Author: krishanu

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What Can You Do to Choose the Best Digital Marketing Agency in India 2021?

When it comes to choosing the right digital marketing company in India, it is no mean feat. More often than not, a lot of companies prefer to have a digital marketing agency at their service instead of forming an in-house digital marketing department. The reason is, it is hard to maintain. With so many new online marketing tactics coming up every day, it is almost impossible for business organizations to stay on top of the latest digital marketing trends. Thus, getting someone else to do the job is easier, better, and much more fruitful. Now, the hard part is, which company should you hire?

Today, anyone with an internet connection can create a website and start to offer services as a business owner. There are almost no barriers to being a small business owner these days. Therefore, it is tough to the right digital marketing agency. Every business is different and its target audience is also different. For instance, if you are targeting business executives, then you have to focus on getting seen on LinkedIn. On the contrary, if your target audience is much younger, then you have to be more active on Instagram.

When you hire a professional digital marketing company in India, you can focus on other areas of the business instead of wasting weeks training someone. If you are looking for the right digital marketing agency in India, this blog will help you. Here are the things you need to do, to get the right marketing agency for you.

SL NO. Digital Marketing Elements Digital Marketing Stats
1 Email Marketing 49% of the customer emails are opened on mobile devices
2 Video Marketing 86% of the customers love to watch videos of products before buying
3 SEO 82% of the marketers opine that long-form of content is better for SEO than short contents
4 Mobile Marketing People access 69% of their media on smartphones
5 Social Media Marketing More than 80% of people will check social media before making a purchase decision
6 Content Marketing 44% of the B2B marketers say that blogging is the most important form of content.
7 E-Commerce 43% of the e-commerce traffic comes from organic Google Searches.
8 Lead Nurturing 20-40% of the seminar attendees become leads
9 Online Shopping More than 1.66 billion people shop online every year
10 Social Selling 78% of the salespeople using social media perform better than their peers.

What Can You Do to Choose the Right Digital Marketing Company in India?

  1. Know Your Goals and Desired Outcomes

You have to know this, just like every business is different, so is every digital marketing agency. You might have heard a lot about agencies calling them “full-service”, but they specialize in certain genres. Thus, the first step in choosing the right agency is to understand what you hope to achieve by working with one.

Things can be easier if you break it down to deliverables, the goal of every deliverable, and also the outcomes that you hope to achieve. Once you know these things, it will help you communicate what you want to get from the project. When an agency truly knows what you are looking for, they know whether they can help you out or not.

  1. Look for sizeable portfolio or a list of clients

Every smart digital marketing company is proud of who they are, who they work with, and what they do. Thus, they are very particular about showing their partnership with their previous and existing clients. They want the world to see it and know about it. You don’t necessarily need to know who their past clients are. Of course, it’s a bonus if you do, but you can certainly check the list of recent clients or testimonials they have worked with. Yes, there are certain kinds of services that are not easy to display, like SEO service or content marketing. Thus, you may not find them displayed. However, that doesn’t mean the digital marketing firm in India is not an expert in it.

The idea is, checking the company portfolio, the reviews, and client testimonials is a good indication of their experience. Also, for services like graphic design/web design or website development, you should see a nice portfolio of the type of work they do. If you cannot find any examples, you should move on to another digital marketing service provider in India.

  1. Look for Experienced & Specialized Team Members

Irrespective of the services you want, it is important to make sure that the agency you hire has got experienced professionals to suit the needs of your project. For instance, you would not want an agency to design a logo for you if they don’t have a graphic designer. Thus, you can look through their about us page to know if they have their team members listed out there. If not, you can also check the digital marketing company in India on LinkedIn.

You can also find the team members of the company on LinkedIn. Visit the company and click on ‘people’ to check who works there. Remember that this will not show if they have any freelancers working for them. Thus, it is not always a sure-shot indication of who works there. Also, some of the team members may not be on LinkedIn at all, but this is a great place to start. You can always ask questions during the consultation if you are not sure.

  1. Social Proof and Better Industry Reputation

Just like the testimonials, the social presence and activity of a company also play a vital role. The social proof can offer a deep insight into what it will be to work with the agency. Also, smart marketers will understand the benefits of showcasing social proof on the site. Thus, if you cannot find any strong social presence, or if they have not been active on the social platforms for quite some time, they may not be the right digital marketing company in India for you.

Source – susangilbert.com

Every company loves to flaunt its strong social presence. Thus, if they are not really active on social media, they may not understand the social media marketing industry that well. Apart from the positive reviews, the negative or neutral reviews too can shed some light on the areas where the agency struggles. Keep an eye on the neutral reviews as well. Also, finally, you can check the Google reviews to know what others in the industry are saying about their experience with the company.

  1. Identical Core Values and Company Culture

Take a moment and think about what are the core values and culture of your company? It is important to work with a digital marketing agency in India that will value the same things you value. If that happens, then it will be easier to blend your team of resources with the digital marketing company in Kolkata.

Remember the agency you hire, will be an extension of your business. They will either help you grow your business or they cannot. Choosing the right agency with similar values is as important as knowing about their quality of work. The last thing that you would want is the stress of working with people who don’t value similar things or work in the same way.

Listen to words and phrases that the agency uses to describe their kind of work. Do they align with your values? There are digital marketing agencies in India that try to mold and convince their clients to work in the way they want. If you have to try too hard to convince a company to work in the way you want, then that is not the right firm for you.

  1. A well-Crafted Seamless Website

Your website will be the gateway where your audience will feel welcome. The right digital marketing agency in India will know the importance of a well-designed website. Thus, they too should have a seamless website to display everything they have to offer. So, if they don’t have a proper website to display, then how can they deliver something better for you.

Source – esyfix.com

This is specifically true if they offer web design and development services. So when you visit the website of a digital marketing company in India, go through the site thoroughly and experience how it feels. Because that is how your audience will feel when they visit your website. If it doesn’t feel right or feels lacks quality, then you should move on to some other digital marketing firm in India.

  1. They Will Not Make Extravagant Promises

The kind of result an agency promises will indicate how well they understand the industry. For instance, if an agency promises to bring your website to the number one spot within a span of a month, then they are not the right digital marketing company for you. The reason is, clearly, they are not aware that SEO requires both long-term and short-term marketing strategy and you also need continuous work to maintain the rankings. It is not a one-time thing.

Also, no one, and we repeat NO-ONE can guarantee a number one spot in Google searches in just a month, especially nowadays unless they are using Black-hat SEO techniques. That is surely not the company you want to do business with. Make sure that is in sync with what you know about the online industry. Remember outlandish or extravagant promises are a major red flag. Stick to such agencies that ensure transparency and realistic promises.

  1. They are Easy to Get in Touch with

The best digital marketing agencies will make things as easy as possible for you. When you navigate through the website, it doesn’t feel like a maze. Their contact information is not more than a few scrolls away, irrespective of what page you are on. They offer a clear CTA so that you know what to do next. Also, the first step should be very clear. Do they want to schedule a free consultation with you? Or they want you to offer your contact information for a tailored quote. If you have to struggle to figure out how things work on their site, then it is better to shift to another digital marketing company in India.

  1. How do They Run Their Business?

This is one of the most important signs to check before hiring a digital marketing agency in India. The way they run their business shows how well they can garner results for your business as well. If you want to hire a digital marketing agency for blog management, check how their blog pages are. If you want to hire an agency for media promotion, check how strong their social media profiles are.

When you want them to do SEO for you, check how they rank on the search engine results page for the terms in their industry. You can either check these details on your own, or you can also ask the digital marketing firm in India as well. If you find that they don’t practice what they preach, then it is not the right company to hire.

  1. What are their KPI’s?

Most businesses track vanity metrics. What does this mean? Vanity metrics are the numbers that apparently seem to matter but don’t have any correlation to getting you more profit for the business. For instance, the number of likes you get on a Facebook post doesn’t have any relation to the number of leads it can get. This has no relation to sales or profit for you.

Yes, it is true that engagement is also important to enhance a brand image. However, there has to be an improvement in the sales and leads as well to increase your customer base. The last thing that you would want is to pay premium charges only for more likes and shares but no boost in sales or leads.

Thus, you should ask the digital marketing company in India how would they measure the success? Here are some important metrics you should know about.

How does a Digital Marketing Company Measure Success?

  • The number of unique visitors every month, and also how many visitors are converted.
  • How much time your target audience is spending on the website and how can they help in increasing the time spent on the website by the audience.
  • What can they do to reduce the bounce rates?
  • Also, you can ask how can they improve the Click-Through-Rate? It is a measure of how many times an ad has been clicked compared to the impression it has received.
  • If you are looking only for social media services then engagement like the number of followers, likes, comments, shares, and views matter.

  1. What do They Charge?

You can filter out the good digital marketing agencies from the bad ones depending on the price they charge. A lot of businesses want to save money. Thus, price is usually the first thing they ask. However, if you find an agency that charges a low price, then they might offer low-quality services too. You have to think about it from their perspective. When an agency quotes a very low price, they make lower margins on their services. Thus, their quality of services will be cheaper as well.

Also, they will not go that extra mile for your business because there is no incentive to it. Digital marketing agencies in India that charge a higher price tend to treat their customers more generously because they can afford to do so. Their quality of services will be much better as well. Yes, as a small business we know there will be budget constraints. However, it is better to not cut corners when you have found the right agency to do the job.

How to Work with a Digital Marketing Company in Kolkata?

Now, this bit is a little tricky. Being a client, there are certain things you can do to enhance your results and make the most of the strategic partnership with the digital marketing firm in India.

  1. Prepare Your Team and Do Your Research

It is important to have everyone on the same page. Thus, have a meeting with the team and also let them explain the new project and partnership so that they get the time to be ready. If you have any kind of obligation towards the agency, make sure you spend time doing it well. The agency too needs to know the ins and outs of the business you own and this is the time to put it all on the table.

  1. Understand the Timeline, Scope and Process

Before starting the project, you have to make sure that every person is on the same page and agrees on the estimated timeline of completion. Most of the digital marketing projects will go through four phases. They are:

  • Discovery & Research
  • Project Planning
  • Execution
  • Reviewing, Results & Offboarding

Make sure to lay out the details of every step with your team and agency so that everything is clear before the project starts.

  1. Do not expect there will be a hands-off experience

The best digital marketing agencies are highly communicative and collaborative. Also, your inputs, ideas, and thoughts will help in taking the project forward in the right direction and match the desired outcomes. You will find some digital marketing firms in India to be more collaborative than others.

Thus, you have to make sure you understand what they need from you through the entire project. This might help you in having a dedicated point of contact and a team member ready to manage the project. When you have someone available it helps in ensuring you are not holding things up on your end.

  1. Be Prepared to Give Control

You need to remember that the agency you hired is great at what they do. You hired them for their experience and expertise. Thus, a time will come when you have to share the access of the social media platforms, admin access of the backend of your website, and other accesses as well. Don’t hesitate to share access to different aspects of a project.

This will allow them to do what they do best. Also, it is important to listen to what they want to say. When they have a reason for doing something in a certain way, then you have to remind yourself that they are the experts. You may not agree with the way they do things, but it is fair to have an open mind if they bring you results.

  1. Ask Questions

If you have never worked with a digital marketing company in India then you will see a lot of new things. It is completely normal when you don’t understand every bit of what is happening. The best thing to do is ask questions.

For instance, you may not know why they chose a certain color over another one. Or there is a piece of data that you don’t understand. Perhaps someone said something that doesn’t make sense to you. There is nothing wrong with not knowing things.

Ask about the things you don’t know. This is an excellent way to know how a digital marketing firm in Kolkata works. It will also help you clear the uncertainties.

Why Shouldn’t You Train In-House Employees and Hire an Agency?

Like we already mentioned above, a lot of small or mid-sized businesses tend to train their in-house employees. Most businesses face the dilemma of whether they should hire a digital marketing firm in India or they should train their employees. Let us explain what you would need to run a successful digital marketing campaign.

  1. Understanding/Knowledge

Before you start a digital marketing campaign, you have to have a deep insight into customer behavior and the variations needed in the campaigns for a different target audience. However, in a lot of cases, most of the marketing messages end up sounding generic because the companies don’t take the time to truly understand their customers and their problems.

  1. Processes

To scale anything, you need proper documentation on systems, processes, and workflows needed to complete a task. This means a marketing campaign should follow a structured system whether it is about blog management, running a PR campaign, creating social media promotions, paid ads, and more. It is not possible for a business to train and create an effective process that brings results from the above marketing activities. Thus, hiring a professional digital marketing agency in India is always a better option.

  1. The Tools

Different marketing campaigns of today, require different tools, right from the start to the end. For instance, you might need email marketing tools like MailChimp or Drip, Analytics tools like Google Analytics or KISSmetrics, communication tools like Slack, and more.

These tools help in accomplishing the key tasks and also reach your goals easily. Thus, you will need these tools. A digital marketing agency will already have these premium tools. They know how to use these tools and can help you reach your goals in an easier and much more effective way.

  1. Consistency

When it comes to inbound marketing, one of the most important things is patience. Noticeable results will come in a few months of starting the digital marketing services. You cannot expect immediate results. There is no way to get instant results in digital marketing. Thus, it requires consistent dedication, tracking, analysis, trial & error, adjustments, and so on. It is not possible for a business to dedicate so much time and effort to digital marketing service alone. Thus, it is better to take the services of a digital marketing company in India and let them handle the nit bits.

  1. Quality

It is easy to create random blog posts, images, videos, gifs, or infographics. But can you create quality content targeted to your audience? Can you create a video that would engage with your audience? The quality of content makes the difference. A digital marketing agency in India has content creators on board who can deliver exactly the kind of blogs, videos, or images you need for your audience.

Which Industrial Sectors Benefit the Most from a Digital Marketing Company in India?

Business companies in India have to take a lot of decisions every single day. Whether we realize it or not, most of those decisions are influenced by digital marketing services. One way or the other, a digital marketing company in India can influence a wide array of business industries.

You will be surprised to know that more than 90% of the consumers trust word of mouth promotions on digital media or social media and search engines. This itself is more than any other form of advertising or promotion. Most of the industries get an ROI of $8 for every $1 spent on digital marketing. You would not want to miss out on that, do you?

However, there are some industries that have remarkable ROI from digital marketing, compared to other industries. In the following section of the blog, we will share the top industrial sectors that benefit the most from a digital marketing company in India.

  1. Use of Digital Marketing Services in the Healthcare Sector

Digital marketing is vital for the healthcare sector in India. Do you know social media has become a major source of information for a myriad of health issues and their solutions? Also, social media is the best way to connect with healthcare practitioners and hospitals for millions of people. Nowadays, when you have got mobile apps like NetMeds and Practo, you cannot miss out on the services of a digital marketing firm, if you are a healthcare provider.

