How Scottish businesses can benefit from digital marketing

Running a business small or large has always been a relentless challenge, as you juggle a million tasks at once and try to oversee every aspect of your work.

The digital age has allowed everyone to become an entrepreneur

The digital age has allowed everyone to become an entrepreneur, some to great success, but it has also created a whole new world of challenges which must be faced if you’re going to succeed.

One skill above others is increasingly being seen as make or break for businesses in the internet age, and that’s digital marketing.

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is any kind of advertising or marketing you do online – on a PC, laptop, ipad or smartphone. Making it work for your business is the tricky part – you need every minute and pound you spend to count, and that means leveraging the potential of every facebook post and tweet, every review and every SEO ranking point you can.

Step one is making sure your website - the online shop window - both looks professional and, most importantly, works for customers. It should also be mobile responsive, as 52 per cent of all website traffic comes from smartphones. A good example is this online casino site - everything is right there for customers to find from any platform without any effort.

Size of the prize

Getting it right is worth spending time on, as with more than 90 per cent of all households in the UK having internet access, and nearly the same percentage of adults using the internet daily it’s a marketplace of over 50 million people every day.

Layered marketing is key

Many people, especially those after a hyperlocal market, still get excellent results from traditional print media. However, those who are most likely to succeed don’t rely solely on any one marketing platform, and instead layer up their efforts.

Social media marketing strategies can be extremely effective, so if you don’t already have one, get an online presence. Some things are free – you can set up a Twitter account and Facebook business page at no cost. Do choose your social handle with care as you want to come up in search engine; @BigJoeBloggs1982 isn’t likely to get a hit, but @TreeSurgeonPortsmouth has a better chance.

Update your accounts regularly. Social media platforms have complicated algorithms – even all your page followers won’t get to see everything; some estimates put the figures as low as six per cent of what you post is seen.

Make sure your phone number is everywhere – on your vans, shop front, in adverts and clearly visible on your website and social media.

Other strategies

There are other key digital marketing points to hit. Sign up for https://www.google.com/business/ and have your business name, location and phone number added to google maps for free.

Make sure your website is working as hard as it can on SEO elements to ensure the people searching online for your product get sent directly to your site.

Make use of other avenues, and don’t be afraid to spend a little on getting your company out there - Google ads – where your business ad appears on searches – sponsored content, where your business story nestles on a trusted news brand’s website and Facebook boost are all ways of reaching new customers.