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Ignoring online marketing is like opening a business but not telling anyone.

The digital world is changing rapidly and having profound effects on all industries. Technologies like smart drones, driverless cars, AI devices, blockchain technology, robotics, IoTs, and edge computing are catapulting us into areas we can barely imagine. Digital marketing also keeps progressing faster than a speeding bullet with chat bots, remarketing, augmented reality, conversational user interfaces, voice marketing, predictive algorithms as well as more and more advanced analytics. It’s enough for many businesses to want to pull the doona over their heads!

Think back to what was happening 5 years ago online and many of these options listed above may have only been some start-up’s pipedream.

So what is the secret to survival in this changing digital world? What should SMEs and start-ups do?

The first thing is making sure you have the basics of digital marketing in place. My second suggestion is READ. Stay up-to-date and informed with what’s going on. Ignorance is not bliss. You may not understand it all but you need to know and understand how these changes will affect your business and industry. It is also important to stay abreast of new marketing strategies but like everything, keep it in perspective with what will work for your business and master the basics first.

One of the most important things to do with your digital marketing is to start branding yourself. It’s all about storytelling these days. No one wants a faceless business. Even large successful corporations tell a story to evoke emotion. Think of Steve Jobs of Apple and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. You need to start branding yourself and morphing into a person of influence.

Here are some tips for you to build on to start surviving in a digital world:

1. Branding you

This is about doing everything with consistency, authenticity and a high standard. This about your professionalism, about going the extra mile and giving a face to your business. This is particularly important if you are in an industry where that is not the norm, and will immediately give you credibility over your competition. Today, every search starts on Google, so opening up a website where there is someone to immediately connect with in images and video gives you an advantage.

2. Video

YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine and owned by Google and cannot be ignored. Plus you need to be using different mediums to appeal to your audience. Some people like to read, but others will prefer to listen and watch. Having a good video means that your audience will have an immediate opportunity to feel they have connected with you.

3. Stay relevant

Is your website up-to-date with links working, fast opening speed, beautiful images, latest content, modern design and – most importantly – mobile friendly? If you aren’t mobile responsive you need to be urgently. More searches are being done on mobile devices than desktop. No one wants to zoom website pages on their mobile to try to read it. They will skip you and go to your competitor immediately.  Content is key to being an expert in your field.

4. Social Media

Love it or hate it, it is here to stay. You need to get a strategy done first so you know which platform/s suit your audience and what posts and images they will respond to best. Just putting your business on multiple platforms and trying to be everywhere without measuring results is a waste of time and money. Then, once you have your strategy in place, decide if you have the resources to manage your account or if you need a social media manager.

5. Search Engine Optimisation

Just putting a website up doesn’t mean it will be found. There were 1.7 billion websites on the Internet in December 2016 and that number is rapidly growing. You need search engine optimisation for your website to be found ahead of your competitors.

Surviving the digital world doesn’t have to be totally overwhelming. It’s a matter of getting the basics right and taking one small step at a time. Like any marketing, it’s much easier if you partner with a team who can help and advise you.

Who knows what the future holds but it’s an exciting time and, if you want to be one of the survivors in this changing digital landscape, take control and fast!

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Judith Shuttleworth

Judith Shuttleworth is the owner of HotsWots Digital and a Director of Open House ID, an app for real estate agents. We have a range of expertise in all aspects of digital marketing and provide personal customer service. Your success is our motivation.

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