How do potential new clients find you?
Instagram? Facebook? Sure. They’re a great way to get noticed by your potential customers. But, as wonderful and inexpensive as social media can be, you might want to consider reaching your potential customers in other ways. It may be time to re-think your content marketing.
What’s Content Marketing?
Great question.
If you Google the term ‘content marketing’, this is the definition you’ll find.
A type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.
So, in other words, it’s a way of reaching your ideal customer subtly, in a way that engages them. If you’re doing it right, they’ll take action by picking up the phone to find out more about your business, make an online booking or purchase from your online store. If you have a physical business like a salon or clinic, it may give them the confidence to drop in.
If you’re a beauty salon or clinic, you might think once they land on your website, it’s pretty obvious what you do. That’s true. But how are you different? Why should they choose you, and can they trust you?
Your website is a digital brochure of sorts. What’s it saying about you? From time to time, checking in and looking at it through your customers’ eyes will help you adjust your course to activate and engage your perfect customer. Better yet, enlist the help of someone who can look at your website and digital content objectively.
Hopefully your website and the content you provide will give your customer something google like to call EAT. Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness. Not only will this inspire potential customers but it will also inspire Google. And, you always want to inspire Google.
Quality content increases your search ranking with EAT (expertise, authority and trustworthiness).
An improved search ranking with Google means increased organic traffic to your website. Customers engaged by your content marketing come to believe and trust you’re an expert (expertise) within your industry (authority). You’ve delivered this information with a commitment to helping them without being too gushy (trustworthiness).
It’s quality content, and if you don’t think you’ve achieved it yet, then maybe it’s time to sit down and do some homework on how you’re being perceived.
Homework? Getting the basics right.
How’s your spelling and grammar? This speaks volumes about your attention to detail in every aspect of your business.
Does your website have a blog? If you want to communicate how you’re different or better than your competitor, then original content or a regular blog that’s updated at least once a week will give you an edge over your competitors.
How have you described your products and services? A cut and paste from somewhere else might be fast and easy, but it’s not really who you are. Is it?
Perhaps you decided to take the easy option and buy Syndicated Copy? Yeah, sure, it’s a quick fix, but if you don’t add value with your original content, it may come across as a bit ‘same old, same old’ and won’t rank well with Google or any other search engine. And it’s just not YOU.
Do the headings on every page tell your customer what you do? Your website is a bit like your physical business. After a while, you don’t see what others see or experience. It happens in every business. The objective question is: What’s my customer’s user experience? You may want a friend or colleague to look around your website and give you feedback. Ask questions like: Was your website easy to navigate? Are your headings clear? How easy is it to make a booking online?
Initially, a full beauty audit of your website and all your digital content may be what you need to see things how your customer would see them. Most importantly, does your content inspire action?
Do they know how to contact you? Or is it buried so far into your website your customer loses their patience and moves on? You may laugh at this, but it’s a common problem on many sites. Your website may look lovely, but how’s your client getting in touch? Make it easy for them.
But you’re too busy?
Most small business owners are, and like it or not, busy comes with the territory. Giving the basics your attention will give your customers the confidence they need to reach out to your business.
You’re an expert, but how do you express it?
When I first got into the beauty industry, my passion was talking to people about their skin, identifying problems and offering long-term solutions. When you’re good at something, it shows. It’s genuine, and usually, it leads to success.
I wasn’t good at waxing, nail polishing, or any of the regular beauty services most beauty salons at the time offered. Eventually, my area of passion led me to a career as an educator and communicator in the beauty industry. Do I feel bad about failing in one area of beauty? Not at all. It just wasn’t my thing. Why inflict paying customers with below-par service or endure when you’re never going to succeed?
It’s the same with creating quality content for your website. If it’s not an area you feel confident or don’t have the time to improve your writing skills, just like finding a good bookkeeper or accountant, leave it to an expert.
Time for a beauty audit?
If you know your communication and website content could do with a bit of love, then why not get in touch? I’ll take a peek at your website and provide you with a one-page beauty audit. My beauty audit is free and might be just what you need for an objective look at your online presence. Click here, and let’s get started.
Bye for now,
