When you are running a small business, your primary focus is probably on how to get your customers through your door. You may be relying on traditional forms of marketing such as print ads, coupons, or maybe a big sign at your front door.
Although this strategy may have brought a trickle of business in the past, there’s a better and easier way: digital marketing. You may have existing online channels or maybe even a website. But, it’s crucial that you’re maximising their potential and this is particularly true in this time of a pandemic.
How the COVID-19 Pandemic is Emphasising the Value of Digital Marketing
The COVID-19 situation has forced nearly one-third of the global population into some form of a lockdown, forcing them to stay more at home. This has resulted in the surge in Internet usage and online content consumption in Singapore.
- Ordering daily necessities online has become a practical and safer alternative to going outside and enduring long queues at grocery and drug stores.
- Non-essential goods and services can still be purchased online, which makes this a busy time for the e-commerce industry.
- The Internet has been providing a source of entertainment when leisure and entertainment establishments are closed.
- The Internet, including social media, has become a useful tool for staying in touch with family and friends who cannot be visited in person.
What does this mean for your business?
If there’s a time to be online, it’s now. The billboards that would usually have been seen by your audience stand beside empty streets and the events that you could have participated in this year are cancelled. Even when your physical store is open, fewer people would actually venture out to visit, unless it’s essential.
With a lot more people online and for longer, the chances of them seeing your ads online and interacting with your brand are greater. Given that’s the case, this is also the time to bolster your digital marketing efforts and work with a digital marketing agency in Singapore.
What Can a Digital Marketing Agency Do For Your Business?
Every digital marketing agency is unique in terms of the range and quality of services they provide. But, when looking for one, it’s best to find the one that offers a full suite of digital marketing services that include search engine optimization (SEO) marketing, search engine marketing (SEM), and social media marketing in Singapore.
SEO
SEO is often the pillar of services a digital marketing agency offers. Its primary objective is to increase a site’s visibility in organic search results through a wide range of tactics that include website audit, competitor analysis, keyword research, as well as on-page and off-page optimization, among others. When done effectively, an SEO agency in Singapore should help you achieve the following:
✔ increase visibility
✔ drive traffic
✔ gain leads
✔ boost conversions
✔ maximise ROI
Usually, an SEO agency works to optimize a site for search engines, particularly Google, with the goal of ranking the site on the first page of SERPs for keywords and phrases that are relevant to the business. This strategy goes hand in hand with other digital marketing tactics including paid ads.
SEM
Previous studies show that organic search drives as much as 51% of traffic to a website, while paid and social search are responsible for the other 10% and 5% respectively. But, while it yields relatively less traffic compared to organic search, investing in paid ads make sure that you have all the bases covered.
A reliable SEM agency in Singapore should be able to improve your conversions while keeping the costs low to translate into more savings for your business. An effective SEM strategy should go beyond the typical campaign metrics such as clicks and impressions and focus on what truly matters—conversions.
Social Media Marketing
In 2019, it was revealed that of the 5.83 million population in Singapore, 4.6 million or 79% are active social media users. Therefore, we can’t stress enough that if you want to be where your audience is, social media is the place to be.
Today, it’s not only used to engage your audience but also as a tool to promote your blogs, increase sales, drive site traffic, and run social media ads. A study reveals that approximately 80% of businesses get quality leads via social media channels, thus it shouldn’t be surprising if most digital marketing agencies in Singapore have social media management and marketing in their services list.
Content Marketing
From TV ads to billboards and to online ads, the consumers are already fed up with countless product displays and service pitching. If you truly want to cut through the noise, what you have to do is provide relevant and useful content to your audience to help them solve their issues. This is the purpose of content marketing.
This strategic approach is focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to your target audience. But, to convert your readers into leads, each blog post ends with a call-to-action that may invite the reader to shop on your website, subscribe to your newsletter or whatever way you want them to engage with your brand.
Website Development & Maintenance
Last on the list, web development and maintenance is exactly what it sounds. A website is how your audience will find you. It somehow serves as your online portfolio where you can generate business, promote goodwill among your audience, and deliver a strong brand message.
With a web development and maintenance service, you can rest assured that your website not only looks professional but laid out in a way that effectively tells your brand story.
There are many other services that a digital marketing agency can offer but, the ones mentioned above are typically featured in standard service and thus should help you kickstart your online marketing efforts.
Being a full-service digital marketing agency in Singapore, OOm takes pride in offering these services and more. If you’re intrigued and ready to learn more, visit their website to get started.