More than 40% of the consumers find social media to be useful in dealing with health problems. Also, 90% of the users from the age of 18-24 years trust medical information shared by others on social media. If you don’t use social media marketing strategies to reach out to your audience, then you will be missing out on a lot. Now, social media is just an aspect of digital marketing that we are talking about.

Apart from that, you can also run PPC ad campaigns to promote your healthcare services, create a blog to inform patients on different health issues, create videos, use live sessions and webinars to interact with people and so much more. These are some of the areas where a digital marketing company in India comes in handy.

Thus, if you are in the healthcare sector, you have to know that the internet is the primary source of healthcare information. Medical websites, coupled with in-app notifications, online advertisements, and push notifications are highly important to reach out to people who need healthcare services.

  1. Use of a Digital Marketing Firm in India for the Education Sector

The education sector is another important sector that needs the services of a digital marketing agency in India. If you are in the education sector, you know that social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook can help connect teachers and students in a seamless way. At present, a lot of schools and universities are using digital marketing services in India for promotions.

What Digital Marketing Actions can the Education Sector take?

  • Most colleges and universities use social media platforms for campaigns, online admissions, promote campus events, and more.
  • Schools use the Google Ads PPC service to promote their services and awareness to students and parents.
  • Also, the schools and colleges these days have websites where you can find a lot of relevant information about them.
  • The SEO-optimized websites and mobile marketing services also help them in getting more traffic.
  • Webinars, live sessions, and online Q&A sessions also help you connect with a lot of your audience, especially students.

These are some online promotional and marketing activities for schools, colleges, and universities where the digital marketing agencies in India come in handy.

  1. Use of Digital Marketing in the Automobile Industry

The automobile industry relies a lot on marketing. There is no doubt that the automobile sector has used every means of marketing possible to promote its products and services. The best part is, a digital marketing company in India can help an automobile company to save a lump sum amount of money compared to traditional marketing. Starting from 2016 till now the automobile sector has increased its budget in digital marketing to 45%.

Multiple automobile manufacturing companies in different parts of India like Noida, Pune, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore are using the services of a digital marketing company in India for reaching their target audience. The primary reason for the boom of digital marketing in the automobile sector is you can track the user-interest. Thus, if you are in the automobile business, you can update customize the automobile designs, change the mechanisms and specifications according to your customer preference.

  1. Use of Digital Marketing in the Real Estate Sector

This is another sector where digital marketing services are highly relevant. The primary reason is, most of us when we search for homes, do it online. Thus, if you are in the real estate business, you can use the services of a digital marketing company in India. How? You can use the online Google Ads to advertise house listings, apartments, and more.

You can use post videos and images of houses for sale on social media and promote them to reach a higher number of people. Of course, you can get a website where you put up all your listings, services, blogs, and information for your audience. Use SEO to boost the website rankings. Digital marketing agencies help real estate organizations to put up the best ads on houses and lands.

At present, if someone wants to sell a house or rent their property, all they need to do is post an ad. You can do it on social media, OLX, or even place an ad on Google. Now, to get the best results out of it, you will need a professional. This is where the services of a digital marketing agency in India come up.

They can help you create content, design the ads in the best way and also use different promotional tactics to get you more traffic. Therefore, you will get more leads, the conversion will increase and so will the sales. You will find a lot of digital marketing companies in India in different locations like Noida, Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, and Bangalore.

  1. Using Digital Marketing Services for the Retail Sector

The retail sector has invested highly in digital marketing services. Using different elements like social media marketing, SEO, content marketing, Google Analytics, PPC, email marketing, it has become easy for them to align the business goals with the customer demographics. Also, all thanks to the technology, you can add voice search and AI.

In the retail sector, it is important to know and understand the customer journey. What can be a better way to know about your audience than to use a multi-channel approach? Online retailers need people to click on the ads. Thus, a digital marketing company in India can help you increase the click-through rate.

Also, you have to remember that the e-commerce industry has already shifted to mobile commerce. Thus, to become a successful brand, in the retail and e-commerce sector, you will need the services of a digital marketing company in India.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can say that digital marketing is the key to grow your business anywhere in India and abroad. Almost every major industrial sector uses digital marketing. This blog contains all the aspects you need to know while choosing a digital marketing agency in India. It could be in Noida, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Bangalore, or anywhere else in India. The elements will remain the same if you want to get the best digital marketing agency.

These are the features that you cannot train your in-house employees. This is something that you get when you hire external agencies or firms on digital marketing. The right digital marketing company in Kolkata will help you in generating real-time profits, peace of mind and also allow you to avoid the hectic process of setting up an in-house team. Thus, you can focus on your time, strengths and do what you are good at instead of worrying about the digital marketing segment.

Remember that every project, whether it is big or small, deserves the attention of a true industry expert. However, sometimes it might become overwhelming to choose the best digital marketing agency in Kolkata, Noida, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, and more. With so many companies available to choose from, this is no surprise. But now, you know what to look for, how to prepare, and what to avoid. Use these tactics the next time when you hunt for a professional digital marketing company in India.

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Why Small Businesses Must Use Digital Marketing Services in Kolkata to Grow?

When a small business starts in Kolkata, the main focus is always to get the first group of customers through the door. Initially, a small business doesn’t have a humongous budget. Thus, it relies on different forms of promotions on social media platforms. Most of the small businesses have a mindset that since they are offering a good product/service, it is only a matter of time when customers come swarming through the doors.

However, things don’t work like that. In fact, there is a better and much more organized way to do things even if you are facing budget-constraints as a small business. The better way is using the digital marketing services in Kolkata. Any small business, regardless of the size, or how new it is, should always consider digital marketing. You cannot ignore the huge marketplace of prospects online.

Thus, to get to the right audience, you have to use the right strategies. Online marketing or digital marketing services in Kolkata is the most lucrative tool to grow your business. A lot of small businesses in Kolkata also think that digital marketing services are an additional expense. Different business owners come up with different reasons to avoid using digital marketing.

Sometimes, small businesses believe that they don’t have the time or resources to be competitive online. They think that they can take up only so many challenges at once. Some of them prefer to take things slowly as well. Some even simply wait for the customers to show up. This is not a good approach. We are not against taking things slow. Every business has its own pace of growth. However, we want you to use effective tools to grow your business and we have got reasons for it.

SL NO. Digital Marketing Elements Stats to Consider
1 Visual Marketing 86% of the small businesses use visual mediums in their marketing strategy.
2 Content Creation Long-form contents garner 77% more backlinks and 3X more traffic than shorter content.
3 Ads Consumers see more than 5000 ads every single day
4 Video Marketing 4.8% is the average rate of conversion for websites using video compared to those who don’t.
5 Social Media 80% of the marketers use clickable social icons to the email signature.
6 Influencer Marketing Almost 50% of the marketers plan to increase their influencer marketing budget in the coming years.
7 SEO 93% of the online activity starts with a search in the search engines.
8 Mobile Marketing 93% of the Millenials compare online deals using a mobile phone.
9 Email Marketing 74% of the users say that targeted emails increase engagement.
10 E-Commerce 43% of the organic traffic comes from Google searches.

Your Customers are Online

Do you avoid digital marketing services in Kolkata because you think you are not ready? Do you think you need more time to get established and then figure out the digital angle?

The problem is, your audience and potential customers are already online. Right now. There is a high chance they are already looking for businesses like yours. Thus, if they cannot find you, they will choose someone else.

That’s how business is done in Kolkata or anywhere in India. When someone is interested in products or services that you offer, or even if they want to know about your brand, the first thing they do is search online.

Source

Depending on what they can find about your business/brand, they will contact you. So what do they expect? They expect a strong social media presence, a nice website, good reviews and ratings, good testimonials, and more. All these are possible with effective digital marketing services in Kolkata.

If your audience or potential customer doesn’t find you online, then you are not a good place to do business. They might even think your business is not legitimate. Thus, they will look somewhere else. Once they are gone, they won’t be back.

Digital marketing in Kolkata helps to set up your brand as an online interactive platform to reach a maximum number of willing customers. Only when the audience can find your brand online, connect with your promotions, gradually you will thrive as a brand.

Simply put, digital marketing services in Kolkata will help in customer acquisition.

Your Competitors are Already Online

For a successful business in Kolkata, you have to keep an eye on your competition and learn from them as well. When you compare your online actions vs. your competitors’ actions, you will have some idea of what is working for you and what’s not. What kind of content are they using? Are they posting a lot of videos? Are they blogging?

How well they communicate with their audience, will help you introspect on what you can do to engage with your audience. You cannot know all these factors unless you are out there in the online world. Your prospects cannot choose you if they don’t know about you. When you are not using digital marketing services in Kolkata, you are already pushing your prospects away from your competitors. Digital marketing services help manifolds to let your prospects know about you.

Starting from social media, google ads campaigns, promotions, email marketing, mobile marketing, retargeting, you can reach your audience even through their personal interests. Now, the question is, when you are using digital marketing services in Kolkata, how should you grab the interest of your audience? Here is how you do it.

Psychological Targeting with Digital Marketing Services in Kolkata

This is a tailored marketing influence that taps into the behavioral patterns of the audience. Funny thing is, it is the same audience behavior that drives the trend ahead. Let us break it down a bit.

When anyone likes or dislikes any post/video/blog/infographic, they leave an impression of their likes and dislikes. For instance, consider Tata Cliq. It is an online apparel store and the brand is trending on social media, not only because of its content posting but also because it is well connected to its customers.

Source

Again, the posts garner more attention only when it is mass-appreciated, not only on social media but also on Google ads, campaigns, polls and more. Digital marketing enables you to track the analytics and check what kind of posts work out for your brand. Explore the kind of content that engages with your audience.

Also, explore the visual medium because almost 80% of the people love watching videos. For obvious reasons, you can understand the behavior of your audience through analytics tracking. With digital marketing services, any small business in Kolkata can flaunt their products/services to the right audience in the right way.

Be Accessible to the Audience/Potential Customers

At present, you have to be available to your audience because if you are not, then some other brand will be. When your audience is looking for your response, you need to be quick to reply. Also, as we said earlier, whatever they are looking for, starts with a Google search online. If you have no online presence, you will not be found at all. End result? You are out of the competition.

First of all, digital marketing helps you to be found online. Simple things that your prospects want to know online, for instance, where are you located, what are your business hours, what are your services, all these should be easily discoverable. A Google My Business page can help you solve these. By looking at your and your competitors’ website, compare the prices, offers, hours, and more.

Secondly, Chatbots have made things easier to resolve queries of your audience instantly. You can feed relevant questions to the Chatbots and when anyone asks questions related to your business or brand, it can reply to them instantly. Thus, it is a great way to stay accessible to your audience and increase audience retention.

In-Trend Marketing Strategy

People in Kolkata still think that traditional advertisements can make a brand more popular. It is high time to get rid of such thoughts. A business owner needs to use the recent marketing strategies and digital marketing is stronger than traditional marketing. Digital marketing promotions and ads cost half the amount of money any brand pays for print media, TV ads, or even radio commercials. Also, the ROI for digital marketing is higher than any other forms of marketing medium.

With online ads, you can analyze the market trends and obtain better ROI. This is the reason why a lot of small businesses in Kolkata are already using digital marketing strategies more than traditional marketing. So why are you falling behind? It is time to taste the benefits of digital marketing.

Brand Building with Digital Marketing

We have already mentioned that the size of the company doesn’t matter. What matters is how you present your brand. Remember, when you are presenting your brand, even the simple things like a logo, an image, a tagline, the website, or even a simple slogan, everything matters. A professional graphic design is highly important to get recognized in the market.

The online market is such a place where both big and small brands can create an equal impact. What differentiates is, the more attractive your online branding will be, the easier you can connect with more audience. With the services of a digital marketing agency in Kolkata, you can effectively promote your brand.

Also, you get the best graphic designs, high-quality content, create campaigns, web development, mobile marketing services, social media marketing services, SEO, PPC, SEM, and more. These services are highly important to create a strong brand. Do you really want to miss out on so many services?

SEO Dynamism

Understanding the SEO dynamism is highly important to use digital marketing services in Kolkata. Before you use social media platforms, you have to conquer the search engine.

Here you have to use the White-Hat SEO process to get ahead of your competition. Search Engine Optimization is important for any online business. Good SEO helps a brand in scoring on the search engine.

Source – GoodFirms

Good SEO doesn’t only include the keywords, but also the landing page of the brand, tags, meta tags, seamless web design, good content, everything matters in SEO. Your target audience will go through everything of your brand before they start doing business. You have to remember that digital marketing services in Kolkata are an effective tool for business that includes multiple features.

Thus, any campaign you run, make sure that there is flawless content to connect with the audience.

Prominent Social Media Presence

This can be said beyond any doubt that a brand (be it a small business or a well-established one) needs to have a strong social media presence. Social media platforms are great ways to connect with new customers and also stay in touch with existing customers. You can connect with your audience through mobiles using social media platforms.

A digital marketing service agency in Kolkata can help you get a great social media presence. Right from handling Facebook pages, groups, to Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts, everything can be handled by a digital marketing company in Kolkata in the best way.

They can create different forms of images, posts, videos, polls, highlights, blogs and post them on social media on a daily basis. Also, they can help you boost the social posts by customizing them and targeting them to the right audience. Your likes and followers will gradually increase with time and people will start recognizing your brand.

Source – Hootsuite

Yes, you have to remember that there is no shortcut or magic trick to gain followers or likes, comments or engagements on social media. To gain organic traction, you have to keep up the posts on a daily basis. Results will start to show in some time. No one can guarantee results in just a month or two.

Thus, if any digital marketing company in Kolkata is promising you to deliver high engagement in a month or two, they are not the right ones. Stay away from those companies because they will use spammy methods and your brand might get blocked from Facebook or Twitter.

Email Marketing

You must have seen a few brands asking you to submit your emails or even a mobile number. This is how email marketing or mobile marketing works. Brands lookout for some basic info of those who visit their site to stay in touch with their customers. This also helps the brands in sharing out promotional offers to the audience.

Believe it or not, periodic emails can bring back a lot of customers to the shopping carts and urge them to repeat their purchase. Again, do not overdo it. Too many emails or messages will result your brand into the spam/junk folder or the blocklist. Don’t become a nagging brand. Send periodic emails or messages to remind your presence in their minds.

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Email marketing is one of the best aspects of digital marketing services in Kolkata that any brand can use to grow. You might think that email is an old school strategy, but 86% of the business professionals prefer using email for business purposes. Thus, if you are not using email marketing, you might want to rethink your marketing strategy.

Returns Conversion

Every business wants success. When a business goes online with a selling proposition, it gets the much-needed traffic for its site, leads, subscribers and sales. Digital marketing is the most time-tested, affordable, and flexible way to get a higher conversion for any business at a much better rate than any traditional marketing strategies. Optimize your business online to sit on a well-recognized brand.

