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Using digital marketing to increase your bottom line

12/22/202407/19/2023 by scmarketing

Small business owners tend to have a lot to juggle. Between managing inventory, employees, and bookkeeping, it can feel like there isn’t enough time left in the day to focus on marketing. However, with the growth of digital marketing, it has become easier than ever for small businesses to reach a wider audience and increase their bottom line.

Here, we take a closer look at how small business owners can use digital marketing to increase their profits.

Create a website

The first step in using digital marketing to increase your bottom line is to create an online presence. This can start with a website, which is an important asset for any business. A modern website design that is mobile optimised serves as a point of contact for potential customers, a hub for information about your products or services, and a platform for sales. With the help of a website, tailored for your target audience, small businesses can easily showcase what they offer and attract new customers.

Content marketing

Content marketing can provide value to potential customers by creating and sharing relevant and useful information. This can take the form of blog posts, videos, or infographics. By offering valuable content, small businesses can attract new customers, establish themselves as industry experts, and build brand awareness.

Content marketing is an important part of any ongoing marketing campaign and especially important for search engine optimisation (SEO). Content should include keywords that will help you be found in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Pay-per-click advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is another powerful tool for small business owners looking to increase their bottom line. PPC advertising allows businesses to target specific keywords and demographics, and only pay when someone clicks on their ad. This can be particularly useful for small businesses with limited advertising budgets, as they can maximise their spend by only paying for clicks from high-potential customers.

Email marketing

Email marketing is a valuable tool for small businesses looking to build relationships with customers. By building you on email database and sending regular newsletters and promotional emails, business owners can keep their customers engaged and informed. This can be particularly effective for small businesses, as it enables you to keep in touch with your client base and encourage repeat business.

Social media presence

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter are powerful tools for building relationships with customers. Not only do they provide a direct line of communication between the business and its customers, but they also offer the opportunity for businesses to showcase their products and services on another channel.

Digital marketing agency, Croydon

Digital marketing has become essential for small businesses looking to increase their bottom line. By building an online presence, leveraging social media, and investing in content marketing, PPC, and email marketing, small business owners can attract new customers, build brand awareness, and increase sales. While it can be overwhelming to navigate the world of digital marketing, the reward of increasing your bottom line and growing your customer base is well worth the investment.

If you would like help with your digital marketing strategy, get in touch.

How Much For a Website

12/22/202405/06/2023 by scmarketing

When it comes to developing a website, one of the most frequently asked questions is “How much will it cost?” Unfortunately, the answer to that question is a bit like asking “How long is a piece of string?” There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, as there are many factors that can impact the cost of website development.

Firstly, what type of website do you need? A plain brochure site with basic information will cost much less than a membership site or an e-commerce platform. For example, a simple brochure website can cost from £1500, while an e-commerce website with multiple products will cost from around £3000.

Next, consider how many pages you want on the website. Have you already got the content, text and images for those pages ready or do you need those elements created?

If you’re selling products, the number of products will also impact the cost of the website. A large inventory will require more development work and therefore increase your costs.

Additional features, such as a blog, accessibility settings, email boxes, domain name, and logo can add to the cost of development work. However, these features can also increase your website’s functionality, making it more valuable for your business and its customers.

When it comes down to it, there’s no definitive answer as to how much a website should cost. It really does depend on a variety of factors. That said, smart website development firms can provide website cost estimation tools to ensure that you get an accurate assessment of costs before engaging. At Smart Cow Marketing, we offer a website price estimator on our website to help you get an idea of what your project will cost.

Website Calculator

Essentially, the cost to develop a website will always depend on individual requirements, features, and complexity. But with a little homework, a consultation with a website development professional, and by using our website price estimator, you should be able to get a better understanding of the costs involved and start on the road to achieving your online goals.

9 web design tips

12/22/202405/04/2023 by scmarketing

Your website is your shop window for your prospects and existing clients. It should attract and engage visitors to keep them on your website for as long as possible.

Clear and bold call to actions with simple messaging and an easy to navigate menu is a solid foundation to build your website on.

If you’re looking for a new website to be designed and developed to help grow your business as part of your wider marketing strategy, here’s our top web design tips for businesses to consider.

1. Build your website with a good CMS

You need a good framework to build your website on. These days that means using Content Management Systems (CMS). Once the website is designed and developed, it enables easy upload of information so that content updates can be managed by you or a digital marketing agency.

