The movement toward mobileand cloud computing is making corporate financial officers wonder what marketing teams are doing with their budgets.How do these tools create return on investment? Is there really any conversion going on with mobile or online sites? Does one perform better than the other for a particular firm, and why is that the case?
These are the questions that keep small business owners up at night. They know they need to be involved in digital media and marketing, but they may not know the best financial plan integration strategies for these options. For those concerned about how to best balance their money with their marketing strategies, here are some financial tips for making these assets perform to the best of their capabilities.
Be Thorough
Nothing is less professional than a half-built website or incomplete contact resources. Provide customers with at least three methods of reaching out to corporate personnel – by email, by phone and in person are good options. Mobile deployments may allow for texting options and social media can grant a more fluid interaction than email, but basic information needs to be available to consumers. Nobody is going to trust a firm with their money if the entity doesn’t list a physical address, a phone number and business hours.
Establishing trust with a customer is a huge part of gaining their business, Inc. Magazine wrote. Companies need to abolish some aspects of communication from their marketing claims altogether, the source wrote, because making promises the firm can’t keep is one of the best ways of driving away future business. Dissatisfied customers will commonly post scathing reviews online where anyone can see them, leading to a negative brand image and a harder time generating new leads.
Use free resources
Yelp is a particularly useful asset for companies, since it’s free and open to every consumer with an internet or WiFi connection. The site offers public feedback of companies of all kinds, and if business owners keep track of their online feedback in places like this, they can better address customer issues.
This is also a good strategy to use when setting up a social media presence, since sites like Facebook and LinkedIn provide no-charge resources for setting up corporate profiles. Companies can also pay for premium advertising space, so followers will see an ad from the company at the top of their feeds when they review these sites on mobiledevices or at a computer. Sites like these can also provide information for small businesses about how often these links are clicked, when pages are shared and what ads seem to garner the most attention.
Learn through doing
All these resources set up links for consumers to find companies, but businesses should use these tools to reach out and get more knowledge from other firms that have already gone through the process of establishing successful online advertising campaigns. Entrepreneur Magazine stated that the internet is a great place to learn and teach, so instead of just putting data about a corporation out there for shoppers to peruse, delving into online small business message boards and other communities can provide companies with free financial investment advice and other budgetary information for pursuing these resources. Getting involved in the online community can also help increase networks and raise thevisibility of a company, the source wrote, because it broadcasts the overall intentions and brand identity of the corporation.
As the complexity of online interactions continues to increase, sodoes the number of tools firms have at their disposal for tapping into the financial success these outlets can provide. Understanding how to make best use of these resources doesn’t require spending much, if any, money, but owners should know they’ll need to learn what they must know and understand they’ll likely make mistakes.