Whether you’re starting a new business or have been working in a trade for years, your skills will only be useful up to a certain point if you don’t market your business properly to your potential customers online.
Over the last few years there has been a massive transformation in the way businesses market to consumers, moving away from the traditional print market to online. Here at Otto Van we don’t want to just help you get on the road with a shiny new van, but we also want to get business smart online
Below is a guide to help you get online-savy and stay ahead of the competition.
Your Website/SEO
Taking some time to fine-tune your website go can a long way. Your website is the first impression a customer will see of your business and you’ll want to make sure your site is engaging, easy to use, fast and has the ability to capture leads.
With more and more people using their phones to browse online, you’re going to have to make sure you’re site is mobile-friendly, otherwise Google will penalise you and push you down the rankings. Potential customers want a smooth experience and if they’re having to zoom in on their phone just to read basic text, they’ll leave in their droves to your competition.
Ever head of search engine optimisation (SEO)? You’ll either need to learn about or potentially invest in an agency to assist you if you want to get on the first page of Google. Google will crawl your site and make sure it’s optimised for search. We also recommend to input the Google Analytics code into your site so you can get data on your visitors, where they’re coming from and what they’re doing on your site.
Google Adwords
No time to invest in SEO or wait till you climb the rankings? Then using Google Adwords is the answer to your problems. The top couple of spots for any quality keyword search are up for grabs with ads from Google. You can bid for your top keywords (e.g ‘plumber in my area’) and make ads that relate to your cause. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad which then goes to your website. Competition for top keywords is fierce and bids can range from 50p to £15 per click (sometimes more!) so make sure you have a budget and structure in place otherwise your funds may run out quicker than you think. Your ads need to be of high quality and similar to the keyword searched otherwise the ad position might be lower down the list.
Google My Business
Setting yourself up on Google is key to being successful online. Make yourself an account and fill in all your company’s information (opening hours, address etc) then add photos and additional information so Google and potential visitors can get to know your business better. Google have also recently added a post feature which is completely free, allowing you to put ‘Facebook style’ messages on your home page at any time.
Reviews
Reviews have become increasingly important in the sales funnel of online purchases. Conversions are higher and reviews builds trust and authority to your business. Make sure your customers are reviewing you both on Facebook and Google, as this shows on your business profile. Once your business is at a certain size, you could join TrustPilot, who have established themselves as the main review platform for most if not all major businesses.
Facebook Ads
Facebook has billions of users who are eager to consume content, share, like and comment on things. Business’s have caught on to this are currently investing heavily in Facebook to build a band of followers, promote their new products and build SEO links to their website, which in turn boosts their position on Google.
With Facebook’s clever targeting, you can find potential customers on their database and showcase your ads to them. If done right, this can be a cost-effective way of advertising and can build up a potential list of clients down the line. Making sure your website is optimised and mobile-friendly will be key to the success of your campaign.
To make the most of Facebook, get someone technical to input the Facebook pixel into your site. By doing this you can re-target to website visitors, find lookalike audiences and get more data on your visitors. It’s a fantastic feature and free to install. Once the pixel is set up, you can start advertising.
Content
There is only so many promotional ads you can do on Facebook before your new audience will get tired of you. Keep it interesting by adding some content around your company and the trade you work in. So if you’re a electrician, you could produce an article (after having done some digging around the internet) showing ‘The Top 5 lighting designs’ to showcase to potential customers. They’ll click on your post, visit your website, go into your re-targeting pixel/codes and get to know your brand.
This all feeds into the SEO work you would have been doing on your website, so it’s important to keep this up. If your website doesn’t have a blog, get one built, you’ll definitely thank us later.
So there we go! A short guide on how to get business smart online. Some of these methods will take time to build up online (SEO) and some can be done straight away (Google Adwords). Take some time to prioritise what comes first and have some fun building up your marketing plan for your business!
You’ve now got the right advice to get your business noticed, but do you have the right van? Let Otto Van get you going with our popular Rent 2 Buy scheme. There’s no upfront VAT cost or balloon payment at the end. Find your perfect van here: http://www.ottovan.co.uk/rent-2-buy
Whether you’re starting a new business or have been working in a trade for years, your skills will only be useful up to a certain point if you don’t market your business properly to your potential customers online.
