It’s no secret that technology is changing the way we sell products and services, but digital marketing needs to be at the core of the marketing plan of every small business (or home-based business)

As the digital marketing landscape evolves, it’s those businesses that can keep up with the latest digital marketing trends that will reap the benefits. Being mindful of the following concepts could help bolster your business in 2019.

1. Content Marketing – improve your content

From the story on your “About us” page to your latest social media campaign, content is extremely important as it shapes the personality of your company.

Thoughtful content and communications strategy can help spread awareness and educate customers and potential customers at every stage of the sales funnel. Good quality content helps your company – no matter its size – build and maintain a strong reputation and brand. The right content has the power to turn prospects into customers and customers into evangelists. It will ultimately build trust and lead to higher close rates in the long run.

When it comes to your social media presence, try to stay active with regular daily or weekly/bi-weekly posts to show that you care about connecting and building relationships with your customers.

Finally, focus on creating quality content. Understand who your target audience is and craft a message that resonates with them.

2. Voice search and local SEO

Another marketing trend for Canadian small businesses to take note of is the enabling of voice search. This is where you can take your SEO strategy to the next level. With voice search comes more conversational queries, which means there are longer tail keywords that your business should be considering and targeting.

Local SEO updates are crucial for voice search. It’s important that your business ranks in the top spot for a voice search query like, “where is the closest Thai restaurant?”

This means that it’s critical to have a “Google My Business” profile, and you should ensure your information is up to date, with the correct address, contact information, and opening hours listed.

3. Social media platforms – social media posts, social media marketing

It’s important to understand where consumers are researching or purchasing your products or services. Social media is an essential tool for any business. It is a chance to target specific buyers based on their research and/or purchasing habits. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube allow companies of all sizes to be creatively innovative with their digital marketing campaigns, often on a small/limited budget too. As mentioned earlier, try posting quality content regularly (daily, and if not daily then at least a few days per week or at the very least weekly) to show that you care about connecting and building relationships with your customers.

4. Manage reviews and ratings on social media

Having a presence in Google or social media is not enough. If you ask your clients to engage with your company then you should be prepared to engage with them at every opportunity. This means that you should be actively reviewing and responding to any and all reviews and ratings your company may receive in Google, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media platform. Thank your users for a good review, but also make sure to respond respectfully to negative reviews making every effort to turn an unhappy client into a returning client.

5. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly

Many small business and home-based business owners in an effort to save money hire inexperienced developers to put together their websites in a budget. As a result, the mobile functionality of their websites is not thought out as well as it should be (or even worse in many cases, it’s not thought out at all). When it comes to mobile, customers are becoming less tolerant of websites that do not take the mobile journey and experience into account. To provide the necessary information and customer experience, mobile needs to be accounted for (or even prioritized) in the digital journey.

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Here is our list of the top five trends all local business owners and marketers should be aware of in 2019:

1. Proximity is king

When Google provides local search results to users proximity has always been the driving force behind these results. Even if a competitor’s website has stronger ranking signals,  if it is not in the desired search range, it won’t come up in a local search. While this might seem like bad news, it’s actually a great way for new (and smaller) businesses to reach customers who would otherwise favour larger and more established businesses.

Of course, quality still matters, but proximity seems to be becoming more important in 2021. Proximity targeting gives marketers the opportunity to capture some customers who would have otherwise chosen another option (possibly a more established and larger competitor) located further away. People value proximity, especially when searching on mobile devices, and mobile “near me” searches are an opportunity to reach highly qualified leads. Often, a search like this indicates someone is likely to make a purchase imminently.

This means that it’s critical for your business to have a “Google My Business” profile with up to date information, including the correct address, contact information, and opening hours listed.

2. Online reviews and online brand mentions

Online reviews and brand mentions are becoming increasingly important for search and local SEO rankings. In fact, Google now uses online brand mentions in its algorithm. The inflation of brand mentions improves organic rankings, which in turn improve local ones. Google also takes into account the context in which those mentions occur.

Google now analyzes factors such as trust amongst customers, advertising, and how an organization responds to and resolves complaints online. This means that businesses now must manage reviews and mentions in Google and in social media much more closely. It’s critical that you should be actively reviewing and responding to any and all reviews and ratings your company may receive in Google, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media platform to maintain high rankings.

