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SEO tools you can use for your small business

There are heaps of tools out there that you can use for your SEO strategy. A lot of them are subscription-based but there are some that’s free. We suggest that if you’re not sure what to do, you start with the basics. You can’t dive in the deep end without practising how to swim. In this post, we will give you three things you can use right now for SEO.

Google page speed insights

This website will allow you to check how fast your website is loading. You might think this isn’t that important but in this day and age, people are impatient. They want quick. They want fast. If your site takes a long time to load then you will lose customers. You want the ideal loading time to be less than 10 seconds, or even five seconds. If this is not the case, there are things you can do to increase your loading time. Check with your developer to see what changes they can do to increase your site’s speed.

Google analytics

First off, Google analytics is free and easy to use so you get double benefits. What is it for? Well, Google analytics will show you heaps of data about your website. Things like:

  • where your traffic is coming from
  • what time they’re visiting
  • how long they visit
  • which page they stayed the longest
  • which topics they consume (or products)
  • how did they find your website
  • and more.

All you need to do is sign up to Google Analytics, add your website’s URL and add the tracking code to your website.

Yoast plugin

There is a free version of Yoast and a paid version. If you’re just starting out, try the free version first. Having said that, the pro version has more features and is much easier to manage, especially if you are new to SEO. For websites using WordPress, there is a Yoast plugin that you can install. What we love about Yoast is that they have heaps of information on their website and it’s easy to use. They guide you on what you need to do to improve your page or blog post’s SEO. They also warn you if you’ve used your short tail keywords too many times.

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Top tips on using Facebook advertising for your small business

If you are thinking of doing some Facebook advertising for your small business but not sure what to do, we have some awesome tips for you. We know it can be daunting to navigate that side of Facebook no matter how “easy” it all seems. No matter how many people say they’ve sworn off Facebook, it’s still one of the strongest social media platforms around. Especially now that Facebook has launched advertising on Instagram Stories. But before you start with your advertising plan, it’s good to know more about the whole process. We’re over at Inside Small Business to give you some tips before delving into Facebook advertising.

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End of year digital marketing check up

End of year digital marketing check up

  1. Know your winning platforms
  2. Be realistic with your assessment
  3. Drop the ones that aren’t working
  4. Look at your analytics
  5. Create a new strategy

We are so close to the end of the year. If you’re like us, you’re probably scrambling to get things sorted before Christmas — both at home and at work. The To Do list is probably overwhelming (we know ours is!) but there is one aspect you need to look at, too. Now is the best time to go through your year and take a hard look at your digital marketing strategy. In this post, we will give you a guide on how to do a post mortem of your year.

The winning platforms

List the platforms you used for things like online advertising, marketing and social media. Go through the analytics of your platforms and look at which ones were hitting your targets. Remember that the targets are not always the same for each platform. It could be that your target was awareness of your brand. Or maybe education about a service you introduced this year. It could be to sell more of a certain product/service. Because your targets were different you need to measure the results differently as well. But be pragmatic about it. If you were on three or four social media platforms but only one or two are giving you the best results drop the others.

Assess the losing platforms

Yes, you should drop the platforms and the advertising avenues that aren’t working but before you do that, assess it first. Why were they not effective? Were the messages wrong for that platform? Were you posting during the wrong time? Or maybe you didn’t post enough. Did you target the right people? Maybe you didn’t put enough budget for the advertising campaign on platform X? Whatever the reasons are, you need to find out so you don’t make the same mistake. Make it a teachable moment for you and your staff.

The right messages

Finally, look at the messages that were winning this year. Which ones got a lot of engagements and shares? What format worked best? Was it video? Maybe a slideshow? Was it the carousel one? What kind of message moves your customers to make that click? Look at your analytics and find out so you can create a content strategy around that for the following year. Having said that, you also need to be on the lookout for what’s going to ‘trend’ next year. Plan as much as you can but also make room for flexibility when things change (yet again) next year.

To learn more about digital marketing and how it works, check out our Small Business Digital Marketing portal!

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Small Business Digital Marketing platform

We’ve been brewing something awesome here at 3C Digital. Introducing, the Small Business Digital Marketing portal! This new platform was born because of you — small business owners. We listened to your needs. We heard your questions and concerns. And we did something about it. In this post, we help you get to know the Small Business Digital Marketing portal.

Who is it for?

The Small Business Digital Marketing portal is for small business owners who:

  • want to learn about digital marketing
  • want to do digital marketing but find it confusing
  • don’t have a big budget for digital marketing
  • want access to digital marketing experts minus the giant cost
  • want to be updated with changes and how it affects them
  • have questions about digital marketing but don’t know who to ask
  • want to have access to tutorials on topics they want to learn.

What do I get out of it?

