Digital is everywhere

Clara Maybin (pictured), digital marketing executive at BA Components, explains how online and social media channels can grow a business

Some retailers may argue that the digital evolution has hindered them. I disagree. Digital is everywhere – social media, display advertising, websites, apps, mobile phones and tablets to name but a few.

Businesses can get too hung up on the visual aspects of their website and neglect the user experience. Creating a customer flow on your site will make your user experience more enjoyable. There is nothing worse than visiting a website on a mobile or tablet and having to constantly pinch the screen to see the text.

You can also run A/B testing on your website. This is where you can serve your users two different versions of a page on your website to see which one performs better. This is crucial for improving your conversion rate. If you are unsure about this, speak to a digital marketing agency.

Internet users also have an average of five social media accounts, so there you have five different platforms to think about to promote your product. Much depends on your target market. If that looks like a female silver surfer (65+) seeking a new kitchen, then you might be very surprised as to where she is hanging out online. Facebook is now the most popular platform for the over-50s and Pinterest has predominantly a female user base. Don’t use every social media platform just for the sake of it.

Video content is another good way to get your message out there. Social media channels have made it clear they prefer video content to static posts and images. They see video as rich content, as it is more engaging for users and easy to share. There are lots of apps for creating cheap-and-cheerful videos on your phone, such as Legend, Quik and Snapseed. Be sure to upload videos to YouTube, as it is the second-biggest search engine in the world after Google. If you’re not comfortable making your own, you can always outsource it to a video production company.

If your supplier has a retailer locator on its website, ask how you can get on it. At BA Components, we have one at the top of the website. We are currently running paid search adverts across Google to target the end user and encourage them to download a kitchen or bedroom brochure. Before they do this, we capture their email address, which we then use to email them a list of their nearest dealers.

Also be sure to share your kitchen and bedroom installations with your supplier. They can use your images to promote their product on their website and they can back-link it to your site, so everyone’s a winner.

Google Advertising is extremely powerful, but complex to master. Any tactical Google Advertising should see a great return of leads. If you are new to Google Advertising, I suggest speaking to a digital marketing agency. But before you do, conduct some keyword research to find out what terms people are using to search for various products that you offer. Get the keywords right – along with a good website design – and the traffic should begin to flow straight to your site.

That said, there is always a place for traditional tactics. Use digital marketing alongside traditional brochures, POS, sample packs and swatches, to help shift your marketing into the next gear.

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