3. Paid ads (Google ads and social media ads) will become an important factor

Google ads (AdWords) and social media ads have long been a popular choice for businesses of all sizes to get in front of customers (and show up before their competitors’ organic listings or posts). However, so far local businesses, especially small and home-based businesses were not worried quite as much about paying for search results. Expect this to change in 2021 as Google, Facebook, Twitter, and all other social media platforms are looking for more ways to monetize local searches. As an example, Google is starting to give priority to paid ads for local searches and maps. If this trend continues, it will become increasingly difficult to reach your target market without running Google ads.

4. Stay on top of local SEO trends in 2021

Local SEO is constantly evolving. What worked in 2019 might not work in 2021. It’s critical to stay on top of the latest trends, so you can get the best results. Incorporate these strategies and measure the results. You will quickly see which strategies are working the best and which ones need to be tweaked. If you continue to analyze the results and make changes when necessary, you can develop a powerful local SEO strategy.

5. Your website is still VERY important

Even as social media reviews and mentions, and Google My Business become increasingly important, maintaining your website is still vital for ranking factors and engaging with customers. Research shows that most customers check business websites every time or more than half the time when they’re deciding which local business to visit, and the majority of customers trust the information on the business websites more than the information on Google My Business.

It’s very important then that your website is well-designed, works well on mobile, and shows professionalism. It’s also critical that all the information listed is well-written, and the contact information is up-to-date.

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As the digital marketing landscape evolves, it’s those nonprofits that can keep up with the latest digital marketing strategies that will reap the benefits. Being mindful of the following concepts could help improve your efforts in 2019.

1. Content Marketing – create meaningful stories

From the story on your nonprofit’s mission statement to your latest social media campaign, content is extremely important as it shapes the personality of your organization.

Thoughtful content and communications strategy can help spread awareness and educate followers, donors, and potential donors. Good quality content helps your nonprofit organization – no matter its size – build and maintain a strong reputation and brand.

When it comes to your social media presence, try to stay active with regular daily or weekly/bi-weekly posts to show that you care about connecting and building relationships with your donors and supporters.

Finally, focus on creating quality and engaging content. Aside from sending a clear message, nonprofits can stand out by creating messaging people actually care about and feel an emotional connection to.

2. Influencers

Other than posting regularly on social media and engaging with typical community members to increase backlinks, you might also want to reach out to influencers who care about your cause. There are several examples of celebrities regularly supporting and posting or sharing messages on social media about causes close to their hearts. An influencer doesn’t necessarily need to be a celebrity. Social media influencers are users with vast networks of people connected to them. These influencers can share your nonprofit’s content on a regular basis to these vast networks and immensely improve your cause’s visibility. Research some people/influencers whose audiences fit your target market and consider contacting related organizations or foundations as well as bloggers and websites to tell them about your non-profit and ask if they’re willing to link to you or share your messages.

3. Google – Grants for nonprofit organizations

Nonprofits and charities can apply for a Google Ad Grant to receive the equivalent of $329 USD per day in advertising credit for Google Ads? That’s more than US$120,000 a year in advertising spend! All of the Grantees must meet certain – strict – criteria in order to qualify for Google Ad Grants and keep that qualification active. Also, it’s important to mention that one of the criteria is having a high-quality website that meets the Ad Grants website policy.

Esquared Consulting can help you with the development or re-development of your website to meet this criterion. We can also help/guide you through the process of applying for the Google Ads Grant.

4. Social strategies, paid search, video marketing

Other than trying to take advantage of the Google Ad Grants for nonprofits, there are also significant opportunities in using Facebook and Twitter for targeting potential donors. By using their hyper-specific targeting tools and boosting posts that have performed successfully previously, non-profits can experiment and refine a relatively inexpensive paid social strategy.

Utilizing impactful video content to build awareness and generate support for your nonprofit’s initiatives should be a top priority as research shows that close to 60% of people who watch non-profit videos go on to make a donation. The most important thing to remember when creating videos is to inspire emotion in viewers by using strong imagery and a meaningful storyline.

5. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly

Many nonprofits in an effort to save money hire inexperienced developers to put together their websites in a budget. As a result, the mobile functionality of their websites is not thought out as well as it should be (or even worse in many cases, it’s not thought out at all). When it comes to mobile, visitors are becoming less tolerant of websites that do not take the mobile journey and experience into account. To provide the necessary information and customer experience, mobile needs to be accounted for (or even prioritized) in the digital journey.

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All industries have been hit hard by the COVID-19 lockdown, but real estate in Calgary has been hit especially hard given that it’s been in a downwards trend for a few years already. Only to make things worse, COVID-19 hits at a time (spring of 2020) when Calgary realtors hoped that the market would start moving again. In a market that is notoriously seasonal (sales usually surge between April – September, and subside between October – March) COVID-19 seems to be hitting the Calgary market at the worst possible time. We’re still in the middle of the COVID-19 lockdown so we don’t know yet how hard it’s going to hit the market this year, all indications though show that it’s going to hit very hard and it will shake the real estate industry in its core.

But there is hope (and opportunity)!

Traditionally, in the digital age, the Calgary real estate market has been dominated by a handful of realtors (or realtor teams) who have managed to harness early on the power of the internet and dominate this space with extensive and strategic digital marketing spending across several platforms.

If someone is looking to buy or sell a home in Calgary chances are they’ve seen the websites, online ads, or other digital assets from a few realtors and their teams: Justin Havre and Associates, Kirby Cox, and Associates, Jim Sparrow, and a handful more. It’s really a very small list of realtors who are highly visible on the web, the rest are either nowhere to be found, or they’re buried somewhere within a corporate website. If you’re one of these realtors, how can you possibly “compete” with the likes of Justin Havre or Kirby Cox and their teams and their massive digital marketing budgets?

Well, the truth is that you can. There is a way.

MAKING A GOOD AND SMART USE OF YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING BUDGET

In warfare when small groups of combatants want to take on larger armies using hit-and-run tactics and mobility this is called “guerilla” fighting. Similarly, in marketing, a movement was developed in the late 80s where the basic idea of guerilla warfare was “applied” to marketing tactics (and aptly named “guerilla marketing”). Guerrilla marketing then is an advertisement strategy in which a company uses surprise and/or unconventional interactions in order to promote a product or service at a very low cost as compared to its competitors.

In the era of digital marketing we have even more tools at our disposal to get the best value out of our digital marketing investment. What is important then for a realtor is to work closely with a digital marketing agency like Esquared Consulting and understand what’s important and what’s not so important when it comes to the realtor’s digital strategy, and also understand where they should divert most of their digital marketing budget, and most importantly how much they should spend to get things started and start seeing a return on their investment very quickly.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE, POST COVID-19

The reality of the present situation is that we don’t really know what’s going to happen next. We don’t know how quickly the restrictions will be lifted and we don’t know whether life will go back to normal again. Many people seem to believe that as soon as the restrictions are lifted people will go back to their previous behaviour and start buying/selling homes (amongst other things) as they did before COVID-19.

My feeling says that this is not what’s really going to happen.

I think what we’ll be seeing after the restrictions are lifted is going to be people still living in fear and trying to understand whether the COVID-19 scare is gone for good or if it’s still coming back within the next few months. If there’s no vaccination found that will eradicate COVID-19 once and for all then people will continue living in fear for many months to come and until this vaccination is in place. This means that the market is most likely going to remain very volatile even after the restrictions are lifted a few months from now. What’s most likely going to happen is that many people will be scared and will try to unload their properties as they may not be able to afford them anymore in the future (especially if they’ve reached their credit limits during the COVID-19 lockdown period, lost their jobs, etc.).

Coming out of the COVID-19 lockdown period we may be entering into a new world, much different than the world we knew before COVID-19. I think it’s a given that many businesses – in all sectors – will be closing down, and the real estate sector will be affected in the same way as most other businesses. Given than the barriers of entry to the real estate business is very low I wouldn’t expect to see fewer realtors operating in this market after the COVID-19 lockdown period, which makes it even more important for those realtors who want to “survive” in the post-COVID-19 world to ensure that they stand out from the crowd.

Having a personal website where you can slowly build your personal brand is a given and it’s CRITICAL for your business. This website doesn’t have to be overly large or expensive to start with. Modern CMS (Content Management System) technologies allow us to start small and add on to the website as your business and budget grows. What is CRITICAL though is that the initial website (however small it may be), it’s properly done and reflects professionalism, credibility, great functionality and SEO compliance.

