you think? Treat your website like a physical store. Your customers should be able to find what they are looking for in a timely manner and without hassle. You should always be mindful of creating an optimized user experience.
Hotjar will help you do this. The tool tells you exactly where your visitors click, and how frequently they do so, via a visualised heatmap. As a result, you can evaluate what needs to be changed on your website. Are the buttons too tiny to click on with a thumb? Does the “next page” button show up too soon? Hotjar will help you answer all these questions and more.
3. Meta Pixel
As you probably already know, Meta (formerly Facebook) collects all of your browsing data as soon as you sign up for an account. Don’t be too alarmed, as an advertiser there are certainly some upsides to this. Using a business account, you can access your database and target your audience accurately.
By installing Meta Pixel to your website, the social media giant will track all the actions that take place on each webpage. Remember the last time you were searching for an air ticket to Tokyo, and 10 minutes later, an Instagram Story recommended a 5-star hotel with an offer you couldn’t resist? That was Meta Pixel working its magic.
With this tool, you will be able to target people who are interested in your service or intending to give you business. This targeted approach is more powerful than broadcasting multiple TV commercials and hoping someone who was actually paying attention will eventually become a customer. Additionally, Meta Pixel provides data that reflects your ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) on your advertising report. Ultimately, you will be able to evaluate your ROI and allocate marketing budget accordingly.
4. Mailchimp
Email addresses are arguably the most valuable asset your potential customers can give you. Once you have them, trust me, you don’t want to waste them, simply because this is the most direct and effective marketing channel you can have. With Mailchimp, you are empowered to send automated emails to your subscribers. But what does that really mean?
Firstly, you will have to integrate Mailchimp into your website. If someone subscribes to your newsletter, the email address will automatically be added to your database. The next step is to identify your objectives and set-up rules on Mailchimp that will help you reach them. For example, if you want to remind potential customers who have abandoned their carts, this tool can automatically send a reminder email to them, and ultimately turn them into a customer without you having to do anything. It is recommended that you visit the platform once a week to check and optimize the performance of Mailchimp, simple enough. Speaking of setting objectives, to create a real business impact, you must clearly define your objectives when communicating with your audience.
5. Trello
At Sinclair, we’ve been using Trello for over a year. Our team uses Trello every day to track the progress of tasks, plan editorial calendars for clients, plan social media activity for the Sinclair brand, and gather all internal communications in one place.
Honestly, no one likes to read 50 emails every hour. Emails should be used for important conversations. With Trello, you can assign dedicated team members to certain tasks, report on progress with one click, and make suggestions directly. You get notifications as soon as changes are made. This will save your team a lot of time on replying to emails and avoids racking up 22-page long email chains. Give this free tool a try, you won’t regret it.
So these are the five essential tools for growing your business online. If you would like to discuss these recommendations or talk in more detail about your digital marketing needs, feel free to schedule a call with us and we can help you devise an effective strategy.