A Multi-Channel Approach

This is one of the most important factors for any small business. When you are starting your business, you cannot depend on a single medium to reach out to your audience. You have to use as many avenues as possible to get to your target audience and present your brand. That’s how you make your brand known.

The digital marketing services in Kolkata will help you in doing exactly that. When you take the services of a professional digital marketing firm in Kolkata, you get the benefits of multiple online mediums like email marketing, SEO, PPC, social media, Google Ads, content marketing, and more. Every medium has a different approach, but the end goal of every medium is the same i.e. getting more leads and conversions.

There will be a lot of customers who are more interested in personalized emails, while some love watching videos, while others want to check the blogs to know more. Thus, the multi-channel approach of a digital marketing company in Kolkata can help you engage your audience in different ways.

A Small Business Can Compete with A Large Business – And Win!

Now you might feel that this is a far-fetched truth, but this can truly happen. The online market doesn’t differentiate between a small and large business. Yes, for a famous brand it is easier to connect with their audience and garner more revenue. However, if done in the right way, digital marketing services in Kolkata can help any small business to keep up with a large business, and that too in a very short timeframe.

“The great thing about digital marketing is that ingenuity and creativity can always win over big marketing budgets.” – Ann Smarty

There cannot be any bigger truth than that. Sometimes, just the fact that you are a small business can do more for your campaigns than putting millions of dollars on video production. For instance, a simple video by a YouTuber, DD Electro-Tech, reached 473K views. The video is about “how to make a microphone at home using thermocol glass”.

That’s the power of the digital media we are talking about. You can reach millions of people with a simple and informative video if it is created properly and promoted in the right digital channels.

Digital Marketing Brings Measurable ROI

Unlike any other traditional marketing strategies, digital marketing services in Kolkata are not only targeted but also offer you ways to know what is working and what is not. Thus, any small business can invest in online marketing, track the results and then think about investing more.

If you find it difficult to associate with your digital marketing revenue, then you can start by creating a dedicated landing page. The idea is to capture a campaign’s specific inbound traffic.

Right from there, you can track how many people are coming up to the landing page. You can also check the number of people bounced, how many engaged, and how many converted. A digital marketing services company in Kolkata can do the A/B test to identify most of the leads converted, and track the ROI metrics on Google Analytics.

From all these, you can create better call-to-actions, content, and page layouts based on the real customer interactions online. All these elements can help you know if you need to be more targeted, or if it is better to shorten the landing page content for getting more conversions.

Digital Marketing Gives Your Brand a Proper Direction

Companies that don’t use digital marketing services in Kolkata, generally don’t have a clear goal to achieve online. This is especially true when it comes to getting more customers online or building up new relationships online. Without a clear objective, you cannot be successful or stay relevant in the market for a long time. Thus, small businesses should definitely use digital marketing services in Kolkata to grow their business.

In conclusion, it can be said that digital marketing services in Kolkata can help any small or medium business to reach out to a wider array of audience. Digital marketing is an easy and much more cost-effective way to transform your business. Therefore, it is wise for any small business or startup to use the potential of digital marketing and get ahead of the competition.

Related Articles:

A Checklist of the Top Skills According to the Digital Marketing Agencies in Kolkata

Grow Your Business in Kolkata Using a Digital Marketing Company

Digital Marketing Agency in Kolkata – The top 20 Digital Marketing Agency in Kolkata for you!

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How SME’s Can Utilize the Digital Marketing Inventory in 2021?

With the COVID-19 unlock protocol in action, the small and medium business organizations have already started to adapt. Most of the small and medium business organizations have figured out ways to stay afloat because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the lack of physical options, at present more and more companies are using the digital landscape.

During the downtime of Coronavirus, the small businesses have had the opportunity to figure out what digital marketing strategies would actually work. Even though this is still a bit of a challenging time, this can be a good time for the business leaders to take a hard look at the digital marketing techniques.

Digital marketing has entirely remodeled the way in which Micro; Small & Medium Enterprises engage and connect to their customers. There is no doubt in it. Digital marketing is here to stay. Business enterprises, be it micro, small, or medium, should think of ways to operate around it. Also, the number of small to medium businesses rising up is increasing every year. The competition is literally cut-throat.

Under such circumstances, there are certain ways with which SME’s can manage their digital marketing inventory.

SL.NO.

Digital Marketing Elements

Statistics
Email Marketing Welcome emails have an average open rate of 82%.
2. Social Media Marketing More than 55% of the buyers do their research on social media.
3. E-Commerce 43% of the e-commerce traffic comes from organic Google searches.
4. Mobile Marketing 93% of the millennials compare online deals using mobile phones.
5. SEO 72% of the marketers describe online content creation as the most effective SEO strategy.
6. Online Shopping More than 1.66 billion people shop online every year.
7. Video Marketing Having a video thumbnail in the search doubles the search traffic.
8. Content Creation Content creation leads to 434% more indexed pages than websites without updated content.
9. Online Ads Global digital ad spends will reach $389bn in 2021.
10. Omnichannel personalization Omnichannel campaigns offer a 250% higher purchase rate.

What are ways SME’s can use the digital marketing inventory in 2021?

  1. Enhance your brand visibility

Content marketing, social media, and search engine optimization are some of the most important elements of digital marketing inventory. If a small or medium business can keep its website optimized, share relevant content with the users and build up a positive brand image on social media, it can draw the attention of the target audience. Also, this will help in drawing up new business opportunities.

The majority of people search online before making any purchase. Thus, most of the customers think that if the company is not available on Google, then probably it is not a worthy/reliable company. Thus, Google offers businesses the option to interact with a wider array of audiences that are otherwise difficult to reach through traditional marketing. With almost five billion people having access to the internet today, there are a plethora of opportunities that small businesses can use to grow.

Enhance your brand visibility
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  1. Everything starts with awareness, no shortcuts there

There is no denying the fact that we cannot change something that we are not aware of. Every successful brand/business strategy starts with developing brand awareness. Yes, it will take some time, but it will be worth it. Also, the good news is, through social media for small businesses, you can increase the reach shortly. With the right targeting, you will be able to promote your business and product at a much faster pace.

Everything starts with awareness, no shortcuts there

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Thus, take a moment to set up your company profile and account on different social media platforms. You will be surprised to know that a lot of pages don’t even have their website linked with their social media pages. Sometimes there are broken links to one of the social pages. This is something that any business organization has to avoid carefully. As an emerging business, you have to create a spider web of links from one account to the other.

  1. Consider the reviews

It is highly unlikely that the shoppers of the present day will purchase a product blindly without checking any reviews. Consumers rely heavily on online reviews and they have the same role and importance as a recommendation from a friend. Did you know that 84% of consumers consider online reviews as important as personal recommendations?

Consider the reviews

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Thus, make sure you show off your online reviews. Because sharing positive customer reviews will do more than just show people are satisfied with your services. It will also enable them to trust you and your brand to get the job done for them. They will trust your brand to bring the same positive results. Thus, for any digital marketing inventory, the reviews and testimonials are powerful assets.

  1. Create a CRM for added personalization

Social CRM is a concept that has not been around for too long. The social customer relationship software will merge the social data along with the traditional CRM entries like email and purchase history for offering a thorough overview of the individual’s online profile. This will allow you in seeing the customer’s interactions along with your brand on any channel and offer you better insights into who they are.

Create a CRM for added personalization

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This will also enable you in encouraging a customer to buy more products and services. Personalized experience and suggestions according to the individual’s purchasing behavior will show the customer that you care about their exact requirements. Investing in the relationship with your consumer will increase the chances that they will also show interest in your brand.

  1. Keep creating live videos

You cannot ignore the live sessions on the different social media platforms. The live video sessions have been there for a while. Did you know that Facebook live video offers 6 times more interactions than traditional videos and 80% of the users are interested in watching a brand’s live sessions?

Source

The point is live video on Facebook or Instagram is a great way of capturing attention and drawing the viewers to your message. In a live video, one expects the raw behind-the-scenes footage of any company. This is the “real image” of your brand. When you offer a true taste of your small business on social media, it adds authenticity to the content and helps in bringing the element of trust.

  1. Be responsive and engaging

Now, this is something that every brand has to do in its own way. Yes, it is true that a lot of well-known brands have their own ways of engaging the audience. However, that doesn’t mean you cannot come up with your ways. Remember, social media never sleeps, even for a small business. Thus, you have to interact and be responsive towards your audience. A lot of consumers love to communicate with businesses through social media because it is quick and convenient.

As an SME it is very important to interact with your audience because it will position you as a brand that cares and takes time to reply quickly. Also, remember that people love to do business with real people, irrespective of the size of the business. Also, customers expect quick responses. Thus, it is important to make sure your business is responsive enough to offer quick solutions.

  1. Listen, really listen

It is important to remember that a lot of conversations happen outside of the channels you use. Listen to your audience because it is all about them. This is one of the key factors while using digital marketing strategies for SMEs. Social listening is a reliable source for picking up the most relevant social media chatter about your brand or your competitor’s brand.

This helps in modifying and strengthening your online presence accordingly. The present mindset is people are more interested in companies that have an ulterior mission. For instance, they want to see the mission behind the pictures of pizza that a brand shares! Social listening is also something that you can use to find inspiration from your competitors in your domain.

  1. Invest in local marketing

If your business is operating in the local market, it is important to take advantage of the digital marketing strategies that appeal to and relate to the audience. Along with creating a Google My Business listing, you can also edit your business listing on other local search directories. These include Bing or Yelp. Also, you can consider other local marketing strategies as follows:

  • Create Google Ads or social media ads targeting a specific geographic area.
  • Create a direct mail campaign in the local area.
  • Host or participate in a community event or webinar.

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Yes, some of these strategies might fall outside the purview of digital marketing but you can tie them in by adding your business’s website and social media handles to the materials or information that you offer around a local community.

  1. Create a reliable email list and leverage email marketing

This is one of the most effective digital marketing tactics out there. Email marketing will not be out of date. Even when we are approaching 2021, email marketing has proved to be one of the most effective digital marketing strategies for small and medium business organizations. Whether it is a consumer or a buyer, regardless of their age, email is checked by everyone. Thus, you have to take advantage of the possibilities of email.

Create a reliable email list and leverage email marketing

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Build a reliable email list and then you can send out a monthly email newsletter or send out regular messages with special offers, discounts, news, and more. However, you have to have a strong target audience. Email marketing is highly effective but if you don’t have the right people to email then it is not worth it. You can use different types of emails like transactional emails, promotional emails, and relational emails.

  1. Increase the use of AI

Yes, it is true that a lot of businesses don’t use AI and machine learning internally, a lot of them will use it as an external service because it is a major part of organic and paid search. It also offers a lot of help in customizing Google Ads.

Increase the use of AI

Source – Statista

You might have seen the SMART prefix attached with more and more Google Services. The goal is to help SME’s to deal with the complexity of the ads and increase ROI. For instance, Smart Goals in Analytics, Smart Campaigns in Google Ads, Smart Bidding, and more.

A lot of people might think that automation might reduce control. However, it is better for SMEs if they embrace AI and ML. For instance, the Smart Bidding feature of Google can help in managing the bidding throughout large product inventories in Google Shopping.

  1. Ad Optimization Testing

In 2021, Google Ad optimization testing will become more sophisticated. More than 2/3rds of the ad spend is now going on Google and Facebook. Thus, optimization on these platforms has become more and more important.

Only 9% of the marketers can predict the impact of a 10% shift in the marketing spends. Thus, using creative optimization is more important for understanding the complex customer journey throughout mobile and desktop devices.

For instance, on Facebook, an ad can appear in different placements like Facebook News Feed, Instagram Stories, Reels, or on Instant Articles. Thus, a lot of companies are working on ad optimization using Facebook’s new ad placement customization for reaching their goals.

  1. Change in Visual Designs

Throughout any communication channel, the first impressions are important. Thus, the trends in visual and graphic design will have an effect on developing likeness for a brand. Anyone can call out a dating website these days. Therefore any small or medium business company should consider using visual designs of popular sites with which the audience is familiar. The design patterns that will be trending in 2021 are as follows:

  • Muted color palettes
  • Color gradients
  • Abstract & dreamy illustrations
  • Bold/heavy yet simple fonts
  • Flowing lines and shapes
  • Use of stock photos
  • Minimalistic design for the landing pages
  • Better animations for branding

  1. Consider innovations with more interactive design and video for more conversion

SMEs’ can use the following interactive design techniques for more engagement and conversions.

  • Use micro-interactions – interactions apart from simple clicks on the static links to other pages
  • Animated illustrations
  • Use Neumorphism – Design elements created in a realistic way for matching real life
  • 3D graphics for web and mobile UI
  • Use of more AR & VR
  • Asymmetric layouts
  • Visual storytelling – using the brand names as much as possible in a blurred format

  1. More use of targeted influencers

Influencer marketing is on the rise because it is an organic opportunity for better content distribution. Also, influencer marketing has the potential for better engagement, more endorsements, and recommendations. Influencers can be content creators, social influencers, event speakers, industry analysts, brand employees, other brands, media houses, and publications. With more focus on performance and ROI, influencer marketing tools will also continue to evolve.

More use of targeted influencers

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  1. Consider the sophistication of website personalization

72% of the customers only engage with personalized or tailored marketing messages. Also, 86% of the consumers are concerned about data privacy. This is why it is important to explain the value proposition of data collection to ensure customers about their privacy. This makes them feel valued.

Apart from retail and transactional e-commerce, the use of personalized content is low but this will increase because platform providers are making things easier. For instance, Hubspot’s Smart Content Criteria helps in personalizing web pages and emails.

  1. Omni-Channel marketing along with social commerce

  • 87% of e-commerce shoppers believe that social media helps in making better shopping decisions.
  • More than 80% of the SME’s use Facebook for selling and promotional purposes.
  • More than 40% of the merchants make use of social media for generating sales.
  • 30% of the consumers say that they would purchase directly through social media platforms.
    Omni-Channel marketing along with social commerce

Source – Statista

Thus, it is pretty clear that social commerce is increasing and will continue to grow. For SME’s it is imperative to make use of multiple social media platforms for business growth.

  1. Improve customer communication for increasing loyalty and advocacy

SME’s need to increase the use of techniques for understanding and improving customer journey. A/B testing is a great way to support conversion. However, most business organizations don’t use techniques for assessing the voice of the customer.

  1. Using the micro-communities

A lot of small and medium business organizations don’t use the communities effectively. There are a lot of online communities where digital marketers think that they would learn a lot from each other. However, the reality is, online communities are quite different from what they promise.

Either the groups become inactive once the members realize that they have very little in common, or they stay active but end up in a stream of nothing more than self-promotions. There are groups on Reddit that don’t indulge in topics of discussion because they are held back due to miscommunications among different participants.