The same goes for your initial digital strategy and digital marketing campaigns. You can start small, very small really, but it’s critically important that whatever you do is based on a longer-term plan and it reflects professionalism and credibility.

HOW DO YOU START THEN?

Do a quick review of your digital assets:

1. Do you have a personal website? If yes, does it:
   1. Look professional and up-to-date
   2. Not so professional and up-to-date
2. Do you have access to web analytics/visitors data? Do you understand this data?
3. Do you have a robust social media presence (at a minimum Facebook, hopefully also Twitter and Instagram).
   1. If you do, do you post there regularly – minimum twice per week?
   2. Do you do these postings yourself or do you work with an agency to do them for you?
4. Do you do any paying advertising?
   1. Do you advertise on Google?
   2. Do you advertise in social media (Facebook etc.)
   3. Is any agency managing these paying ads for you?
   4. How much are you paying monthly for paying ads (media spent only)?
   5. Do you receive easy to understand statistics?
5. Do you have an SEO strategy in place?
6. Do you have a local SEO strategy in place?

WHAT’S NEXT, HOW CAN ESQUARED HELP YOU?

If you want to work with us we’ll need to review the answers in the questions above ad then provide you with some feedback and advice on where you should go next.

For realtors who start taking their digital journey seriously now our advice is simple:

• Start small
• Focus in a small/niche market and expand from there
  • You can’t beat the large realties and large and established real estate agents if you’re competing with them all over Calgary. However, you can beat them (remember guerilla marketing?) if you focus in a small area or a niche market.
  • As an example, you can present and market yourself as an expert for sellers/buyers in a very specific area of Calgary (example: Brentwood), or you can present yourself as an expert in relocations (a niche market). This way you can focus your SEO and digital marketing efforts (and budget) in a much smaller space instead of trying to be everything to everyone.
• Understand your budget and the costs associated with the work you’d like to do:
  • Can you afford paying ads? These can start as little as $100/month. If you can afford them then start with Facebook. Facebook typically offers the best return on your investment and it’s usually much more inexpensive than Google Ads. It’s a good place to explore paying ads without breaking the bank.
  • Do you have the time to post on your social media channels at least twice/week? If you do then you should be doing your own postings. We can provide you with some guidance to get you started so that you’ll do it right.
  • If you don’t have the time to do your own postings then we can offer options to have our team post in your social media channels for you.
  • Before you explore any of the above, ensure that your website looks professional and up-to-date. This is a critical first step before you do anything else.
• Let’s discuss. We can help you review your current digital assets and then provide a clear proposal (along with pricing options) for reasonable next steps for your business, based on your available budget. We want to be your digital partner and help you be ready to succeed when the current situation shifts and buyers and sellers are ready to engage again.

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Other healthcare clients we serve:

• Acupuncturists
• Athletic/Sports Trainers
• Chiropractors
• Counselors
• Dentists
• Dietitians
• Homeopaths
• Kinesiologists
• Massage Therapists
• Naturopaths
• Nutritionists
• Occupational Therapists
• Optometrists
• Orthodontics/Orthodontists
• Personal Trainers
• Psychologists
• Physiotherapists

1.Create a strong, well-designed website

There’s a very high chance that most of your potential clients’ first interaction with you will be on your site. It’s critical then that your website must make a good first impression. It needs to look professional, be well-organized for easy navigation, and be thorough in the information it offers visitors. We have over 20 years of experience in website development and we build profitable websites for wellness practitioners, homeopaths naturopaths, and spas.

Contact us today for a FREE consultation!

2. Content marketing for wellness practitioners and spas

The content you write about, whether it’s blog posts, info graphs, videos, or leveraging social media platforms, says a lot about you. The better and more informative content you put out there, the more customers appreciate it. The more customers that appreciate it, the more likely they will generate a sale. Content marketing generates three times as many leads as outbound marketing, drives six times higher conversion rates, and has the potential for an 8x boost in web traffic. Are you putting out good content? On-site content marketing in the form of a blog or FAQ gives you an opportunity to regularly add new content (and keywords) to your site, increasing your overall ranking and sending more traffic to your site.

