You're finally happy with your new website, your product pages are live, blog is ready and your homepage design looks great. Now you have to bring in customers because they won’t come by themselves. That all begins with an effective marketing program.
A successful marketing strategy includes a mix of content planning and copywriting as well as paid advertising.
If you want to start acquiring new customers today through paid advertising on Facebook, Google or other sites and platforms, read this useful digital marketing guide.
If you want to start acquiring new customers today through paid advertising on Facebook, Google or other sites and platforms, read this useful digital marketing guide.
Design a Landing Page
Before you launch any specific ad campaign, determine what you want users to do and create a landing page that will help them meet those specific goals.
“Your website has a homepage, a product page or perhaps an 'About' page that describes who you are and what you do," says business writer Tim Beyers. “A landing page is a page on your website that you publicize widely in the hopes that new visitors to your site will 'land' there."
For a small business, this means your landing page should focus on a specific item that you are trying to sell (you can use the product element to add a single product to any page.) Keep the landing page simple, focus on the goal product and give potential customers plenty of opportunities to make a purchase. Don't forget, the landing page should match the rest of your website design so users know where they are. It should also tell them exactly why they need to make a purchase.
Unite and Superset are offer excellent landing page design options. It's easy test these themes as landing pages directly from the themes tab.
“Your website has a homepage, a product page or perhaps an 'About' page that describes who you are and what you do," says business writer Tim Beyers. “A landing page is a page on your website that you publicize widely in the hopes that new visitors to your site will 'land' there."
For a small business, this means your landing page should focus on a specific item that you are trying to sell (you can use the product element to add a single product to any page.) Keep the landing page simple, focus on the goal product and give potential customers plenty of opportunities to make a purchase. Don't forget, the landing page should match the rest of your website design so users know where they are. It should also tell them exactly why they need to make a purchase.
Unite and Superset are offer excellent landing page design options. It's easy test these themes as landing pages directly from the themes tab.
Write Copy That Sells
Once the landing page has a design framework, content is the next critical component. It's a three-part process:
- Start with killer copy. Set a goal and use clear, concise language to help users understand why they are on your website. Paint a vivid picture with every detail and image that leads to your call to action.
- Craft a strong call to action. Users should have one thing to do when they get to your website landing page: "Click to Purchase an Item." Use positive, simple and actionable language to help them meet this goal.
- Optimize for conversions. Again, it's all about simplicity. Start by showing off the product you want to sell and create a streamlined process for shoppers. (Weebly already makes this easy with large button styles and drag & drop tools.)
Advertise in Free Spaces
Take advantage of free advertisements to get the word out about your product or service. To use these services, you'll often need to create an offer or coupon or establish a directory listing.
Other free options include getting listed on review websites and creating branded content for blogs, social media or YouTube. Create an email list – Weebly Promote is a great option and it links to your website – or send press releases to local media when you have a new product to showcase.
Here's a guide to all of the free options available to you.
Other free options include getting listed on review websites and creating branded content for blogs, social media or YouTube. Create an email list – Weebly Promote is a great option and it links to your website – or send press releases to local media when you have a new product to showcase.
Here's a guide to all of the free options available to you.
Start with Google AdWords
Google AdWords is one of the biggest advertising networks on the web. While the tool is rather robust, most users can start a simple campaign and see results without a lot of training. Plus, ads can be adjusted easily and you can track the results of every campaign so you know whether it is working or not.
To get started, you'll need a Google account (and go through the AdWords setup). Ad delivery is based on search keywords, so think about how you would search for your product online; those are the keywords you should be targeting. Plus, the longer you use AdWords, the “smarter" it gets, making suggestions about potential keywords you might have missed.
Then you create individual ads, choose when and how you want them to run and launch the campaign. Ads can be text-only – no design required – or Google tools can help pull images from your website for more visual ads. (Recommendation: Try a combination of text and display ads.)
Finally, set a budget and your ads will start hitting the browsers of potential customers right away.
To get started, you'll need a Google account (and go through the AdWords setup). Ad delivery is based on search keywords, so think about how you would search for your product online; those are the keywords you should be targeting. Plus, the longer you use AdWords, the “smarter" it gets, making suggestions about potential keywords you might have missed.
Then you create individual ads, choose when and how you want them to run and launch the campaign. Ads can be text-only – no design required – or Google tools can help pull images from your website for more visual ads. (Recommendation: Try a combination of text and display ads.)
Finally, set a budget and your ads will start hitting the browsers of potential customers right away.
“Boost" with Social Media
Consider promoting your products with social media ad campaigns. You can work with a budget that's as little as $50 and see some return.
On Facebook, make sure more people (and the right people) see your content and products by “boosting them." That means adding a budget to posts so they run multiple times and to a wider audience. You can target your audience based on location, interest, gender and more. You can also create custom audiences based on customer information you provide, by using a Facebook pixel or by engagement directly on Facebook. This will ensure your content is reaching the right people, who are more likely to purchase your products. Facebook also has other avenues for more traditional ad formats as well. (Here's a breakdown of how to create each type.)
Other channels, particularly Instagram and Pinterest, have strong potential for online sellers. Use engaging product images and a paid campaign to drive users to want your product. As a bonus, Facebook and Instagram ads both run through the Facebook interface so you can create ads for both social media networks at the same time. (This is a huge bonus if you want to get started on multiple channels but are short on time!)
On Facebook, make sure more people (and the right people) see your content and products by “boosting them." That means adding a budget to posts so they run multiple times and to a wider audience. You can target your audience based on location, interest, gender and more. You can also create custom audiences based on customer information you provide, by using a Facebook pixel or by engagement directly on Facebook. This will ensure your content is reaching the right people, who are more likely to purchase your products. Facebook also has other avenues for more traditional ad formats as well. (Here's a breakdown of how to create each type.)
Other channels, particularly Instagram and Pinterest, have strong potential for online sellers. Use engaging product images and a paid campaign to drive users to want your product. As a bonus, Facebook and Instagram ads both run through the Facebook interface so you can create ads for both social media networks at the same time. (This is a huge bonus if you want to get started on multiple channels but are short on time!)
Conclusion
When it comes to digital marketing, the best strategy is to mix it up. The most successful businesses use a combination of free and paid options to attract customers. Take it one step at a time so you don't feel overwhelmed as you plan your marketing strategy. Follow the steps above – in order – to make the most of your marketing budget (and time) today!
Ready to get started? Lets go.
Ready to get started? Lets go.
Carrie Cousins Carrie is a designer and content marketer. She works promoting the Roanoke Region of Virginia and has more than 10 years of media and marketing experience.