Instead, the micro-communities are on the rise. As an SME you can choose one or two other companies and colleagues, choose a few mentors outside of your bubble, and then build your own sounding board if you want to have an honest and in-depth conversation.

  1. Improve email personalization through lifecycle and behavioral segmentation

Personalized email marketing delivers more relevant communication through the customer lifecycle. Most businesses are using email marketing automation for quite some time now. However, ‘Lifecycle Email Marketing’ is the new talk of the town. This is the trend that integrates different channels with email marketing to prospects and customers. Thus, Lifecycle email marketing is treated as the better and more integrated version of social, web, display, and personal ads.

  1. Use Machine Learning for creating more engaging communications

Along with the targeting techniques, machine learning has got a major role to play. It increases relevance and offers a more personal tone. Machine Learning is used by digital marketing companies all over the globe as it increases personalization.

Customers want to feel that the brand is speaking directly to them. Also, it helps in optimizing content. Machine learning helps in crafting content that resonates better with the audience. Machine learning helps in smart bidding and using chatbots in the best way as well.

To sum it up, these are the best ways for SMEs to use digital marketing strategies for their business. The good news is, these are not something extraordinary or expensive. Thus, if you are a small or medium business organization facing budget-constraints, still you can create effective digital marketing strategies to transform your business.

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Budget 2021 Highlights: The Key Facts from the Union Budget 2021-22

As we all are aware that the Union Budget 2021 was declared yesterday. The Union Budget 2021 came up at a time when the Indian economy is reeling from the aftereffects of the COVID-19 crisis. Considering the backdrop of the farmers’ protest, there were a lot of expectations that Budget 2021 would consider the agriculture industry. There was a lot of talk about increasing the funding for the PM Kisan Yojana as well.

During her speech, our finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman declared the allotted amounts on different industrial sectors. An important aspect of Budget 2021 is this is the first paperless budget in the history of India. In short, the Government has allotted Rs. 2 crores for the healthcare sector, 35,000 crores on the COVID-19 vaccine, Rs. 1.10 lakh crore for the railways, and aims to complete 11,000 km of National Highway Infrastructure.

Apart from that, India has already approved two COVID vaccines – the Covaxin and Covishield. Soon, two more vaccines shall be launched. The good news is India has already initialized the nation-wide vaccination program. This is the largest in the world. The Budget 2021 also includes a new Aatmanirbhar Swstha Bharat Health Program of 64,180 crores. The intention is to reduce the use of single-use plastic, reduce air pollution and segregate the waste. This will come as an addition to the present National Health Mission.

The following are the 6 main pillars of the Union Budget 2021:

  • Health & Well-Being
  • Development of Aspirational India
  • Innovation and R&D
  • Improvement of Physical, Financial Capital, and Infrastructure
  • India as a Human Capital
  • Minimum Government & Maximum Governance

In the following section of the blog, we will share the key highlights of the Union Budget 2021-22.

Mission Poshan 2.0

The government will launch Mission Poshan 2.0, the Jal Jeevan Mission Urban. They will also deploy the Urban Swachh Bharat Scheme. The Budget 2021 includes Rs 1.4 lakh crore for this scheme.

The New Vehicle Scrapping Policy

The government launched a new vehicle scrapping policy. It is a voluntary scrapping policy where the outdated/unfit vehicles will be removed from the streets. The passenger vehicles which are beyond 20 years and also commercial vehicles which are beyond 15 years need to go through a vehicle fitness test.

Rs. 95,000 crore allotted for Road Development in Bengal

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that Rs. 95,000 crores has been allocated for the development of roads in Bengal. There is a lot of talks that this will have an impact on the upcoming election in 2021 in Bengal.

11,000 kms of National Highway Infrastructure

The government is aiming to complete 11,000 km of national highway infrastructure in 2021. Tamil Nadu will get a corridor of 3,500 km, Kerala gets 1,100 km, and also an investment of Rs. 65,000 crore. West Bengal will get 675 km which will also cost Rs. 95,000 crores. Assam has been promised 1,300 km in the next three years.

Indian Railways gets Rs. 1.10 Lakh Crore

Our Finance Minister mentioned that the Indian Railways will have Rs. 1010 lakh crore for infrastructure development. Rs. 1.7 lakh crore is the capital expenditure for the allotment. Also, she announced the central fiscal funding for Bangalore Metro, Kochi Metro, Chennai Metro, Nagpur Metro, and Nasik Metro projects throughout the nation.

The Power Sector gets Rs. 3.05 lakh crore

Rs. 3.05 lakh crore is allocated to the power sector of India. Finance Minister also said that Budget 2021 includes 100 more cities in the gas distribution network in the next three years.

Gas Pipeline Project in Jammu & Kashmir

Finance Minister announced a brand new gas pipeline project for developing Jammu & Kashmir.

Rs. 20,000 crore is alloted for the Public Sector Banks and the Launch of LIC IPO

The Public Sector Banks will have an additional amount of Rs. 20,000 crore funding. Also, the government is planning to sell a part of the holding from the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) through an initial public offering (IPO) in 2021. There will also be an amendment of the present act to ease out the public offer.

Government commits to the Farmers Welfare

This is one of the most expected elements of the Union Budget 2021 because of the ongoing farmers’ protest. According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, “the government is committed to the welfare of the farmers”. Also, the MSP has been changed. More than 75,000 crores were paid to the wheat farmers in 2020-21. 43.36 lakh farmers benefitted from this.

Ujjwala Scheme

The government is also extending its helping hand to the Ujjwala scheme for an additional 1 crore people. The Ujjwala scheme offers LPG connections along with a financial subsidy from the central government. Thus, this scheme already benefits more than 12 crore households right now. Also, this benefit will be given to offering a clean and cheap cooking fuel.

Agriculture Fund Credited with Rs. 16.5 lakh crore

The GOI has also proposed an increase in the agriculture credit with a target of 16.5 lakh crore. With the change in the MSP regime, the assured price is at least 1.5 times the production cost throughout all commodities. The overall amount paid to the paddy farmers is Rs. 1.72 lakh crore in 2020-21.

Disinvest Target at Rs. 1.75 Lakh Crore for FY2022

According to our Finance Minister, the disinvestment receipt is at Rs. 1.75 lakh crore for the fiscal year 2021 starting from April 1st. Two public sector banks, one general insurance company will be disinvested. Also, the legislation and amendments will be introduced in this session.

National Education Policy

With the Union Budget 2021, the National Education Policy attained a good reception. More than 15,000 schools will be qualitatively strengthened in the National Education Policy.

1500 Crore Alloted for Promoting Digital Payments

Nirmala Sitharaman also announced that Rs. 1500 crore will be allotted for the promotion of digital payments. Also, an additional amount of Rs. 300 crore is allocated to Goa for celebrating the 60th anniversary of the liberation from Portuguese rule.

Bengal & Assam Tea Workers Alloted with Rs. 1000 crore

The center has created a special scheme for the welfare of women and children in Bengal and Assam. Also, the government allotted Rs. 1000 crore for the tea workers of Bengal and Assam.

Rs. 3768 Crore Allotted for Census

The Finance Minister announced Rs. 3768 for the census. The next census that happens in India will be the first digital census in Indian history.

Tax Exemption for Senior Citizens & Startups

Also, there is an exemption for filing taxes for the elderly. In the 75th year of Independence, the compliance burden on the senior citizens will be reduced. For the senior citizens that only have a pension and interest scheme, the government proposed an exemption of filing of income tax returns.

There are new rules for the removal of double taxation from NRIs. Startups will also get a tax extension in the tax holiday for one more year. Coming to the GST, Sitharaman said that the government is focused to ease out the process. Customs duty on copper scrap will reduce to 2.5%. Also, there will be an increase in the customs duty on auto parts by 15%.

The Budget 2021 also includes “Textile Parks” developed in the next three years. The Railways can also monetize dedicated fright corridor assets for multiple operations and maintenance after commissioning. The center also offered Rs. 18,000 crore for the public buses. Solar Energy Corporation got Rs. 1000 crore and the Renewable Energy Development Department got Rs. 1500 crore.

The GOI will also support the development of a world-class fintech hub at GIFT. The Fiscal deficit estimation was at 9.5% of the GDP for 2020-21. The Fiscal deficit is estimated at 6.8% of the GDP. During her speech, she also proposed a portal for collecting info on gig-workers, construction workers, and builders. They will also enjoy the social security benefits.

Women will also be allowed to work night shifts with proper protection. To increase help towards the unorganized labor force, the GOI will launch a portal for collecting information on gig workers, building, and construction. This will help in formulating health, housing skill, insurance credit and food schemes for the migrant workers.

In Conclusion

According to the economic survey of 2020-21, the Indian economy is seen growing at 11%. However, the GDP growth rate is at minus 7.7% for the current fiscal year. This is the third budget under the NDA government led by PM Narendra Modi. Last year, the Finance Minister used the “Bahi Khaata”, which is also the red handmade ledger book.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman mentioned that the Budget 2021 is prepared in “unprecedented times”. She also thanked the essential workers who have continued to serve the country during the lockdown. She mentioned that India couldn’t imagine the health crisis that unfolded in 2020 when she presented the budget last year.

The budget proposals will also strengthen the “Sankalp of Aatmanirbhar Bharat”. The focus, this time is on the 6 main pillars. Also, there are 217 projects worth Rs. 1 lakh crore, which will come under the National Infrastructure Pipeline. She also mentioned that she will soon table a bill on the DFI to fill up the gap in the long-term finance for the infrastructure sectors.

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Grow Your Business in Kolkata Using a Digital Marketing Company

If you are running a business in Kolkata, you have to use digital marketing strategies to grow the customer base. A lot of companies do not realize the power of digital marketing companies in Kolkata. Thus, they face difficulty in surviving the competition. However, there is no shortcut to growing your business.

If you want to make things easy and simple for your business, you have to opt for a digital marketing company in Kolkata. Don’t forget that a digital marketing company in Kolkata can offer you real-time growth even when you are on a limited budget. It is 2021 and every entrepreneur has to understand that strategic digital marketing is successful for business.

Digital marketing evolves over time. Sometimes it is complicated for a business to cope with the changing strategies. You are a business owner. You can control your business, However, you cannot control the pace of the market and its trends. Thus, you have to focus on the elements that can help grow your business.

SL NO. Digital Marketing Tips to Grow Your Business Digitally in Kolkata
1. 93% of the interactions on the internet start with search engines.
2. 72% of digital marketers consider creating high-quality content as an effective SEO technique.
3. 49% of people open their emails using mobile devices.
4. There are 3.2 billion social media users every day spending an average of 142 minutes.
5. More than 74% of business organizations worldwide have a mobile personalization program.
6. 51% of consumers use mobile devices to identify new brands
7. 95% of companies use automation to reap the benefits of email marketing.
8. 90% of the people say positive online reviews influence their buying decisions.
9. 50% of the search queries use four or more words.
10. Using visual content like videos can improve conversion by 86%.

Here is how to grow your business using digital marketing services in Kolkata.

1. Analyze the present SEO situation

If you have a business, then you must have a properly-designed website. Start with evaluating its health in terms of ranking in the search engines and also the usability. There is a lot of competition in the digital arena. Businesses have to work hard to get ranked higher on the search engine results page. SEO is a very important part of your digital marketing strategy when you have to optimize your digital footprint.

digital marketing consultant in kolkata

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Yes, it will take some time (3-6 months minimum) for a digital marketing company in Kolkata to create an impact on SEO efforts. However, the good thing is, white hat SEO doesn’t require a massive budget. All you need is a professional digital marketing agency in Kolkata with a well-thought-out SEO plan. Getting high traffic for your website is not easy without proper SEO. When you are looking for SEO services from a digital marketing company in Kolkata, think long-term.

Getting a better ranking with competitive keywords is a long-term process. It needs high-quality content. Thus, it brings us to the next factor, creating valuable content.

2. Creating valuable content

There is no denying the fact that content is the fuel you need for running marketing campaigns. Good content is very important for promoting your business online. Right from the web copy to the off-site campaigns, to the regular blog posts and ad copies, creating good quality content will increase the chances to stay ahead of the competition.

While creating content for different platforms, you have to focus on offering value. Also, to make sure the content performs well in the search engines, you have to optimize the content using keywords. Keep in mind that you cannot use too many keywords otherwise it will be considered spam.

Creating valuable content
Creating valuable content

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Now, all these things can be sorted with the help of a professional digital marketing agency in Kolkata. A digital marketing company in Kolkata will have experienced content creators who can create the right content for your website.

3. A strong social media presence

Regardless of the industry, you are in, you need to have a strong social media presence. If done in the right way, social media marketing is a highly cost-effective way to create brand awareness and enhance your business growth. Most business organizations, be it a small organization or a well-established company, use social media to stay relevant in the digital world.

A strong social media presence
A strong social media presence

Source

Social media marketing also helps in expanding their customer base by handling the profiles on social media platforms. The primary reason why social media is important for the brands is because not every time a potential or an existing customer would want to interact with you through the website. Social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter make it easy to connect with the desired brand of the audience and exchange messages directly.

A digital marketing company in Kolkata can help you in getting a strong social media presence and also establish your brand. Sharing regular posts, images, videos, polls, and stories on social media helps you in getting more attention from your audience.

4. PPC – Pay Per Click

This is a form of advertising which helps the companies in getting more leads and sales. You are running a business. So you have to get more customers as soon as possible. PPC ads are something that can help you get more leads and customers. Google Ads is one of the most popular PPC platforms where advertisers can launch their ads. You have to pay a small fee every time someone clicks on the ads.

PPC - Pay Per Click
PPC – Pay Per Click

Source – Statista

However, to make a successful Google Ads campaign, it needs research and experience. You will find this experience in digital marketing firms in Kolkata. This is why it is important to have a professional and proven digital marketing agency in Kolkata for your business to grow. Do not hesitate to seek professional help.

5. In-App Advertising

This is a branch of PPC advertising. The display ads might be exclusive to the websites at one point in time. However, the advertisers are looking for a larger audience to target on tablets and smartphones. The numbers do not lie. Mobile devices get you more than 70% of the traffic these days. The reason is, users engage more with apps than websites.

In-App Advertising
In-App Advertising

Source – Statista

The developers can monetize the app’s audience even when the app itself is free. All they have to do is include display ads. The digital marketers will be able to track the target demographic information, usage data, intent, in-app actions, and locations. Thus, it helps in reaching a high-intent audience that is likely to convert.

This also includes social media PPC. Coming to online engagement, social media has got a lot to offer in PPC as well. Because apps like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat have their own paid ad systems for businesses.

This is very useful because just like ads in other mobile apps, with detailed user information, it is easier to connect the message to specific audience segments. For instance, you can deliver relevant ads to the users in every stage of the marketing funnel.