Not only does content marketing help in generating leads, but it also helps you understand who your customers are. Every customer requires a unique customer journey, so it’s incredibly important to know who your customers are and what specifically makes them want your service.

3. Focus on local SEO

When searching for a naturopath, homeopath or for a massage therapist or spa service, consumers usually look for a professional or business in their area. This kind of services, by their nature, are local businesses, and they rely heavily on the local community to provide patients and clients.

This means that you’ll want to rank for terms like “Calgary naturopath” instead of just “naturopath,” or “spa in downtown Calgary”. Not only will this help you find your target audience who is Googling for exactly these terms, but it will also give you an edge in voice search, where users ask Google, Siri or Alexa to help them find a local dentist, chiropractor or physio “near me.”

There are a number of great ways to improve your local SEO, here are a few of them:

• Configuring your Google My Business
• Directory and Listing Citations
• Website Localization
• Review and Rating Management
• Quality Backlinks

Don’t worry if you don’t know what some of these mean, we would be happy to explain them to you!

4. Social Media

There are 25 million social network users in Canada. That’s a whole lot of potential patients and customers. Don’t underestimate the power of social media marketing. Posting a few articles a week on your profile won’t drive the traffic you expect. You need to be creative and know who your market is to get the highest ROI. We can help you become a social media guru in your market.

If you’re working in the healthcare and wellness services sector, you’re probably crazy busy. You need to prioritize your time and focus on social media marketing platforms that make sense.

Based on recent studies, Facebook (97%), LinkedIn (59%) and Instagram (39%) are most top picks for this industry.

Having a strong social presence allows you to engage with patients and customers and subsequently creates loyalty (and referrals). Your clients need to trust you. Social Media is a great platform to gain your trust and provide them with relevant content that they can relate to.

The post Top 4 digital strategies for spa and wellness businesses appeared first on Esquared Consulting Inc.

Healthcare clients we serve:

• Acupuncturists
• Athletic/Sports Trainers
• Chiropractors
• Counselors
• Dentists
• Dietitians
• Homeopaths
• Kinesiologists
• Massage Therapists
• Naturopaths
• Nutritionists
• Occupational Therapists
• Optometrists
• Orthodontics/Orthodontists
• Personal Trainers
• Psychologists
• Physiotherapists

1.Create a strong, well-designed website

There’s a very high chance that most of your potential patients’ first interaction with you will be on your site. It’s critical then that your website must make a good first impression. It needs to look professional, be well-organized for easy navigation, and be thorough in the information it offers visitors. We have over 20 years of experience in website development and we build profitable websites for healthcare clinics and practitioners.

Contact us today for a FREE consultation!

2. Content marketing for healthcare clinics and practitioners

The content you write about, whether it’s blog posts, info graphs, videos, or leveraging social media platforms, says a lot about you. The better and more informative content you put out there, the more customers appreciate it. The more customers that appreciate it, the more likely they will generate a sale. Content marketing generates three times as many leads as outbound marketing, drives six times higher conversion rates, and has the potential for an 8x boost in web traffic. Are you putting out good content? On-site content marketing in the form of a blog or FAQ gives you an opportunity to regularly add new content (and keywords) to your site, increasing your overall ranking and sending more traffic to your site.

Not only does content marketing help in generating leads, but it also helps you understand who your customers are. Every customer requires a unique customer journey, so it’s incredibly important to know who your customers are and what specifically makes them want your service.

3. Focus on local SEO

When searching for a healthcare business like a dentist, chiropractor or physio, consumers usually look for a professional in their area. Dental, chiropractor, and physio practices, by their nature, are local businesses, and they rely heavily on the local community to provide patients.

This means that you’ll want to rank for terms like “Calgary dentist” instead of just “dentist,” or “physio in downtown Calgary”. Not only will this help you find your target audience who is Googling for exactly these terms, but it will also give you an edge in voice search, where users ask Google, Siri or Alexa to help them find a local dentist, chiropractor or physio “near me.”

There are a number of great ways to improve your local SEO, here are a few of them:

• Configuring your Google My Business
• Directory and Listing Citations
• Website Localization
• Review and Rating Management
• Quality Backlinks

Don’t worry if you don’t know what some of these mean, we would be happy to explain them to you!