Some of the things we offer in the portal include:

  • Super-easy-to-understand video tutorials on various digital marketing and social media topics
  • Downloadable eBooks with checklists and templates that you get to keep
  • New tutorials each month
  • Learning about the ‘whys’ (because it helps if you know why you need it before you do it)
  • Access to 3C Digital’s expertise
  • Bespoke packages that are small business-friendly
  • Regular updates on digital marketing and social media changes (and how it affects you)
  • Webinars from experts
  • And so much more!

Can I afford it?

Of course you can! It’s like half the price of your everyday coffee! We made it that way because we really do want to help the small business owners who can’t afford the agency fees. The Small Business Digital Marketing portal was created with you guys in mind. We’ve met so many small business owners with the same concerns. We understand we can’t cater to all these businesses, that’s why we made the portal. It’s here to help YOU!

Ready for it? Check out our brand new site for more details!

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How to deal with bad reviews online

Do you want to know how to deal with bad reviews online? We all do because, well, we all get bad reviews. Small business owners, however, take it more seriously than the big dogs. And it’s totally understandable too because your small business is your baby. You want people to like your baby, right? But the reality is that small businesses will eventually get a bad review. Nowadays, however, reviews are quick and easy to make — and has several avenues, too. Bad reviews are also harsher as people tend to feel braver behind the keyword. So how do you deal with it? In this post, we tell you the top three ways to deal with bad reviews.

Accept and learn

Don’t take it personally. There are varying reasons why you were given a bad review. The reality is that you can’t please everyone. Look at the bad review that was given and think of the different ways you could have ensured it didn’t happen. Was it a late shipping? Damaged product? Services that weren’t delivered up to scratch? Should you have given a refund? Turn the bad review into a teachable moment for yourself and your staff. Find ways to improve your small business instead of sulking and dwelling on the bad review.

Engage the right way

You might be tempted to rant and rave — or swear, even. But it’ll only make things worse. If your first reaction is anger, walk away from the computer and cool off. Gather your thoughts before replying to the bad review. Should you do it publicly or privately? It depends. If it’s a thread on Facebook, then answer through the thread. If it’s something more pressing or complicated, maybe it’s best to take it on private mode. Send them a message or an email to discuss how you can help them. Don’t start a fight online. That’s never a good look.

Bury it with good reviews

For every bad review you get, you also get heaps of good reviews. Encourage your customers to leave you a good review online, either on Facebook or Google. Send them a courtesy email/SMS after they buy your products/services and don’t be afraid to ask. If you don’t ask, you won’t get the review. Sometimes people are just busy and they forget. It’s worth doing a follow up a couple of days later. If you want a longer form of review, it’s worth writing the review yourself and asking your client to approve it. That way it saves them having to sit down and write it themselves.

Wanna learn more about how to deal with small business digital marketing? Join our Small Business Digital Marketing Portal now! It’s cheaper than your daily coffee and you get lots of free stuff!

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Why you need digital marketing for your small business

Small business owners ask all the time why they need to go into the digital marketing world. Can’t you just do what you were doing and leave it that way? Unfortunately, not because the old ways are not working anymore. We’ve met with small business owners who admitted that they barely got a reply to the 10,000 flyers they left in people’s mailboxes. All that money wasted. In this post, we will tell you why your small business needs digital marketing.

It’s a digital world

You can bury your head in the sand but the truth of the matter is that we are in a digital era. Although there are still some things that are the same (advertising messages still need to be compelling), the avenue has changed. And it’s changing constantly. But even though you are overwhelmed by the digital marketing world, you still need to be there. If you can’t do them all, just start small. Read up on our digital marketing for beginners tips to get you going. We make sure we lessen the jargon so that you understand what we’re talking about.

You need to be competitive

One thing to remember is that your competition is online. They are doing the digital marketing stuff. They are on social media and they are not afraid to use it. If you want to be competitive, you need to have a digital space, too. These days, when customers hear about your brand they check out your website and your Facebook page first. Then they look at your reviews online and the different ways they can contact you. Aside from that, they also look at what your posts have been on social media. If you’re not online, or your customers are having a hard time finding things out about your small business, you will miss out.

It’s not changing anytime soon

We’re sorry to say that the digital world isn’t budging. No matter how many times you hear issues surrounding social media platforms, it is still going strong. In fact, users for platforms like Facebook and Instagram are in the billions and increasing. If you don’t ride the tide now, it’ll be even more difficult to catch up later on. But if you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t hesitate to hire a digital marketing agency. Read our tips on what to look for when looking for a digital marketing agency for your small business. Whether you are going to DIY digital marketing or hire an agency, it is best to start ASAP.

Wanna know more about digital marketing? Contact us for a FREE 30-minute content strategy.