6. Retargeting

Retargeting offers you a second chance to target the users who have already visited your website but didn’t take action. Since these people have already shown interest in what you have to offer, it is highly likely that they will return.

This kind of advertising is available in multiple display networks. For instance, you can use Google, Facebook, Microsoft Ads, and others as well. Email also supports remarketing campaigns using subscription click-throughs and customized follow-up messages.

The retargeting feature of digital marketing companies in Kolkata offers the option to re-engage with the users that abandoned the carts before purchasing. Also, you can use this feature to retarget the users that landed on your website organically.

7. Backlinking

Backlinking is another aspect of digital marketing agencies in Kolkata. It helps in increasing the search engine rankings and traffic by bringing another website to link with your site. These page links from other sites can be partners or affiliate pages, blog posts, or any other relevant location.

Backlinking
Backlinking

Source

Just like any other “traditional” SEO method, developing backlinks requires a lot of work. For that, you have to reach out to other websites and arrange a content exchange or “link swaps” for connecting their site to yours. Remember the higher domain authority your partner link has, the more link juice (traffic) you will receive.

8. Email Marketing

Yes, it is true that email marketing is not an exciting digital marketing strategy. However, it is still one of the most effective ones, especially when you have to build relationships with the audience with targeted messaging.

Email Marketing
Email Marketing

Source – AWeber

Even if the users don’t open every email, it is highly likely that they will remember when it is time to convert. According to Hubspot, email marketing works best when you can offer relevant information to the subscribers.

It encourages them to take action. This can also include discounts, offers, new products, informational videos, and more. You can also segregate the leads according to where they are in the conversion funnel and then create customized emails to your target audience.

9. Video Marketing

When you have to expand your business digitally in Kolkata, you cannot ignore the benefit of video marketing. A digital marketing firm in Kolkata can offer you the best video marketing strategies to increase brand awareness.

At present, online buyers prefer watching more videos. Thus, video marketing is a great option for digital marketing. Right from using explainer videos to showing your users about the product from different angles, you can use videos for multiple purposes.

Video Marketing
Video Marketing

Source – Statista

Also, users that consume video content, remember it better and for a longer period. With so many people using smartphones all over the globe, it is easy to shoot, edit, and publish any video. Thus, it is easy to engage your audience and drive conversions. The search engines prefer video content. This will also give better results to your SEO efforts.

10. Webinars

This is another way to share valuable information with the audience. It allows you to invite more people (who are potential leads) to learn about new products, industry concepts and also connect with experts. Similar to video marketing, webinars are also another aspect of a digital marketing company in Kolkata.

However, unlike videos, the webinars offer an opportunity to interact with the audience directly. You can not only respond to the queries but also learn more about your prospects. When the webinar is complete, you can post the webinar as a video for interested users to check out later.

11. Influencer Marketing

Another important element of digital marketing in companies in Kolkata is influencer marketing. A professional digital marketing agency in Kolkata has got connections with multiple influencers. Thus, not only they post and promote on social media platforms, but also, they connect with influencers to enhance your brand awareness.

Influencer Marketing
Influencer Marketing

Source – Influencer Marketing Hub

With influencer marketing, it becomes easier to connect with a wider social audience by sponsoring a post from an online personality with a lot of followers. Influencer marketing draws 2x more engagement compared to other forms of digital marketing. If you can partner with a relevant and reliable influencer, you can enhance brand awareness and also create a better consumer opinion about your business to your target audience.

12. Affiliate Marketing

Just like influencer marketing can add up more leads to the top section of your conversion funnel, similarly, affiliate marketing is driven by much more measurable and pre-set performance metrics.

Affiliate marketers are partners who receive commissions when the users complete a certain action like site visits, form submissions, or sales conversions. This can help in expanding your audience and also drive results because the affiliates are incentivized on your behalf for more revenue.

Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing

Source – Statista

Also, if you can get your links on the third-party sites through these programs, then you can also increase the backlink and domain authority.

13. Appeal to a foreign market

Just because you are starting to grow your business digitally in Kolkata, doesn’t mean that you cannot target foreign markets. In fact, picking up customers from foreign markets is the secret sauce that can make your business work.

To do this, you have to start picking up foreign traffic. You have to localize your content for foreign markets. If you can create content in other languages, it helps too. Then there is the Google Translation app that does a pretty decent job on the wordings. However, if you can get a native speaker, it is better.

The internet has broken down all the geographic barriers, you have to take advantage of that. This is where a digital marketing company in Kolkata can help you. With the content specialists, they can create content customized for the foreign audience as well.

14. Automate everything

Automation in marketing is the way of the future. For every task assigned to a human, there can be a way that a machine can do it faster, and more accurately. More and more companies in the world are using marketing automation these days.

There are a lot of automation tools available for use. For instance, MailChimp, Rebuyers, ConstantContact are excellent marketing automation platforms to use and they are not the only ones. Hootsuite is also a great social media scheduling automation platform. In fact, Hootsuite is the ideal tool for all social media campaigns.

Automate everything
Automate everything

Source – Statista

There are more such tools. You have to keep an eye on the tasks that can be automated. This is again where a digital marketing agency in Kolkata comes in. They are updated and informed about the different types of marketing automation tools available. Thus, they can use the tools in the best way to help you grow your business in the digital arena.

15. Responding to the online reviews

Online reviews are highly important if you want to grow your business digitally in Kolkata. The reviews are a major part of your business. Whether you are selling products or offering services, reviews can make or break your company.

People constantly check reviews to know about other people’s experiences. This is a matter of trust and you cannot be on the negative side of it. It is also important to respond to online reviews. When you respond to the customers, not only do you show that you offer great service but also they can see that you are accessible to the people.

Here is where a digital marketing company in Kolkata can help you. When you start growing your customer base, you will get a lot of reviews. It will not be possible to respond to every one of them manually. The digital marketing agency in Kolkata can help you set up chatbots to track the experiences of the customers, seek feedback, and respond to their queries.

16. Keep your business current on Google Maps

A lot of people use maps while finding a company. This is especially true when people are traveling. Won’t it be a shame if they couldn’t find your business on maps? What if they are not able to contact you? What if they show up apart from your business hours? These are the things that you need to share with your people. This is where again a digital marketing agency in Kolkata comes in handy. They will take care of the nits and bits of your business so that your audience can stay updated regarding all the information about your company.

Keep your business current on Google Maps
Keep your business current on Google Maps

Source

The digital marketing company in Kolkata can help you use Google My Business in the best way possible. Apart from that a lot of link aggregators and other platforms use Google My Business for information. Thus, if you can keep the list updated, it works in your favor. It is like being listed in the Yellow Pages back in the 80s. If you are not listed correctly in Google Maps, Apple Maps, Foursquare, and Yelp, this is the time to fix it.

More and more businesses are spending money to get the services of digital marketing companies in Kolkata and the results are truly effective. Small businesses can take advantage of these affordable services to collaborate globally and get a competitive edge. If you too are using digital marketing services to grow your business digitally, then share with us what technique works best for you?

Related Article: Digital Marketing Agency in Kolkata – The top 20 Digital Marketing Agency in Kolkata for you!

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20 Digital Marketing Trends for 2021 – Digital Trends You Cannot Ignore

There is always a lot of interest in the new digital marketing trends and innovation as we are into the new year 2021. Why wouldn’t there be? If you want your business to stay competitive in the market, you have to adapt to the rapidly evolving changes in digital marketing.

Make no mistake, we are living in a time where technology moves very fast. In the same way, the interest and behavior of the consumers also change. They are hard to predict. You cannot stick your head in the sand and hope that the same old methods will work.

SL NO. Digital Marketing Stats to Keep in Mind for Online Marketing in 2021
1. By the end of 2021, 85% of the customer service will be powered by the Chatbots.
2. Personalization matters. 63% of the people in the world are annoyed with so many generic advertisements.
3. 72% of the businesses say that videos offer better conversion
4. 58% of the people buy products recommended by an influencer
5. 51% of the searches will be voice searches by 2021
6. Small businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads than businesses without blog pages.
7. Long-form of contents (blogs/articles more than 2000 words, bring 77% more backlinks)
8. 51% of the brands use mobiles to identify new brands and products on the market.
9. 68% of the online experiences start with search engines
10. Video content drives 50X times more organic results

What are the 2021 digital marketing trends to help you grow your business?

Here are the digital marketing trends for 2021 that will help your business to not only survive but also thrive.

1. Programmatic Advertising

Programmatic advertising is about using AI for automating the ad-buying so that it is easier to target more specific audiences. For instance, real-time bidding is an example of programmatic ad buying. The automation is much more efficient and faster. This means you will have higher conversion and lesser customer acquisition costs. This is changing the whole face of digital marketing. 86% of the digital display ads in the USA are programmatic.

Programmatic Advertising
Programmatic Advertising

Source – Singlegrain

2. Chatbots

The use of chatbots is also a very important part of digital marketing in 2021. This is an AI-based technology that uses an instant messaging system to chat with anyone in real-time.

  • By the end of 2021, 85% of the customer service will be powered by the Chatbots.
  • At present, 80% of businesses need chatbots.
  • 63% of the respondents want to message an online chatbot for their queries about a brand or a business.
Chatbots
Chatbots

Source – Oracle

We all want an immediate response to our problems or queries. Thus, chatbots offer a great solution. They answer promptly and also, they correctly recall your complete buying history. These virtual assistants are great for offering customer service and meeting their expectations. Also, you can easily automate repetitive tasks.

3. Conversational Marketing

This is pretty much simple. With the increasing use of Chatbots, the reality of modern marketing is, it is more conversational. People want it in that way and brands are trying to give it to them. So, you have to do the same thing. When customers ask a question, they want a quick response.

With conversational marketing, you will have a one-to-one real-time connection with your customers. Your audience expects to find what they are looking for and they want it now, not later. When you think about the future, you have to be available across different channels.

Conversational Marketing
Conversational Marketing

Source

4. Personalization

If you want to stand out in 2021, you have to personalize your marketing tactics. This means tailored content, products, and emails.

  • Did you know that 63% of the people in the world are annoyed with so many generic advertisements?
  • 80% of them say that they are more likely to do business with a company that offers tailored experiences.

Consider the following examples:

  • Cadbury’s has created a video campaign that is similar to the Dairy Milk flavor. They targeted the users from the data of their Facebook profile, using age, interest, and location. The campaign got a 65% click-through rate and also a 33% conversion rate.
  • Starbucks uses a gamified mobile app that gets data like purchase history and location. This is to offer customers their favorite drinks and snacks. They have also brought up a Rewards System for the customers.

Clearly, personalization works great for businesses.

Personalization
Personalization

5. Video Marketing

Video marketing is one of THE most important marketing trends today. And it will remain important for the next 5-10 years.

  • Did you know that 70% of consumers say they share a brand video?
  • 72% of the businesses have analyzed that video offers a better conversion.
  • 52% of the customers have to say that watching a video makes them more confident in buying a product.
  • 65% of the executives also visit a website after watching a video.
  • 68% of the people learn about a new service or product by seeing a video

And not only just YouTube, but there are also a lot of ways to get better engagement with video marketing. You can make a small video post or use a live from Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn. If there is a video on your website, it is 50X more likely to get more organic search results. Why? People find video content much more compelling. This is why Google will push such pages higher that have videos.

  • Live videos are popular for businesses because they use them for interviews, product/service demos, behind-the-scenes before the launch of something, and company events.
  • 1:1 framed videos are great when businesses want to share personalized messages instead of calls or emails.
  • Video SEO is a major benefit of video marketing. YouTube and other videos are displayed in SERP’s. This is why it is more important to optimize videos. You can use text overlays, closed captions along with the descriptions, title, and file names.
  • 360-degree video content is trending now. It offers a much more interactive experience. It is useful in a wide range of businesses, like real-estate, gaming, tourism, and more.

Video Marketing

Video Marketing

Source

6. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a sort of word-of-mouth marketing but the approach is a bit different. You have to use the key leaders to amplify your brand message to draw the attention of a larger market.

Influencers can be celebrities. However, for small businesses, you can target Instagram or YouTube personalities who have a high niche following. They can help you spread the word about your business or product through social channels.

  • 63% of the consumers trust the opinion of the influencers.
  • 58% of the people buy products because it was recommended by an influencer.

According to a study by Mediakix, ad expenses on influencer marketing will reach more than $10 billion by 2021.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer Marketing

Source

7. Social Messaging Apps

If you think that social messaging apps are just to send texts and emojis to your friends, then think again. Because these numbers tell a whole new story.

  • 55 billion messages are sent every day on WhatsApp.
  • 10 billion messages are sent out every day on Facebook Messenger.
  • The top social messaging apps are Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat.

Thus, you know how popular these social messaging apps are. People are spending more time to message each other. Therefore, it makes sense to market your products and services where your potential customers are hanging out. These apps are great to send messages to your customers directly because they add value to the experience.

Social Messaging Apps

Social Messaging Apps

Source – Statista

8. Using the Micro-Moments

What is a micro-moment? It is an ‘intent-rich’ moment where a person uses a device to know, go, do, or buy. Here are the four micro-moments that really matter. If you want to take advantage of the micro-moments in 2021, you have to be where the consumers are searching for information. Just like Google puts it, marketers need to “be there, be quick and be useful”.

In 2021, the customer journey will be much more dynamic and their decisions will be unpredictable. And you cannot blame them because, in the age of smartphones, we have become accustomed to instant gratification. When they think or talk about anything they want to see more, know more, and buy more with just a few clicks. To make the most of the micro-moments in 2021, you have to do the following:

  • Identify the “I want to buy” moments
  • Be there in the moments
  • Offer relevant content
  • Make things easy for them to purchase
  • Analyze every moment which matters

9. Use of Voice Search & Smart Speakers

With the increased use of voice search, it has become important for companies to rethink their digital marketing plan. Consider the following numbers.

  • 50% of the searches in 2021 will be through voice
  • 55% of American homes will have smart speakers by 2022.
  • 72% of the people that have a voice-activated speaker use the device for their daily activity.

Thus, overall, people expect voice search to be more common in the future. AI has become smarter. The number of errors from voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google has reduced. A lot of brands are already using voice search in their digital marketing strategy for delivering voice-based content to the customers.

Use of Voice Search & Smart Speakers
Use of Voice Search & Smart Speakers

Source

Now, remember that not only more companies will use audio content for brand awareness but also the ads will be next. This means Alexa will tell you the answer to your query along with the name of her “sponsor”. For the voice searches, remember to write in a conversational tone, in a way people speak. Also, keep your focus on “featured snippets on Google”. Think about the keywords with which we speak instead of what we type.

The key is to understand that voice search is not another channel of force messages and sales. Instead, marketers have to come up with a unique approach for better customer interactions. Voice search should be a part of a broader and more connected brand experience.