4. Social Media

There are 25 million social network users in Canada. That’s a whole lot of potential customers. Don’t underestimate the power of social media marketing. Posting a few articles a week on your profile won’t drive the traffic you expect. You need to be creative and know who your market is to get the highest ROI. We can help you become a social media guru in your market.

If you’re working in the healthcare and medical services sector, you’re probably crazy busy. You need to prioritize your time and focus on social media marketing platforms that make sense.

Based on recent studies, Facebook (97%), LinkedIn (59%) and Instagram (39%) are most top picks for this industry.

Having a strong social presence allows you to engage with customers and subsequently creates loyalty (and referrals). Your clients need to trust you. Social Media is a great platform to gain your trust and provide them with relevant content that they can relate to.

The post Top 4 digital strategies for healthcare clinics and practitioners appeared first on Esquared Consulting Inc.

1. Content marketing for realtors

The content you write about, whether it’s blog posts, info graphs, videos, or leveraging social media platforms, says a lot about you. The better and more informative content you put out there, the more customers appreciate it. The more customers that appreciate it, the more likely they will generate a sale. Content marketing generates three times as many leads as outbound marketing, drives six times higher conversion rates, and has the potential for an 8x boost in web traffic. Are you putting out good content? We’ve researched many realtors sites and most of them have old outdated content, or worse yet, no content at all just a number of MLS listings.

Not only does content marketing help in generating leads, but it also helps you understand who your customers are. Every customer requires a unique customer journey, so it’s incredibly important to know who your customers are and what specifically makes them want your service.

2. Videos

Your clients’ time is precious, and they want to understand as much as possible about a property prior to visiting in person. Videos and virtual tours are a great way to give a comprehensive, accurate preview of the property for potential buyers. With modern-day video technology platforms like Vimeo and Youtube, you’re able to showcase your listings to your clients, in real-time. Not only are you able to show it, but you can also choose from various cool methods such as VR, 360-videos, and point of view. How about the advancement of drones?

Property listing videos on your website and social media channels will set you apart from competitors in your market.

3. Local SEO

When searching for a realtor, consumers usually look for a professional in their area as it adds to the convenience of the job. Over 75% of searches have local intent. This means that instead of searching for a realtor in general, potential clients are searching for a realtor in Calgary or Airdrie, and in some cases, they may be searching for a realtor in the specific neighborhood they’re interested to buy or sell. There are a number of great ways to improve your local SEO, here are a few of them:

• Configuring your Google My Business
• Directory and Listing Citations
• Website Localization
• Review and Rating Management
• Quality Backlinks

Don’t worry if you don’t know what some of these mean, we would be happy to explain them to you!

4. Social Media

There are 25 million social network users in Canada. That’s a whole lot of potential customers. Don’t underestimate the power of social media marketing. Posting a few articles a week on your profile won’t drive the traffic you expect. You need to be creative and know who your market is to get the highest ROI. We can help you become a social media guru in your market.

If you’re working in real estate, you’re crazy busy. You need to prioritize your time and focus on social media marketing platforms that make sense.

Based on recent studies, Facebook (97%), LinkedIn (59%), and Instagram (39%) are most realtors’ top picks.

Having a strong social presence allows you to engage with customers and subsequently creates loyalty (and referrals). Your clients need to trust you. Social Media is a great platform to gain your trust and provide them with relevant content that they can relate to.

The post Top 4 digital strategies for realtors appeared first on Esquared Consulting Inc.

As the digital marketing landscape evolves, it’s those realtors that can keep up with the latest social media strategies that will reap the benefits. Being mindful of the following concepts could help improve your social media efforts in 2021.

1. Educate your buyers

Use your social media channels to give potential clients a far richer understanding of the markets you serve, letting them know the pros and cons of each neighborhood. Show your buyers (and sellers) your expertise and you deep knowledge of the area.

If you have a blog, consider writing articles about home-buying tips, and use social media to promote them. Share with your clients (and potential clients) your experience and provide them with useful tips.

2. Respond quickly to all requests

Quick communication is key when it comes to real estate questions. Homebuyers and home sellers today expect instant responses to their questions, but where they ask those questions has changed. They may contact you through your website, your Facebook or Twitter account, your cell phone. The important thing is that you will be ready to respond to them as quickly as possible any way they contact you.

