To view online marketing in a city-centric, or even regional way might seem strange in 2017. After all, the internet has effectively flattened the world and globalized industry in a way like never before.
However, with the sky-rocketing rise in mobile search, “local” search has put the spotlight back on the neighborhoods, and given smaller businesses the chance to rub shoulders with larger companies in search results.
So the question is, what is your Basel business missing in its online marketing plan for 2017? Do you rely on reacting to your competitors’ moves to try and keep up?
Important Online Marketing Factors for 2017
- mobile friendly or responsive website
- video
- Google My Business and local search directories
- CONTENT of all types!
Mobile Friendly Website
It is no secret that the majority of internet searches are now done on a mobile device. I am not using the word “majority” figuratively. I am using it literally, meaning more than half. According to Google, more than 50% of all searches are being done on a mobile device, and a report from Hitwise last year placed that number closer to 60% (data comes from US searches.)
What this means is that nearly 6 out of every 10 people who are coming to your website are doing so on a mobile device. First impressions are critical, and bounce rates and click-backs are of course much higher for non-mobile friendly sites. You can get more details on the importance of this in our article The #1 Sign That You Are Behind Your Competitors Online. You can also do a quick mobile friendly website check from Google here!
Video
As trends have shown over the past couple years, video is quickly becoming the most shared and consumed medium online. Syndacast forecasted that 74% of internet traffic in 2017 will be video consumption and INC.com calls 2017 “The Year of Online Video.” There are multiple reasons for this growth; the surge in mobile use and low production costs are just a couple. The fact is that marketers need to start relying on video… like… yesterday.
Live streams, explainer videos, about us videos, how-to videos…
The only way you can do online video wrong is if it does not resonate with your target market.
AHA!Videos have built a fine reputation for the production of animated, explainer videos, and here at AHA Factory we encourage all of our clients to either start or increase their investment in online video. Vidyard is an incredible tool to help create, optimize, organize, share, track views and even capture leads through your online video presence.
Google My Business and Local Search Optimization
As we stated before, it may seem counter-intuitive to think about how your business’s online presence can be effected through local search, especially for larger businesses playing on a global scale. However, ignoring these fairly easy steps might be detrimental to how well your business can be found online, especially in business-dense regions like Basel.
There are two easy steps you should take, if you have not already done so, in order to ensure your company is listed correctly on Google Maps and is easily found by your customers:
- Verify your business on Google My Business. You can find a thorough VIDEO explanation here.
- Make sure your business is listed in search directories like Yelp, and if applicable, review sites like TripAdvisor.
One last tip is to simply Google your business address. What do you see in the search results? If your business is not listed, you have a problem. Read our article for even more in-depth, actionable tips on increasing your Basel local search ranking in 2017.
Content
Of course, we cannot ignore the importance of relevant, helpful content. In the past this has been primarily blog articles, eBooks, Whitepapers, etc. These are still vital aspects to your online presence. However, if you are not leveraging your content to capture leads through inbound marketing you are only getting half of the benefit. Like fishing with no pole. You’re throwing the bait out there with no way to reel in your catch. To learn more, download our FREE eBook by clicking the banner at the end of this article.
Supercharge Your 2017 Online Presence
If you have done all of the above, you’re probably feeling pretty good right now. Take a moment to congratulate yourself…
Ok, time to get back to work. If you REALLY want to supercharge your online presence we have a couple ideas for you to look into.
Google Street View
Now that Google has photographed nearly every street on the globe, they are moving indoors! Google Street View allows you to upload a 360 degree tour of your business to Google Maps. This means when someone finds your company on Google Maps they can actually take a quick tour of your building! It may sound a bit creepy, but it is a great way to entice people to visit your establishment (for those of you open to foot traffic) and can help build trust and goodwill (for those of you who require appointments). *Note: only Google certified photographers are permitted to shoot and upload to Google Street View.
AI
If Google Street View wasn’t creepy enough, how about some Artificial Intelligence! AI, bots and machine learning are on the tip of marketing tongues. While the technology might seem out of reach for most businesses, it is something to keep an eye on for the future. Under Armour recently teamed up with IBM and used the tech giant’s super computer Watson to create “Record.” Record is a fitness app which pulls data from all over the place to help create the best fitness plan for each individual person. They describe it like having a live trainer in your pocket at all times.
Keeping up with the changing landscape of online marketing can feel like a daunting task. At AHA Factory we are here to help in any way we can. Feel free to cruise around the blog, check out our website and get in touch if you have any questions at all!