10. Browser Push Notifications

There is an increase in push notifications. 85% of the online stores have used them in 2020. Twice as many people sign up seeing a push notification then they do after seeing a newsletter. Did you know that 54% of the users convert after seeing a segmented push notification? Push notifications can even have images and CTAs to improve conversion rates.

11. Content Marketing will Dominate the SEO

According to John Muller, Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst in Google, “Rather than chase the latest SEO trends, it’s more important to ensure a site has fast speeds, useful links, and well-written content.”

  • 88% of B2B content marketers agree that creating content makes their audience view the organization more credible and trusted.
  • The cost of content marketing is 62% less than outbound marketing. Also, it brings 3X more leads.
  • Small businesses with blogs will generate 126% more leads than those without blogs.
  • With content marketing, the conversion rates are 6X times higher.

Google values, well-researched articles. Thus, businesses will invest heavily in content marketing throughout 2021.

Content Marketing will Dominate the SEO
Content Marketing will Dominate the SEO

Source

12. Big Data and Deep Learning

By 2021, the Big Data industry in the world will take a massive leap. This is great news for marketers if you know how to use the power of Big Data. According to Forbes, 78% of the companies are already having or developing a customer data platform to manage, analyze, and leverage their data.

Data experts are the top priority for a lot of companies. 41% of companies say that this is one of the most desired skills at present.

. Big Data and Deep Learning

. Big Data and Deep Learning

Source – Statista

13. Google Ads and Smart Bidding

Every business will have to face competition on social media. Thus, paid advertising will be one of the best sources of getting more leads. Therefore, the smart bidding feature of Google Ads will be used a lot more. In simple terms, you have to trust Google’s AI system for the PPC campaigns. Google will optimize the budget to maximize the ROI. This works for any PPC goals including:

  • Target CPA
  • Target ROAS
  • Advertising Conversion Rates

With the smart bidding feature, you can use different customizations like:

  • Physical location
  • Device
  • Weekday or any time of the day
  • Remarketing list
  • Interface language
  • Ad characteristics
  • Browser
  • Operating system

The best part is, you can let smart bidding handle your PPC campaign and you will have more time to focus on making other plans for copywriting and analytics.

Google Ads and Smart Bidding
Google Ads and Smart Bidding

Source

14. SERP Zero Position

For the last few years, voice search has changed the way SEO works. The most important factor was the rise of the featured snippets. This has given birth to the “position zero” on Google’s result page. Here is an example of it.

SERP Zero Position
SERP Zero Position

In 2021, 41% of all the voice search answers will come from the featured snippets. If you do your SEO right, you can be the one to end up in position zero of the Google search engine results page. This can give you a huge competitive edge.

The trend is increasing with 63% mobile searches and 35% of the desktop searches have ‘zero-click search’ results. Here are the most common words found in the search queries.

SERP Zero Position

SERP Zero Position

Source

15. Branding

We live in an era where consumers have a wide array of choices. It doesn’t matter what sort of niche you are in. 66% of the consumers feel connected to a brand when they feel that they can trust it. To earn the trust of your audience, you have to build a solid brand. The reason why branding is so important is because of Google’s EAT ranking factor.

EAT stands for:

  • Expertise – your website needs to have quality content from an expert writer
  • Authority – The has to have authority over the subject
  • Trustworthiness – The site must have some authoritative links that redirect to other trustworthy sites.

Google will cater to the user experience by looking for the most accurate, updated, and well-researched content.

16. Better Analytics

Modern marketing and metrics are like identical twins. If you are not investing in better analytics, then you will face issues in getting the results you want to see. The problem is, we live in an era where the average consumer will check a brand from six touchpoints before making a purchase.

With so many channels for managing a lot of ways to market the products and services, the job of analytics tracking is becoming an important mission. This is why a lot of companies are looking beyond the basics of Google Analytics for a better Business Intelligence solution.

There are a lot of Business Intelligence options (both paid and free). For instance, you can use Google Data Studio, Metabase, and Tableau.

17. Privacy Marketing

ple all over the world are very careful about their privacy. This is why Facebook and other social media platforms are always updating their privacy policies.

As business owners and marketers, you have to rely on people. The new rule is, marketers these days have to earn the contact information of their targets. People want to know that they can trust the brand and their personal data is safe.

Privacy Marketing
Privacy Marketing

Source

Make sure to do the following:

  • Research and understand your audience
  • Develop a relevant message for your audience to engage
  • Get the right channel to engage with that target audience
  • Try to develop an intimate relationship through thoughtful engagement

18. IoT Advertising

With the Internet of Things, more and more devices are getting connected. Thus, the brands and marketers want to use the data for their own business and advertising.

For instance, Johnnie Walker has a Blue Label bottle that has an in-built electronic sensor. This can tell if the bottle has been opened, where it was opened, and also its position in the supply chain.

There is also another example. Malibu, another drinks company uses its “connected” bottles as a digital touchpoint for promoting exclusive content.

IoT Advertising

IoT Advertising

Source – NCTA

19. Long-Form Content

In 2021, short blog posts will not get you anywhere. Typically, the posts have to be around 2500-3000 words to attract the most traffic. Since these posts offer more in-depth and exploration of different topics. Also, the long-form contents allow the creators to set themselves as an expert on a certain subject. Thus, it also offers more chances to target keywords.

Did you know that long forms of content will get you 77% more backlinks than short articles? This is important to drive more traffic. 56% of the bloggers get better ROI when they spend more than 6 hours creating a single blog. It might seem a bit excessive, but it attracts more traffic, increases the on-page time, and also boosts the organic search rankings. This is great for business.

Long-Form Content

Long-Form ContentSource – serpIQ

The benefits of long-form content are as follows:

  • A longer time is spent on website pages
  • Reduced bounce rate – because when people find what they are looking for in your webpage, they will not go back
  • More backlinks and more social media shares
  • Will get you traffic as long as the blog is there on your website
  • Higher Google ranking

20. Structured Data SEO

One of the most evolving digital marketing trends is structured data SEO. A lot of us might feel that SEO is dead. Absolutely not! SEO is a shapeshifter. It bounces back in different forms. Structured data will be more important than ever in the search engine results.

Structured data is any data that is organized in a way that makes it better for the search engines to crawl. Content creators can get this done on the backend of the website using a code or organizing information in the form of tables.

Structured Data SEO

Structured Data SEOSource

When done in the right way, structured data offers a major SEO boost. You may get the zero-position rank by using a graph box for displaying important information about your business.

Another important benefit of using a structured data SEO is, you will be able to generate Rich Snippet results. It displays images, stats, reviews, and pricing. These rich snippets are also known as rich cards. They are great for bringing more clicks, especially on mobile devices.

With more than 50% of the global traffic on mobile devices, the competition for the rich snippet results will increase. Thus, a lot of marketers will leverage structured data SEO in 2021.

Lastly, presenting one of the most futuristic trends in digital marketing for 2021!

Neuromarketing

Last but not the least, the digital marketing trends in 2021 will also include neuromarketing. This is a strategy that analyzes measurements of an individuals’ brain activity and nervous system to figure out which type of content they like most.

Now, this might seem to be a page from a sci-fi novel but the fact is, technology is evolving rapidly. Thus, it will soon become a viable tool for marketers. This is not rocket science. It is designing marketing materials (the ads, website, email campaigns, and content) to invoke certain neurological reactions that are linked with purchasing.

After that, you can use this information to optimize your content and then adjust your strategies for effective digital marketing.

This is it! Here are the 20 digital marketing trends for 2021 to increase leads, conversion, and sales. Change is one of the most important aspects of digital marketing. Every brand and business organization should be prepared to embrace the new technologies, strategies, and tools to get an edge over their competitors.

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15 Social Media Trends for 2021- A Guide to Your Online Social Strategy

Beyond any doubt, 2020 was one hell of a year! If there is anything to take away from 2020 is, you ought to be prepared for anything. Both the expected and the unexpected! 2020 is a year that a lot of us would rather forget about it. Amidst all this, social media platforms have rapidly evolved. All this is to meet the demands and needs of the users during the pandemic.

You have to remember that social media platforms will always keep their audience/users as their priority. No one could have predicted the surge in social media usage like it happened in 2020. Did you know that the number of social media users increased to 346 million in just a span of 6 months? Yes, that’s what happened last year.

So how will 2021 be? Here are the social media trends in 2021. Also, in the following blog, you will find the social media predictions you need to be prepared for.

Some social media stats to help you prepare for 2021

SL. NO. Social media stats for a better online marketing strategy in 2021
1. 90% of consumers believe brand recommendations from friends.
2. Daily active stories on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp hit 500 million in 2019.
3. Internet video traffic is expected to jump 4X by the end of 2022.
4. Nine out of ten customers suggest that authenticity is the most important factor when choosing which brand to support.
5. 43% of the consumers research online through social media before buying them.
6. The number of mobile messaging app users will reach 3.12 billion by 2023.
7. 70% of consumers believe other consumers’ opinions on social media.
8. 56% of the consumers don’t respect brands that stay silent on major social issues
9. Videos with social stickers have 83% better engagement.
10. Facebook is the most important social media platform with 68% market domination.

What are the 2021 social media trends?

1. Facebook Dominance will Continue

Facebook is a winner in the pandemic! Brands continued to invest in ads and other campaigns even during the pandemic. This is proof that Facebook is one of the best social media platforms for advertising that combine granularity with scale.

It is protected by the bidding model. Thus, it means that as soon as one advertiser drops out, another one will take its spot. Businesses cannot afford to have their place taken by their competitors. This is why businesses return quickly to keep their ads running on Facebook.

According to Sebastian Redenz, “While Facebook was already ascending to dominance before the pandemic, the trend has accelerated this year, which is why I predict that the stock will trade at around the $400 marker in 2021.”

Source – Statista

Facebook Dominance will Continue
Facebook Dominance will Continue

2. More focus on live and long-form videos

With the pandemic, there was an increase in the need to share real-time live videos. Facebook reported that there was a 50% rise in the number of viewers watching live videos. With people returning to their “normal life”, there will be a huge increase in the number of people sharing real-world experience in real-time.

The use of video content is already popular through apps like Tik-Tok and similar other apps. Every day, the users are also becoming comfortable in sharing their thoughts on a video. The duration of content will get longer. This has been anticipated by video sharing platforms. Thus, apps like Tik-Tok are already testing three-minute videos. Other platforms will follow this and a longer form of content will be the norm.

Source – Wyzowl state of video marketing survey

More focus on live and long-form videos
More focus on live and long-form videos

3. Social Media will Become a True Sales Channel

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat videos, and more AR will encourage the customers to shop now. Brands are now establishing a relationship with their customers by sharing, relevant, fun, and also informative content. This will allow e-commerce from social to thrive.

Businesses have to expect to see social media evolve to become a sales channel. Yes, it is true that the growth of social e-commerce was slow. However, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms are using shoppable ads. Thus, marketers have to invest in social channels for getting more and more customers.

“Companies are now waking up to the true opportunity that lies within consumers dwelling in higher volumes than normal on social channels, especially when ecommerce was the only option for driving sales. I’m hoping that we will see in 2021 the acceleration of the smoothening of social commerce. Content and commerce are only going to get closer in the year ahead.” – Sarah Penny, Influencer Intelligence.

Source – Hootsuite’s social trends 2021 survey

Social Media will Become a True Sales Channel
Social Media will Become a True Sales Channel

4. Remixing the User- Generated Content

User-generated content is not new. However, the way user-generated content is being created nowadays is new. Remixing is increasing these days. Using the already existing formats, templates, ideas, and then recreating them according to a user’s personality, is new.

In 2021, you can expect more opportunities for brands for remixing. Brands need to use this opportunity to engage with the new audiences and also create additional content for the brand. With more video content, the urge to remix content is on the rise.

Source

Remixing the User- Generated Content
Remixing the User- Generated Content

5. Social Messaging is on the Rise

The use of social messaging has become greater than social media. Thus, it is going to be fascinating to see what comes next in this space. WhatsApp will get advertising in 2021, just like Facebook. In 2020, we say people connecting with each other on a much more humane level.

In 2021, there will be a continuation of this desire for connecting authentically with a small network of like-minded individuals. More specifically, there will be a rise in voice and face-to-face platforms to facilitate this need.

6. Organic social media relationship funnel

Think about this, who do customers trust the most? With the increasing number of fake news and privacy issues, creating a trustworthy relationship is highly important for businesses. It will be harder for businesses.

Did you know that 75% of people don’t accept advertisements to be true? 63% of social media users feel that consumer ratings are #1. Also, 70% of the consumers believe other consumer’s opinions. To get through this, social media marketers have to invest in building relationships with customers, employees, and influencers.

This is to make sure that the brand messages are backed up with the real customer voices as well. It will also offer more value. Companies cannot look at social media as just a way for promotion. Instead, it is rather a grand arena to engage and collaborate with social media users.

The primary focus should be on clients and influencers. Work with them to incite word of mouth marketing for your brand on social media.

Source – Statista

Organic social media relationship funnel
Organic social media relationship funnel

7. People-first social media

Two-way communication is the way to boost organic posts. It is the best way and probably the only way that works. Why? Social media is all about algorithms. And how do algorithms work? There is no rocket science to it. An algorithm will take your content and present it to the relevant users along with the targeted paid ads. Thus, an online community that can engage with your content with likes, follows, and comments, will help you in amplifying your content.

Therefore, you have created a channel that your new customers will trust. Remember, social media algorithms will always favor people. The idea is to embrace the nano-influencers and above, who already have a liking for you. Include people who like your company. This is a very important part of digital marketing.

8. Use Social Issues in Your Social Content

Whenever there is a political or a social issue, it means increased social media conversation. According to the Social Media Reports from Merkle’s Q4 of 2020, 56% of the consumers have no respect for a company that stays silent on important issues. Thus, now is the time to leverage the social platform to inform and reassure your customers.

In this year, more people will be looking for meaningful content so that they can share them and educate others as well. People will also expect a much more humane approach from the brands. A lot of brands like Nike, Disney, and Ben & Jerry’s have already participated actively on issues like “Black Lives Matter” and also how to sustain business in this pandemic.

This is the time to use your reach and educate your users to spread positive messages. Also, this works as a way to increase more engagement with your audience. Here is an example of how Netflix responded to the issue of Black Lives Matter.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA012Z3nM6n/?utm_source=ig_embed

9. Use Social Commerce to your advantage

87% of shoppers believe that social media has helped them in making a better shopping decision. More than half of the world’s population is on social media. According to the data from the US Department of Commerce, social media’s share in the total of US retail sales have rocketed up in 2020. The best part is, this trend is here to continue.

Social commerce is not a very new concept. However, with Facebook and Instagram shops, Pinterest catalogs along with the increasing shopping behavior in the pandemic, this is the year (2021) when social commerce will flourish. Your target audience is already spending a major chunk of their time on social media. So why not make the most of it?