3. Google ads and social media ads

Ads are kind of an elephant in the room for a lot of realtors. The expense is sometimes not justified or the budget just isn’t there. But, they have value. If researched and then setup properly ads can be very inexpensive and very efficient, and help you leads very quickly. Other than trying to take advantage of Google Ads, there are also significant opportunities in using Facebook and Twitter for targeting potential homebuyers or home sellers. By using their hyper-specific targeting tools and boosting posts that have performed successfully previously, realtors can experiment and refine a relatively inexpensive paid social media strategy.

4. Respond to all comments, good and bad

Many realtors make the common mistake to avoid responding to negative comments. Some don’t even bother responding to any comments at all! It’s critically important to respond promptly and courteously to all comments posted on your social media sites so that you’ll engage readers and show your potential leads that you’re engaged and ready to discuss any potential criticism and also (most importantly) acknowledge those who praise your service.

A lot of people who reach out to you may simply be looking for more information about a current listing or a listing that has since been sold. Acknowledge their feedback and use their comment as an opportunity to switch their interest to other properties.

5. Connect with existing and past clients

Invite your previous home buyers and home sellers to join you on social media with the hope that they will prove themselves to be your strongest property advocates. By keeping in touch with past clients your social media sites will also become richer communities of shared experiences and objective advice from those who recently completed the home buying or home selling journey and dealt with you directly.

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That’s why we’ve outlined the top 4 digital strategies a construction company should leverage in order to make sure they’re spending their budget the right way.

1. Content

The content you write about, whether it’s blog posts, info graphs or leveraging social media platforms, says a lot about you and your company. It’s simple, the better content you put out there, the more customers appreciate it. The more customers that appreciate it, the more likely they will generate a sale. Content marketing generates three times as many leads as outbound marketing, drives six times higher conversion rates, and has the potential for an 8x boost in web traffic. In layman’s terms, it’s kick-ass. Are you putting out good content? I’ve researched many sites and a lot of construction companies have old outdated content. Why bother?

Not only does content marketing help in generating leads, but it also helps you understand who your customers are. Every customer requires a unique customer journey, so it’s incredibly important to know who your customers are and what specifically makes them want your product and service.

Awesome topics you can talk to your client base about include:

• Industry Trends
• Project Case Studies
• “How to” Guides
• Construction Safety Tips
• Tips for picking the best contractors

2. Videos

Construction in its purest form is an art. You’re building something amazing. It’s one thing to explain the development of a new project, and it’s another thing to show it. With modern-day video technology platforms like Vimeo and Youtube, you’re able to showcase your work to your clients, in real-time. Not only are you able to show it, but you can also choose from various cool methods such as VR, 360-videos, and point of view. How about the advancement of drones?

Construction videos on your website will set you apart from competitors in your market. These videos can be anything from “how-to” videos to video references and testimonials from customers along with industry partners and anyone else who would put your company in the light.

3. Local SEO

When searching for a contractor, consumers usually look for a professional in their area as it adds to the convenience of the job. 46% of searches have local intent. This means that instead of searching for a General Contractor, potential clients are searching for a General Contractor in Calgary. There are a bunch of great ways to increase your SEO, here are a few ways:

• Configuring your Google My Business
• Directory and Listing Citations
• Website Localization
• Review and Rating Management
• Quality Backlinks

Don’t worry if you don’t know what some of these mean, we would be happy to explain them to you!

4. Social Media

There are 25 million social network users in Canada. That’s a whole lot of potential customers. Don’t underestimate the power of social network marketing. Posting a few articles a week on your profile won’t drive the traffic you expect. You need to be creative an know who your market is to get the highest ROI. I can help you become a social media guru in your market.

A great way companies in the construction industry can leverage social media is through partnerships with various groups and micro-influencers.

Groups: Associations and Construction Specific Organizations (i.e CCA, Concrete Alberta.) are great groups to reach out to. Sharing your content with their followers is a great method to expose your service to a larger following base. This also allows for the associations to follow and repost your content with their followers.

Social Influencers: Micro-influencers are individuals with 10K-150K followers. These sorts of influencers are the best people to interact with on social media because their followers are very loyal and trust the content posted on their page. If they trust the influencer, and the influencer recommends your service, you’re golden.