Over the last few years there has been a massive transformation in the way businesses market to consumers, moving away from the traditional print market to online. Here at Otto Van we don’t want to just help you get on the road with a shiny new van, but we also want to get business smart online
Below is a guide to help you get online-savy and stay ahead of the competition.
Your Website/SEO
Taking some time to fine-tune your website go can a long way. Your website is the first impression a customer will see of your business and you’ll want to make sure your site is engaging, easy to use, fast and has the ability to capture leads.
With more and more people using their phones to browse online, you’re going to have to make sure you’re site is mobile-friendly, otherwise Google will penalise you and push you down the rankings. Potential customers want a smooth experience and if they’re having to zoom in on their phone just to read basic text, they’ll leave in their droves to your competition.
Ever head of search engine optimisation (SEO)? You’ll either need to learn about or potentially invest in an agency to assist you if you want to get on the first page of Google. Google will crawl your site and make sure it’s optimised for search. We also recommend to input the Google Analytics code into your site so you can get data on your visitors, where they’re coming from and what they’re doing on your site.
Google Adwords
No time to invest in SEO or wait till you climb the rankings? Then using Google Adwords is the answer to your problems. The top couple of spots for any quality keyword search are up for grabs with ads from Google. You can bid for your top keywords (e.g ‘plumber in my area’) and make ads that relate to your cause. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad which then goes to your website. Competition for top keywords is fierce and bids can range from 50p to £15 per click (sometimes more!) so make sure you have a budget and structure in place otherwise your funds may run out quicker than you think. Your ads need to be of high quality and similar to the keyword searched otherwise the ad position might be lower down the list
Google My Business
Setting yourself up on Google is key to being successful online. Make yourself an account and fill in all your company’s information (opening hours, address etc) then add photos and additional information so Google and potential visitors can get to know your business better. Google have also recently added a post feature which is completely free, allowing you to put ‘Facebook style’ messages on your home page at any time.
Reviews
Reviews have become increasingly important in the sales funnel of online purchases. Conversions are higher and reviews builds trust and authority to your business. Make sure your customers are reviewing you both on Facebook and Google, as this shows on your business profile. Once your business is at a certain size, you could join TrustPilot, who have established themselves as the main review platform for most if not all major businesses.
Facebook Ads
Facebook has billions of users who are eager to consume content, share, like and comment on things. Business’s have caught on to this are currently investing heavily in Facebook to build a band of followers, promote their new products and build SEO links to their website, which in turn boosts their position on Google.
With Facebook’s clever targeting, you can find potential customers on their database and showcase your ads to them. If done right, this can be a cost-effective way of advertising and can build up a potential list of clients down the line. Making sure your website is optimised and mobile-friendly will be key to the success of your campaign.
To make the most of Facebook, get someone technical to input the Facebook pixel into your site. By doing this you can re-target to website visitors, find lookalike audiences and get more data on your visitors. It’s a fantastic feature and free to install. Once the pixel is set up, you can start advertising.
Content
There is only so many promotional ads you can do on Facebook before your new audience will get tired of you. Keep it interesting by adding some content around your company and the trade you work in. So if you’re a electrician, you could produce an article (after having done some digging around the internet) showing ‘The Top 5 lighting designs’ to showcase to potential customers. They’ll click on your post, visit your website, go into your re-targeting pixel/codes and get to know your brand.
This all feeds into the SEO work you would have been doing on your website, so it’s important to keep this up. If your website doesn’t have a blog, get one built, you’ll definitely thank us later.
So there we go! A short guide on how to get business smart online. Some of these methods will take time to build up online (SEO) and some can be done straight away (Google Adwords). Take some time to prioritise what comes first and have some fun building up your marketing plan for your business!
You’ve now got the right advice to get your business noticed, but do you have the right van? Let Otto Van get you going with our popular Rent 2 Buy scheme. There’s no upfront VAT cost or balloon payment at the end. Find your perfect van here: http://www.ottovan.co.uk/rent-2-buy