As a brand, you would always want to convert customers as much as possible. Thus, you don’t have to waste time sending them back to your website. Allow them to buy directly from social media posts/ads. This is why digital marketers have to focus more on social media reach, engagement, and effectiveness.

Source – Statista

Use Social Commerce to your advantage
Use Social Commerce to your advantage

10. The Algorithm Shifts

This is an important aspect of social media trends in 2021. One of the big questions is, how Facebook will address concerns on the feed algorithm. Under the Biden-led US Government, it might take up more action and restrict misinformation and hate speech to avoid increased pressure and also penalties imposed by the government.

Facebook might do this. According to the New York Times report, after the US election, Facebook has added a new News Feed tweak where “authoritative news came up more prominently”. Thus, fringe content or websites will be downgraded.

This looks like Facebook is trying to create a “nicer” news feed. Some argue that this change needs to be permanent. Also, this can lead to a reduced engagement on Facebook but it might also increase the e-commerce activity. Facebook can appease both elements without losing out.

11. Using Instagram stickers for engagement

60% of the businesses these days use interactive elements like stickers in the Instagram stories. They have good reasons for that. It is a great way to boost your engagement. It also helps in generating conversation with the audience. This is not only useful for the photo content but also useful for the videos. According to analytics, videos that have stickers, have better engagement 83% of the time.

Along with the stickers, you can also include locations, mentions, hashtags to increase the reach of the stories. However, this is already known to most social media users. There is a whole range of stickers that have been introduced by Instagram. These include questions & polls, for interacting with your audience. Another new sticker is the “DM me tag”. It opens up a direct conversation with the account when it is clicked.

Source

Using Instagram stickers for engagement
Using Instagram stickers for engagement

12. Text-based posts

By text-based posts, we don’t mean long forms of content for posting on Instagram. What we want to say is, creating text-focused layouts where you engage with the audience, encourage them to comment, share, and like. For instance, you can check out this Australian skincare brand Go-To.

They have created an illustration of the Google search bar. The idea is to urge the audience to ask questions on the topic of “free radicals” in skincare. This is a clever way to not only generate more engagement but also ensures that they are offering their audience actual usable information to the audience.

Source

Text-based posts
Text-based posts

13. Gamified Content

People have more time on social media these days. Now, more than ever, brands have to use creative new ways to entertain their audience. For instance, there is a trend in social media. It is called Gamified Content on Instagram. Whether it is quizzes, bingo, or “choose your own adventure” type posts. These are fun ways to encourage interaction on your posts on social media. The following is an example of the post that we are talking about here.

Source

Gamified Content
Gamified Content

14. The Power of Facebook Groups

Last year, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook will focus on the ‘groups’ in the near future. It is clear from the recent redesign where you can see from the ‘group’ section. As of 2020, more than half of the world is using Facebook. Therefore, more and more startups should use Facebook to set up their private digital ‘community’ for their brand.

Now, the problem is, the Facebook algorithm will make it difficult to get organic content seen. Did you know that only 5.5% of the audience sees your posts on Facebook? Thus, the groups offer a great antidote to this. The groups are a great way for the brands to get their content to more people who ‘actually’ want to see it.

Research shows that people are open to check out content from brands in groups as long as they are adding some value instead of just self-promoting. The more targeted and specific the purpose of the Facebook group is, the more likely it is to get the attention of your audience.

15. Direct Conversations

The focus right now is on making connections by showing genuine care for their problems. Consumers are looking for personal interactions with brands, now more than ever. This is why direct conversations are on the rise. Not only with the DM Me sticker of Instagram, but also the brands are using messaging tools like Telegram and Discord for communicating with their customers.

For instance, the fashion publishing company, Man Repeller, has taken up one step further. They have created their own text messaging service Thoughtline. This is a tool that sends subscribers tips, articles, and networking opportunities from the website through SMS. This is interesting to see that the new trend is allowing the brands to cut through the noise of social media and communicate with customers in a much more personal way.

These are the top 15 social media trends for 2021. In 2021 and the coming years, business brands have to find their place in public dialog on social. Words without actions are meaningless. Therefore, showing commitment will matter more than ever in the coming years. It will be the only way to retain customers and other key stakeholders. This will also help in gaining more customers as well.

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Looking Back to 2020! Our Standpoint, Achievements, and Promise

Well, this can be said beyond any shred of doubt, that the year 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride. Be it an individual, a startup, a small business organization, or a well-established corporation, every one of us had to sail through a wave of sudden changes. It felt like the world had paused its natural course.

However, the one thing that we, as humans have learned is to change and adapt with time. And once again, that’s exactly what we saw throughout this year. This time, evolution happened online. We went through a global digital transformation in a very short span of time. The best part is small businesses and startups got a lot more opportunities online.

With the increasing online activity, it became easier for SMEs to reach out to their audience. Branding became easier because people started recognizing numerous SME’s through social media. Just like a coin comes with two sides, similarly, this global lockdown led to an increase in online activities in one way or the other.

Skyram’s Stand in 2020

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic brought the entire world to a standstill, disrupting numerous businesses in India, we at Skyram Technologies have stayed committed to businesses as usual. Yes, it is true that we had to change our outlook and process almost overnight. That, by itself, was a herculean task. However, we were lucky enough to have the support of our expert team of professionals.

At Skyram Technologies, we believe in teamwork and every individual here is a valued resource. With dedicated and consistent help from our resources, it was possible for us to overcome the challenges. Our team members are our backbone. Their support helped us to stay on track and keep going even during the ongoing disruption to our normal lives. We are proud to say that we were able to offer continued and uninterrupted services to our clients.

Our clients rely on us for delivering consistently on time. Therefore, we consider it our duty and obligation to make sure that we live up to their expectations – even during unsettling times like these. Not only we had to cope with the ongoing pandemic, but in Kolkata, we had to face the wrath of Amphan – the super cyclone. That made us re-evaluate our processes and change our plans once more.

Our Achievements in 2020

Keeping in mind the motto of “the show must go on”, Skyram Technologies has achieved quite a few milestones and accolades this year.

  • To begin with, Skyram Technologies was awarded the prestigious ISO 9001:2015 Compliance Certificate on digital marketing, branding, and IT services after a comprehensive audit by Paramount Quality Services. It is one of the most renowned UK-based firms dealing in various Management & Compliance Certifications.
  • Skyram Technologies ranked 3rd among all the digital marketing companies in Kolkata on Crunchbase. Crunchbase is highly recommended, authentic, and one of the best platforms for finding business information regarding private and public companies. It is a truly proud moment for us.
  • Skyram was rated as the top digital marketing company by GoodFirms. Once again, GoodFirms is a renowned source for finding multiple service providers and companies online. Skyram Technologies is a recommended top digital marketing company from GoodFirms. We also specialize in web design and development.
  • A consistent 5-star rating has been another achievement of Skyram Technologies this year. Our commitment to delivering every single client with utmost dedication has led us to achieve 5-star ratings throughout the year.
  • Skyram Technologies partnered and collaborated with Times Internet, MX Player, Cricbuzz, Gaana, and MagicBricks for direct ad placements. Thus, offering more revenue, exposure, and growth to our clients.

Skyram Technologies – Redefining Success with Humility

In a dominantly digital era, a business is as good as its technology and digital solutions. Skyram Technologies strive to deliver unique and impressive digital solutions to every challenge. Looking back at 2020, we consider ourselves fortunate enough that we got to learn quite a lot from this year.

2020 forced us to think, adapt, evolve, and learn to execute in a different way. In the long run, this situation will open up a lot of opportunities and avenues for us as we broaden our horizons. We are pretty sure that these avenues will help us in creating a more diverse and inclusive work environment.

Also, this year 2020 taught us one more thing. Despite all the efforts and plans, we can never be sure of what’s coming up next. However, what we can promise is, no matter what Skyram Technologies will continue to evolve, adapt, and find better ways to serve all our clients in India and abroad at all times. We look forward to offering the best services in the coming years as well. See you soon in 2021 and in more years to come.

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Examples of Digital Marketing Tactics Used by Education Brands

Right from BYJU’s to Unacademy, India’s online and digital education sector has seen fierce competition. There is no doubt that the opportunity in Indian edtech is massive and the top edtech startups are eyeing the same pie.

In 2023 alone, India’s edtech startups have garnered more than $1.5 billion. This is as much as the startups have raised in the last five years together. India’s edtech startups raised $1.6 billion between 2014 and 2019.

Now, 2023 is almost over and we will be heading into 2024 very soon. At this time, when everything has already gone digital, the best way for any education brand to impress students is to use digital marketing.

The target audience for any education brand is the students, and most of them are teenagers. Thus, to get their attention, education brands have to engage them online.

The prospective student population is already looking online for a lot of educational and training courses. There is no denying the fact that students spend more of their time on the internet, smartphones, and social media.

This is why advertisements and online promotions are so important to get the attention of the students. Also, most of the parents nowadays judge the schools and educational centers based on the website, its online presence, ratings, and reviews.

The internet is ideally the most favored place of this generation, especially for education in 2023-2024. Also, expatriates and outstation students have no other option than depending on the internet for college admissions and education.

That being said, what could be the ideal digital marketing tactics for an education brand, especially in 2023 and 2024? The following section of the blog will give you the details.

SL NO. Digital Marketing Elements Brief Details & Stats of digital marketing in education
1. Visual Content 45% of the marketers are of the opinion that visual content works best as a digital marketing element in the education sector.
2. Podcasting 17% of marketers agree that podcasting is going to be an important element in digital marketing in 2023.
3. Social media marketing 71% of the online customers are interested in buying something if it is referred on social media.
4. Mobile marketing On average, Indian adults spend almost 2 hours 30 minutes on mobile every day.
5. Search engine optimization More than 85% of the consumers refer to Google Search results before choosing an education institution or brand.
6. Email marketing More than 50% of the brands and businesses use different automation tools for brand awareness through email marketing.
7. Video marketing Landing pages with videos increase conversions more than 85%.

What are the best digital marketing tactics of an education brand in 2024?

Just like any other business, education institutions need to market their brands as well. At present, there are a lot of education brands and you have to compete with them to garner more students. Thus, you have to create balanced and effective campaigns that will set you apart from the crowd and for all the right reasons.

The most important aspect of using different digital marketing tactics for educational brands is, to figure out which marketing channel works best for you. There are a lot of digital marketing strategies available for the educational sector. However, not all of them will be suitable for you. DO NOT try to engage in all forms of digital marketing to achieve equal presence across all platforms.

It doesn’t work that way and also it will become more expensive unnecessarily. All the digital marketing activities you engage in should be based on the most effective channels to reach the right target audience, at the right time in the right way.

For instance, you might have a large number of followers on Twitter, but if you gain more engagement on Instagram or through email marketing, then you should focus on Instagram and email marketing.

digital marketing tactics of an education brand in 2021

That being said let us look at the best digital marketing tactics for education brands.

1. Video marketing

A picture is worth a thousand words! Imagine how effective a video can be. Nowadays, people are more likely to watch a short video of 2-3 minutes. If you can create an insightful and engaging video, it is highly likely that your target audience will watch it till the end of it.

Most of the education brands like BYJU’s and Unacademy use video to engage students in academics. Video marketing is the most effective digital marketing strategy for education brands. It is based on the simple fact that humans are visual creatures.

Thus, they absorb visual content more effectively. Also, the young generation watches and learns from a lot of videos on their smartphones. They do it on a daily basis. The best part is, creating a video is not that difficult either. There are a lot of educational elements on which you can create videos and share them.

marketing strategy

92% of marketers say that video marketing is an important part of a marketing strategy.

2. User-generated content

In general, the consumers don’t trust what a business has to say, especially when it comes directly. One way an educational brand can use this is through customer reviews and testimonials. If you can get the present and ex-students to recommend your education brand, a lot more potential students are likely to consider you.

Along with the testimonials, you can also share the user-generated content on social media channels, like Instagram and Facebook stories, posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social platforms as well. This is how an education brand can make the best use of user-generated content.

3. Optimal Use of Social Media

Almost every individual is on social media these days. Thus, education brands need to use Social Media to nab the attention of their audience. An education brand can use social media to offer helpful information regarding their programs, share information about their campus, create polls, Q&As with faculties, organize live sessions, host webinars and do a lot more. You can also create live streams of on-campus events to garner more interest in your school.

Optimal Use of Social Media

4. Influencer Marketing

While using social media marketing strategies, get in touch with social media influencers to promote your services. Social media influencers are the people that have a large number of social media followers. Make sure you get in touch with those influencers that can have an impact on your target audience. They are very much active on different social media platforms. Thus, they can share your content with their followers to increase your brand exposure and awareness.

Influencer Marketing

5. Create a mobile marketing strategy

Mobile, especially smartphones are available for pretty much every student these days. Thus, you have to think about keeping your marketing efforts mobile-friendly. The first thing to do is to make sure you have a mobile-friendly website because most of your target audience will browse the web with their smartphones.

mobile marketing strategy

In terms of internet use and access, mobile users have surpassed the desktop or laptop users a long time ago. Thus, if your site doesn’t support mobile platforms, then you will miss out on a lot of potential students.

6. Use segmented email marketing

When you are using email marketing to garner the attention of your target audience, you will need to convince them to visit your online platform. Thus, you cannot send them some random generic email that you might send everyone. This will not help you.

Instead, focus on customizing the email list according to the trends and preferences. Track your audience when they visit your website. Use that information to personalize emails so that every individual can receive relevant emails.

7. Link Building

Link Building is a useful strategy for education brands. It is an SEO strategy. At present, the quality of web pages is not limited to the content alone. The average time spent on a web page also depends on the backlinks of your website.

If your website doesn’t have any relevant backlinks, then the user will just skim through the website information. They will not want to stay on your website and jump into other sites. However, when you offer a lot of backlinks and offer access to more information, you can increase user engagement.

Thus, it is important to increase backlinks to your website and retain web page visitors.

8. Google Ads

You will be running ads. Thus, consider the platforms which most of your target audience will use. Sort them according to the age group, location, demographics, language, and customize your Search and Display ads accordingly.

It is important to consider the managed Ad placement. This is a process of placing Google Ads on relevant web pages that are related to your program. For instance, if you want to promote the latest online courses, then it is better to place your ads on websites that are related to education or academics.

Therefore, it will increase the number of potential visitors to that course. Also, you can display the ads on the web pages that are dedicated to higher education and career advancement. In this way, the managed ad placement will help in regulating the marketing budget. Also, you can reach your target audience easily.

9. On-page SEO

SEO is one of the most important elements of any successful digital marketing. Thus, you cannot miss out on that. SEO will enhance your brand visibility on the search engines. Consider different tricks like using affluent title tags, correct meta descriptions, optimal keyword density, internal links, refined headers, and more.