Having a strong social presence allows you to engage with customers and subsequently creates brand loyalty. Your clients need to trust you. Social Media is a great platform to gain your trust and provide them with relevant content that they can relate to.

The post Top 4 digital strategies in construction appeared first on Esquared Consulting Inc.

As a result, you may face prejudice as a result of tardy, over-budget contractors that have spawned running jokes about the credibility of almost anyone in construction. And although word-of-mouth marketing remains a mainstay of any contractor’s livelihood, it is absolutely possible to convert cold contacts into satisfied customers that generate revenue for your company.

How can you do this successfully? Through careful and deliberate use of digital marketing tactics.

Is Digital Marketing Right for Contractors?

You may be wondering if digital marketing is really worth the investment. After all, is someone really going to sign on the dotted line after seeing the deck you built posted on Instagram? It’s not likely.

However, think about the last item you purchased. Maybe it was a shiny new sliding compound miter saw. Did you buy it because you saw a picture of it in an ad? Perhaps. But, more likely, you did some research on it, you learned about its capabilities, and you may even have watched a video about it. Or, you may already own tools made by that brand, and so your confidence in this saw was already built up.

Similarly, you, as a contractor, need to educate your prospects regarding your capabilities, your credibility, and your brand (yes, you have a brand).

Let’s talk about how you can do that using digital, or inbound, marketing.

1. Blogging

Blogging is intrinsic to any inbound marketing strategy. It does so much more than just filling space on your website.

Blogging will:

• Give you an opportunity to showcase your expertise
• Provide search engines more pages to crawl so that you can be found in web searches
• Allow you an organic spot to place a Call-to-Action, or CTA (schedule a free estimate, etc.)
  Display your images and allow your readers to pin them to Pinterest (extending the life of your post)

Here are a few trade secrets when it comes to blogging:

• Include keywords in your title and subheadings, but don’t stuff your post full of them. Think of the words people might search for when trying to find what you do.
• Always include at least one image.
• Use social sharing buttons so readers can spread the word for you.
• Hire an agency if you don’t have the time or know-how to develop a cohesive blogging strategy.

2. YouTube

Are you a master of mitering or a formidable framer? DIY videos allow you to showcase your expertise and your personality, as well as drive traffic back to your site through effective Calls-to-Action.

Homeowners want to see who they’re hiring and that you’re reputable and trustworthy. So make sure you dress the part during your video. Wear work clothes, but make sure they’re not ripped and full of stains, or from 1987. Yeah, that Van Halen tee-shirt is out. Instead, opt for a shirt with your company’s logo displayed on it and clean work pants.

Don’t forget to add relevant tags to your video description so that viewers can easily find your content.

3. Remarketing

Back when you bought that saw, I’m willing to bet you visited a website, perhaps from one of the big box stores, and a short time later you started seeing that same saw pop up on Facebook ads and in other places on the web.

This is because the store was using remarketing, or retargeting. The good news is that it’s not too difficult to do. You’ll need to install a Facebook pixel on your website, and a few other things that this helpful article from Hubspot will guide you through.

4. Social Media

I often hear from brands that they don’t know where to start when it comes to social media. There are so many options!

Are you using outdated marketing tools?

The truth is, you likely don’t need Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn. However, you definitely need some of them.

As a contractor, you are in a very visual business. Who doesn’t like before and after pictures? With that in mind, here are some recommendations to get you started on social media that will likely help you grow your audience and your credibility.

Facebook

Facebook is getting in the habit of making brands pay for visibility. That’s okay because you’re going to pay them for that visibility when you launch your retargeting ads. Remember to verify your business on Facebook before you proceed with building followers and launching ads.

You also want to keep in mind that your Facebook account isn’t only about your brand, it’s about educating your prospects. Share tips and relevant info on a regular basis, including those that don’t originate with you.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is your online resume. However, it’s more than that. It’s a place where previous clients can provide testimonials, further building your credibility.

You should have a company page as well as a personal page.

Instagram

Instagram is where you get to display your personality and your craftsmanship. A little goes a long way, though. Don’t even think about spamming feeds with dozens of pictures of your new renovation project.

The post Top 4 digital marketing strategies for general contractors (construction) appeared first on Esquared Consulting Inc.