If you’re reading this, you likely have a website where you offer products or services. Maybe you just launched it, or perhaps you’ve already gained some customers, but not as many as you’d like. On days when sales are slow, you might find yourself searching online for ways to boost your business and increase revenue. Some methods seem too expensive, others too time-consuming. In reality, a balanced approach works best, and it all boils down to two words: digital marketing.
There are three key strategies that can boost your online business:
- Google and social media advertising
- SEO (search engine optimization)
- Creating valuable content
You’ve probably heard of these channels before, but your business still isn’t generating the revenue you want. If that’s the case, something in your approach might be off. You could be on the right track but overlooking some small yet crucial details.
Google and Social Media Advertising
When you start an online business, you’re just one among thousands, if not more, in your specific field. Your website is virtually invisible, and if you wait for it to gain visibility on its own, you could be waiting for years. To get immediate customers, use Google or social media advertising. The major advantage here is that your website becomes instantly visible to your target audience. The downside is that not everyone who sees your ads will convert into customers, yet you’ll still be charged for every click.
It’s important to note that advertising on Google and social media typically starts to pay off around the third month. Why not sooner? Because it takes time to analyze and optimize both your ads and your costs. In the beginning, you might experience periods where you’re getting no conversions at all, even though your budget is being spent. You can’t draw meaningful conclusions from just one day of data – it could be a fluke. However, over the course of 1-2 months, you can start to see the bigger picture and make necessary adjustments. There are numerous ways to optimize your campaigns during this process.
If you’ve been managing your ads for more than six months and you are not seeing the results you hoped for, it’s likely that something is off. In that case, it would be wise to reach out to a digital marketing company, such as Effortless Marketing. We offer PPC management services in Calgary and across Canada to help SMM companies get better results and more leads.
Search Engine Optimization
SEO – Is the primary channel to grow your online business. Pretty much everybody is using search engines (Google is the most popular) and when the users enter a specific query, they receive what’s called an organic search result. Typically, users only engage with websites found on the first page – and there are only 10 spots on that page. If they don’t find what they’re looking for, they’ll refine their search terms and view the search results of another first page that Google (or other search engines) show. SEO is the strategy used to help your website rank in the top 10 results that you see on the 1st page. It involves
- gathering, organizing, and implementing relevant keywords,
- fixing technical issues,
- building the site’s authority through backlinks, and
- enhancing user engagement with valuable content.
SEO is a deep and complex skill that requires a lot of experience and consistent upgrading. It’s often considered more challenging than programming because while programming follows clear rules, search engine optimization is guided mostly by recommendations and Google’s constant algorithm changes. In reality, only those with extensive SEO experience can successfully promote a website on their own. Guides promising quick fixes like “optimize your site in one day” often lead business owners to believe that SEO doesn’t work. However, this channel does work – and it can single-handedly skyrocket your business! By using professional services of an SEO company in Calgary, noticeable results can be achieved within a year. SEO requires a significant investment, usually starting around $3,000 per month, but the return on investment (ROI) is the highest among all marketing channels.
Creating useful content
Most users go online seeking free, helpful information and answers to their questions. Think about when you watch tutorials on YouTube to learn how to play tennis or research hotels in the Maldives to find the best option. What this shows is simple:
Useful content is content that solves our problems.
For many, the idea of valuable content and how it can benefit an online business remains unclear. To shed some light, let’s look at two examples.
Example #1 – Understanding valuable content
Imagine you own a travel agency. You create a YouTube channel or blog where you review various countries and hotels. After five years, you’ve built an audience of a million users. By subtly mentioning your travel agency in your content, you convert 20% of those users into clients. Some might argue that producing such content is expensive and time-consuming. While this is true, unlike other growth channels, here you’re building a large, loyal audience that can generate significant, consistent income over time. The value of content becomes clear in this case.
In this example, the travel agency and the YouTube channel about countries are directly relevant, which is ideal. However, you can still create content around less obvious topics, as long as it provides real value.
Example #2 – Misunderstanding what valuable content is
Now, let’s look at a bad example – misunderstanding content value. Imagine you run a plumbing service business. You create a YouTube channel and start posting videos about how to fix clogs or repair dishwashers, showcasing your skills and professionalism. You might gather a small group of subscribers, but it won’t be a large audience – maybe 100-200 followers. Why? Because the content doesn’t directly serve the needs of the average user who is searching for DIY solutions online.
In this case, users are more interested in learning how to solve basic plumbing problems themselves, for free—that’s the value they’re seeking. So what’s in it for you? If a user faces a more complex issue they can’t fix on their own, they’re more likely to remember your expertise and reach out for paid services.
We emphasize video content here because today’s internet users prefer it over blog articles. While blogs are still valuable for providing useful content and converting readers into customers, their influence is rapidly declining.
The key isn’t just creating content but finding true value for users – and offering it for free. Only with this approach can you grow your business and, in the long run, see substantial financial returns. By effectively leveraging all three growth strategies, your success is almost guaranteed.
If you want to maximize these efforts and are looking for digital marketing in Calgary, please
Contact Effortless Marketing by scheduling a Free 15 minute discovery meeting.
