It hardly needs repeating. We are all very much aware of how business has changed in the last couple of years. With trends that were started during 2020 continuing throughout 2021 – such as hosting online events and meetings over face-to-face ones or doing your Christmas shopping online over visiting local shops – there can be no doubt that a strong online presence is important for your business.
However, it is not just how we do business that has changed. Marketing strategies have also had to adapt to remain relevant and continue to attract and keep customers. Here are some top tips of how to get the most out of your marketing efforts in 2022.
Make sure you are Voice Search ready
More and more people are using Voice Assistants such as Google, Alexa and Siri when performing online searches. The way people perform a voice search is different to traditional typed searches. For one thing, they will tend to use more conversational language in their searches. Where someone might type “marketing agency near me” into a search engine, they are more likely to voice search using “what is a good marketing agency near me?” For this reason, your content will need to be tailored in such a way that it allows for Google to find your website as an answer to this style of searching.
How do you optimise your content for Voice Search? Here are a couple of suggestions to help get you started:
1) Use conversational language
As we saw form the above example, people use different language when using Voice Search. Their question will possibly be longer and use more specific search phrases. As such, you will need to make sure you are not just stuffing your content with your SEO keywords, but rather make use of long-tail keywords, which are longer descriptions of the product or service you are trying to rank for. At least 3 words long, long-tail keywords provide search engines with more information to match the search term to.
2) Emphasise Local Search Results
A lot of Voice Searches are made to local business results. Where your website allows for it, make sure you have a Google My Business listing and then develop content around searches that you would want to be found locally for.
3) Consider an ‘FAQ’
FAQ pages are great as they give you an easy place to answer all those ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘how’ questions your customers (might) ask you. Answering these questions on the website in a conversational style also gives the search engines the information they need to return your business as a match to Voice Searches. If you find yourself in a position where you do not have any frequently asked questions, then spend some time considering what types of question someone might ask, and type up the answers already. This can give you a good starting point for a future FAQ, which you can adjust as you start getting real customer questions.
4) Keep it simple
While Voice Searches may be longer and more specific that typed searches, people are unlikely to be asking Alexa really detailed questions. Keeping your keywords and content simple, concise and easy to understand will help put you at the top of the search results.
Provide an excellent Customer Experience
We have all witnessed it. Whether it is a rude waiter or an unhelpful shop-floor assistant, bad customer experiences can – and do – stop people from using a business. But Customer Experience goes beyond just the level of service we receive. It includes elements such as the first impression of your website, how easy it is to find sought after information and even your checkout process.
Now, I realise that none of that looks like what we might think marketing is. However, focusing on the overall Customer Experience will go a long way towards not only capturing but also keeping your customers.
When looking for a product or service, people need to be able to find you, so having clear content on your web pages is vital. Likewise, if a website doesn’t load properly on a device, people are likely to simply bounce on to another site.
While considering how best to market in 2022, you will benefit greatly from taking a step back and looking at the customer journey as a whole. Look for where efficiency can be gained, whether that is through technology or simplifying the sales process. Make sure your checkout process is easy, with common payment options readily available.
It isn’t just about the technology either. Training your staff so that they can answer questions your customers have in a polite and helpful manner will leave customers and leads going away feeling satisfied.
Offer a personalised customer journey
We love hearing people say our name or seeing it in print. Therefore, an excellent way to give your marketing a boost is to ensure you personalise it to your customer. Through your Google Analytics and Social Media accounts it is possible to track your customer’s journey from their first interaction through the pages they visit on your website. Adding some carefully timed personalised messages that address their questions – or perhaps even asks them one – could help move them from lead to paying customer.
What are you waiting for?
As the year draws to a close, now is a good time to start considering your marketing strategy. If you need help with any of the above-mentioned topics, or if there is any other aspect of marketing that you would like to discuss, do let us know. We offer expert SEO advice to help get your keywords just right. Our content creation team would be delighted to help you fine tune your website’s wording. And if you are looking for a marketing automation solution which gives you powerful personalisation tools, look no further!
Call the Zephi team on 01889 280010 or email hello@zephi.co.uk. We would love to help you boost your marketing in 2022!