2. Simple and engaging content

Review all your company information including your ‘about us’, case studies, product information, contact details and pricing. No is the perfect time to update everything. Read your content and ask yourself is it clear, accurate and informative. If you think of who your target client is, then write content that speaks to them.

Make sure that your URL for these pages says exactly what’s being talked about on the page as this help with SEO. So, if you’re an accountancy firm talking about Corporation Tax or Self-employment tax, name the specific URL just that.

3. Easy website navigation

When you design the menu and site map, think about the layout and whether it’s relevant and easy to navigate. You want visitors to find things quickly to help reduce the bounce rate and to keep them looking through your website for longer.

4. Calls to action

It’s not just about a clear menu, but it’s also about adding clear call to action buttons. These are often used for inbound marketing campaigns to drive visitors to: ‘download ebooks’; ‘sign up to a newsletter’; ‘book a consultation’.

5. Images

This forms part of your content too. It makes the website more engaging and easier on the eye. But don’t forget to upload the right size as too large and this could impact on the speed of your website loading and affect your SEO. Resize images so they are under 1200pixels wide. You can also install a plugin that means that whoever uploads an image to your CMS website it will automatically be resized.

6. Should websites have a blog?

Absolutely! A blog is vital for a business website to be seen in organic google search because it provides a dedicated space for uploading fresh content regularly. This keeps the website up to date and engaging for prospects, current clients and also the search engines.

The one job of a search engine is to get the best result for the person searching for a particular term. Therefore, providing content with helpful tips, advice and links, will help your website rise in the search rankings.

7. Be targeted

Your website needs to appeal to your target audience. We refer to this as an online persona which is a made up stereotypical customer. So, this is where a blog page can allow you to create specific content which answers the challenges of your audience.

8. Optimise your website

Any digital marketing agency you work with will tell you about Meta Descriptions, Alt Tags and H1/H2 headings. A web designer can provide you with simple training on this once your website has been developed. Or you can engage a digital marketing agency to manage this for you moving forward.

9. Back up your website

Most CMS websites provide modules to allow you to back up and to make safe against hackers. Do what you can to make it safe. A digital marketing agency that designs websites will usually incorporate regular backs ups into their ongoing management fee, so make sure you ask about this when you look to engage a web developer.

Web Design Consultant Croydon

If you’re a Croydon business and need help with your website design and development book a free consultation with the Smart Cow marketing team. As an inbound marketing agency in Croydon, we create and design websites for accountants and the local businesses.

Digital marketing resources

Are You Part of the PRADA Marfa Club?

12/22/202404/27/2023 by scmarketing

Hey there, fellow business owners! Today, I want to talk about a topic that should be near and dear to your heart – your website. Let’s talk specifically about the infamous Prada Marfa “shop” in Texas and what it can teach us about the importance of having an engaging website.

For those of you who may not know, Prada Marfa is an art installation that looks like a small luxury boutique.

From the outside, it’s a beautiful sight to behold, and anyone who stumbles upon it can’t help but be intrigued. But as soon as you step inside, you’re hit with an underwhelming surprise – there are no prices, no salespeople, and no vibe to speak of.

Website Design

This is the perfect analogy for what can happen to your website design if you don’t invest time, effort and resources into making it attractive and user-friendly. Sure, you may have a gorgeous homepage that catches people’s attention, but if the rest of your site is barren and uninspiring, visitors will run for the hills faster than you can say, “Welcome to our site!”

Think of it this way. If you step into a store where it’s hard to find anything, you’re unsure of the prices, and you’re not sure of the product information, would you stay there? Of course not! It’s the same with your website. You want to make sure your website is engaging and informative to your visitors, so they are more likely to stick around and convert into customers.

Now, let’s talk about the importance of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), PPC (Pay Per Click) ad campaigns, and marketing. Imagine Prada Marfa in the middle of the desert – it’s a stunning art installation, but it’s not in the right location to get traffic from potential customers. In the same way, without proper SEO, PPC, and marketing efforts to promote your website, it’s like you’re operating in the middle of nowhere, with no traffic or potential customers.

But fear not – there is hope! Smart Cow Marketing can help you build an attractive website that is sure to get traffic. A website that performs like Bond Street, rather than being lost out in the virtual desert. With our help, you can connect with customers, achieve sales targets and take your business to the upper echelons.

Your website is critical to the success of your business. Take a step back and evaluate your website’s user experience, if it needs work, invest the time and effort to improve it. Remember, just as Prada Marfa needs a makeover on the inside to match its striking exterior, your website needs a perfect balance of design, content, functionality, and optimisation to engage visitors and convert them into loyal customers.