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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