Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/264625
March 2014 | Boating Industry | 45 www.BoatingIndustry.com Studies show that more than 80 percent of consumers check out a company online before they ever walk in the door. That means your Web efforts from your company website to your social media presence to online reviews are key to your success. Here are 7 tips for making sure your Internet campaign is up to snuff. 7 TIPS Studies show that more than 80 percent of consumers check out Studies show that more than 80 percent of consumers check out Studies show that more than 80 percent of consumers check out a company online before they ever walk in the door. That means a company online before they ever walk in the door. That means a company online before they ever walk in the door. That means 7 TIPS for improving your digital marketing 1. Use the 70-20-10 rule for social media ARI's Bob McCann recommends a blend of content on your social media posts: 70 per- cent of the content you post to social media sites should build on your brand, 20 percent of the content you post should be devoted to tips and ideas that will educate and enter- tain your customers and 10 percent of your posts should be devoted to direct promotion of your business. This mix will help show what your business has to offer and your expertise in the marine industry without turning off people who are trying to learn and don't want to be sold. 2. Have a plan Like any outreach to customers, your digital marketing efforts need to be planned. How often are you going to post? On what sites? Who is going to do it? 3. Make blogging part of your plan Blogging should be an important part of your social media and digital marketing strategy. One of the challenges with social media is finding good info to post on Facebook, Twit- ter, etc. Crafting a blog where you share insights about trends, talk about upcom- ing events or simply comment on the local weather conditions can provide valuable con- tent to feed the social media beast. Blogs are also a great driver of search en- gine traffic. It's a good way to make sure you constantly have new content on your website and to collect everything you're doing on so- cial media. Use the links there to drive traffic back to your Facebook page and vice versa. As for the time commitment, writing a good blog post will take more time than creat- ing a Tweet, but unlike social media, you can get away with doing it a lot less often. It can be well worth it in the increased exposure. 4. Start slow Don't try to do everything right out of the gate. Start with a blog and website, for example. Make sure you've got that down before ven- turing wider. Your social media efforts, email marketing, etc., are going to payoff a lot more if you've got somewhere good to send them. When it comes to jumping into social media, if there's a social media outlet you use regularly in your personal life, start there since you already know and understand it. If not, there's almost certainly someone in your com- pany spending a lot of time on a social media network, whether it's Facebook, Twitter, Pin- terest, or Google+ that can take the lead. 5. Monitor your reputation At the very least, you need to be tracking what people are saying about your company. A sim- ple online search for your company name fol- lowed by the word "reviews" will help you see if there are reviews (good or bad) posted about your company on Yelp!, Google+, etc. Setting up a Google Alert for your company name will be helpful in continuing to track mentions of your company. (Just go to Google.com/alerts). There are also several companies that can help you manage your online reputation. 6. Answer your customers' questions Companies often struggle to come up with content for email newsletters, blogs or Face- book posts. One of the best ways to do that, says Josh Chiles of Engaged!, is to simply iden- tify the top five questions your customers are asking you today. What are you hearing at boat shows? When potential buyers come into the showroom or call on the phone? There's your content. 7. It's a two-way street Your digital efforts isn't just about blasting the message out. Consumers now expect to be engaged, says Lauren de Vlaming of Dominion Marine Media. It's about sharing your content, starting the conversation and engaging in existing conversations. You can't just pump your information out and expect people to like/follow you. Not sure where to start with your Web strategy? Check out the directory of companies offering Web services on p. 46. P45x46-BI14MAR-WebServices.indd 45 2/7/14 10:48 AM