10. Garner Media Attention

This is one of the most effective ways to promote your educational brand. To stay on the news, you have to understand the latest developments in the higher education sector. Follow the latest news and act upon it to stay on-trend. For instance, if you follow the latest trends and encourage your faculty to create their opinions in a pitch, it will help in leveraging the faculty expertise and get more attention from the media.

Examples of brands that used digital marketing to grow

1. BYJU’s

When it comes to online education brands, BYJU’s is one of the fastest-growing brands. Initially, BYJU’s started with TV ads and commercials. Their first TV ad aired in 2017 during a match between India and Pakistan. It was a huge hit!

At present, they use both TVC’s and online ads for promoting their education brand. This year, in 2023, to garner more attention, BYJU’s unveiled a brand new series of TVCs, featuring Bollywood actor Sharukh Khan.

In the light of COVID-19, BYJU’s offered the complete app content for free. Also, they included live classes from highly recognized teachers. Here is the series of TVC’s created by BYJU’s to engage their audience in 2023.

i) The best way to learn at home

ii) Understanding the concepts easily from BYJU’s

iii) Learning from movie-like videos from BYJU’s

iv) Visualise and learn with BYJU’s

Thus, it is pretty much evident that BYJU’s invested heavily in TVCs. It is one of the most important ways to garner attention from your target audience. They used the TVCs to post videos on different online platforms and social media platforms. This brings us to video marketing – another impactful element to engage with your target audience.

As an online education brand, BYJU’s used video marketing in the best way possible. One of the interesting things in the video marketing of BYJU’s is, at the end of every video, Sharukh Khan says, “Download the app now”.

This has been consistent with every video from BYJU’s. It helps in generating the leads and the leads are not cold leads because customers are already aware of the company and product. The leads come across the country and they have established sales teams throughout the country.

Another interesting initiative from BYJU’s is they brought up their new online “BYJU’s Classes” to the parents throughout the country. Launched just recently, the TVC focuses on the importance of personalized after-school learning for helping the students in learning from the comfort of their homes.

Other digital marketing strategies from BYJU’s

Apart from video marketing, they also used other ways of digital marketing to grow amidst the COVID-19. Here are the following digital marketing strategies used by BYJU’s.

BYJU’s used Google Ads on branded keywords.

Google ads of Byju

Also, they used Google Display and Shopping Ads.

Byju's learning app images
Byju's counselling session

They used Facebook Ads for booking more online counseling sessions directly from Facebook.

2. Unacademy

Launched in 2015, Unacademy brings expert educators to connect with millions of students for offering quality education online. Started as a YouTube Channel, Unacademy is a very popular online education brand in India.

Coming to the marketing strategies and media mix of Unacademy, the majority of their advertising is spent on Television. Also, the digital and OTT platforms are popular in the metro cities, they use them too as their digital marketing ads.

However, 60% of Unacademy ads are spent on TV because Tier, 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4 cities prefer TV, 15% of the ad spends is towards digital and the remaining is for the Print Media, Cinema, Radio, and OOH platforms.

According to Karan Shroff, the VP Marketing of Unacademy, “I think one of the challenges across the Ed-tech industry would be changing the mindset of moving people to learn online. A larger section of students across the country are hesitant or have an element of fear to clear their doubts. Online education platforms help the student to overcome that fear.“

Digital Marketing strategies used by Unacademy

To continue growing in 2023 amidst the COVID-19 and helping students to educate, Karan Shroff, the VP of Marketing of Unacademy believes that podcasting is the most viable form of digital marketing to engage the audience with maintaining social distancing.

Unacademy partnered with Gaana for their online campaign, “Let’s Crack it with Cyrus Broachha”. This is a series of podcasts for motivating students with Cyrus Broacha and his special guests.

According to Karan Shroff, “Podcasting has found new relevance in the current world and is turning out to be the most viable form of new content that can be created while maintaining social distancing.”

Within the Let’s Crack It initiative, Unacademy also created a Legends on Unacademy campaign. This was an initiative to bring the legends like Bret Lee, Brian Lara, Jonty Rhodes, and Shashi Tharoor, Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma to motivate students, and share life lessons with students on different topics. These topics included fitness (both mental and physical), working under pressure, leading the attack, and moving towards their dreams.

legends on Unacademy

Also, Unacademy offered 20,000 free online classes for students looking for preparation for different exams. The free classes were offered on different examinations like Bank Exams, UPSC, Railway Exams, and more. This was an initiative to motivate the spirit of learners and encourage them to stay determined even during the COVID-19 crisis.

Optimizing digital marketing strategies by Unacademy

Along with bringing a lot of initiatives, Unacademy also focused on mobile marketing. They started as a YouTube channel and created an app when the followers started to increase. They also used their website along with the app. This made it easy for the company to push the subscription-based model to the users of the app.

Also, they created an Unacademy Educator’s app. This app made things easier for educators to record lectures on their phones. Unlike BYJU’s that focused heavily on creating attention capturing content, Unacademy focused on making things easier on the educator’s end.

A lot of contributors and educators are young pass-outs or teachers that have recently completed the exams successfully. This has helped in keeping the cost of content creation low.

Coming to the online ads from Unacademy, they created a short yet very engaging video relating studies with the IPL 2023. The video ad has created a stir and it gained 6.8 million views on Twitter.

Apart from this, Unacademy also continued with the OOH campaigns amidst the COVID-19 crisis. The Bangalore based education portal used highly noticeable print displays in different regions in India.

3.Toppr

Launched in 2013, Toppr is a popular name amongst educational brands in India. Within just one year of its launch, Toppr attained more than 40,000 students with 100% month-over-month growth. Toppr applied different digital marketing tactics.

Considering the Indian edtech startups, Toppr is only behind BYJU’s in monthly traffic. It is valued at $150-200 million after its $35 million funding in December 2018.

Use of digital marketing strategies by Toppr

They used email marketing and SMS marketing to share contextually relevant learning content with their existing users and potential users as well.

They used customer behavior tracking that adds to understand the learning requirements of the users. This also helped them in creating tailored learning content for the users.

With the real-time data, Toppr created content and sent it to the highly targeted audience that would help them in their progress. This helped in their customer retention.

Toppr focused on maintaining massive data points in one place that helped them in managing communication through multiple channels that include email, SMS, in-app notifications and push notifications.

Along with the targeted push and in-app campaigns, they also started the refer and earn campaign that increased the traffic to 35% on web pages. They focused on the design elements of the website to segment the users based on their actions from real-time data.

Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, Toppr announced free access to the live classes and video classes till the school’s resume. This resulted in a 50% growth in subscribers of the Live Classes along with a 30% growth in traffic.

Toppr initiated an “Ask Doubts” module for the students to help them with their doubts in academics.

Topper also rolled out a new campaign called “Better Learning, Better Results”. The campaign emphasized Toppr’s learning methodology in three key areas, the live classes, the adaptive practice, and the ‘ask doubts’ segment. This is aimed at helping students to learn in a better way.

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17 Effective B2B Lead Generation Strategies for The Years 2020-21

If you are looking for B2B lead generation strategies then you are not alone. 61% of the marketers find B2B lead generation to be their number one challenge. The thing about B2B lead generation is it takes time because you have to test different approaches. Only then you can use the ones that work best for you.

One of the common mistakes that everyone makes is they jump right into checking out different lead-gen strategies. Don’t be that guy! Before trying out anything, you have to make sure that the foundations of lead generation are aligned with the sales funnel. In this blog today, we are going to break down the key elements for B2B lead generation.

SL NO. B2B Lead Generation Elements B2B Lead Generation stats
1 Budget 53% of the online marketers spend half of their budget on lead generation.
2 Marketing automation 80% of marketers think that marketing automation gets more leads.
3 Following up If businesses follow-up leads within 5 minutes, the leads are 9X times more likely to convert.
4 Social media 66% of marketers generate leads using social media by spending 6 hours every week.
5 Effective channels LinkedIn is the most effective social media channel for B2B lead generation because 80% of the B2B leads come from LinkedIn.
6 Content marketing Content marketing generates 3X B2B leads compared to outbound marketing.
7 Email marketing 42% of companies consider email marketing to be one of the most valuable weapons of B2B lead generation.
8 Landing pages 68% of the B2B businesses make use of strategic landing pages for getting more leads.
9 SEO 59% of B2B marketers think that SEO has the biggest impact on lead generation.
10 Lead nurturing Companies that nurture their leads, get 50% more sales at 33% reduced cost.

What are the essential elements of successful B2B lead generation?

Here is what you have to keep in mind before you start using the B2B lead generation tactics.

  1. Customer Touchpoints – These are the sections where the customers interact the most with your brand through their journey. You have to figure out the touchpoints and analyze the actions to make their journey more effective. Offer the right information on the right platform at the right time.
  2. Use the customer journey map – The customer journey map is like a visual representation of how your customers are interacting with your brand at different touchpoints. This will help you to figure out what information you can offer to your prospects at the different stages of the buyer journey.
  3. Ideal customer profile and buyer persona – This includes the combination of the type of customers that will fit best for what you are offering and the buyer persona, which involves the description of the individuals who might be involved in the buying process. Defining customer profiles and the buyer personas, you can target the right person from the target companies for high-quality lead generation.
  4. The Lead Generation funnel – The lead generation funnel contains the process of making your prospects know about your brand and also converting them into a lead. With a useful B2B lead generation funnel, you can guide an unknown person towards conversion.

These are the most essential elements of B2B lead generation. Therefore, you have to include them while forming B2B lead generation strategies. Now, we shall move on to how to align B2B lead generation with your sales funnel.

How to align B2B lead generation within your sales funnel?

You have to think about your sales funnel before you start any lead generation activity. This is above all. Because most of the leads are not ready to buy just after they have come to your website. It is crucial for the B2B companies to create a sales funnel at an early stage.

Did you know that 48% of the companies say that they need a long sales cycle before they can start converting the leads into paying customers? This is why instead of focusing on immediate sales, the B2B companies have to be a bit more patient.

We are pretty sure that you have seen multiple sales funnels with the classic structure of “attract-engage-convert”. However, do you know when the lead generation starts within the funnel? Let us show you.

How to align B2B lead generation within your sales funnel?

Attract – When anyone has visited your website, the sales funnel has already started. This is the point when you start building awareness and trust. DO NOT focus on direct sales here because that will drive away your audience.

Engage – This is the second stage where the website visitors convert into leads. Therefore, here is where you apply the lead generation strategies. You have to leverage your marketing research and also find the pain points of the leads.

Convert – This is the bottom of the funnel which is tailored to convert your prospects to buy. This is the time for sales.

What are the most useful channels for B2B Lead Generation (Online & Offline)?

When you are thinking about B2B lead generation, you cannot depend only on online sources. Because in B2B the credibility of the brand and also the people behind it, is very crucial. This is why you have to think about using offline methods as well.

Some of the most common channels of B2B lead generation are as follows:

  • Email marketing
  • Content marketing
  • Live Events
  • PPC
  • SEO
  • Print Media
  • Social Media

What are the most useful channels for B2B Lead Generation (Online & Offline)?
Image Source: Hubspot

Now, which of them are the most effective ones? This will depend on how and where your audience is most active and available. However, if you follow HubSpot Data, the most reliable channels for B2B lead generation are SEO and Email Marketing. With that in mind, let us have a look at the 21 effective B2B Lead Generation Strategies for 2020-21.

21 Effective B2B Lead Generation Strategies for 2020-21

When you have to generate B2B leads, the first thing you have to do is optimize your website.

1. A/B Testing

Here is an example of what you can do to increase B2B sales. WallMonkeys, a decorating and designing company, thought of tweaking their homepage to boost B2B sales. They split tested a new background image and search bar.

A/B Testing
A/B Testing

Image Source: ctfassets.net

The new background image and search bar increased conversions by 550%. Also, they changed their testimonial bar from black to white. They got 34% more signups in the submission forms. Thus, A/B testing can help you to know which sections of your website can be tweaked to increase B2B sales.

A B Testing
Image Source: ctfassets.net

2. Don’t send B2B leads to broken pages

404 pages, broken links, and slow loading speed will sabotage the website’s ability to generate leads. Not only Google will penalize you, but it will also hamper your organic traffic.

The worst case is, all these things will cause your visitors to bounce. The best way is to use tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush that will audit your website and show you the broken links that are causing you leads. The tools will also help you in fixing them.

3. Consider the B2B buyers on mobile

There is no doubt that a younger generation of buyers is entering the workforce. You have to optimize for mobile. Here are a few stats.

  • 80% of the B2B buyers are using mobile everywhere for everything
  • More than 60% of the buyers have reported that mobile plays a very important role in purchases.

B2B marketers also found that optimizing for mobile reduces purchasing time and increases customer loyalty. It hardly takes a few seconds to check your website’s compatibility. Therefore, you should not have any excuse to not have a mobile-friendly site.

4. Run campaigns on competitor keywords

If your competitors are going to certain websites for backlinks or they are targeting a particular group of keywords, this means they have found out the winning keywords that generate leads.

Use SEO tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs to turn this into your favor. Target the same sites and keywords for driving more sales-ready traffic to the site.

However, before you spend your time and money on a certain keyword, you can run a small paid ad campaign to check if it attracts and converts the ideal B2B leads.

5. Use a stronger microcopy to improve your messaging

This is pretty simple. In the following example, you see the brand Veenam, a management and data protection providing company, changed the word “quote” with “pricing”, they got 160% more clicks on their pricing page.

Veenam
Image Source: ctfassets.net

This is how microscopy works. Some words are designed to nudge the B2B leads further. If you want to increase the conversions on your website without making major changes, you can start by adjusting the microcopy on pricing, products, and landing pages.

veeam
Image Source: ctfassets.net

6. Try to observe how your B2B target audience browses your website

There will be some leads that land on your site and go straight to the sales funnel. Others will be slower. They may complete a micro-conversion – like downloading the whitepaper and after a long nurturing process, they become your customers.

It doesn’t matter how “warm” your leads are while arriving at your site. They will all hit some barriers that will hamper the lead generation process. Use heat maps, scroll maps, and mouse tracking tools to fix the barriers and increase B2B sales.

7. Generate quick wins with few tweaks to the landing page

When you have to get more B2B leads, the landing page is the most important section to check. You can get a lot of leads by tweaking the landing page.

  • Back up the copy with social proof
  • Make sure that the call to action (CTA) is more relevant
  • You have to update the headlines to get the attention of the buyers (thus, try to make them engaging and informative).

8. Offer the B2B leads with a friction-less experience

How is that? If you have a look at this article a change in a button that earned $300 million, Jared Spool, the designer, explains that removing a simple step of login got him $15 million. How did he get such a massive result from this small tweak?

According to Spool, when he removed the login request, it reduced friction. This is what made things easier for visitors to buy. The friction is considered as the bumps, barriers, and jarring experiences that any visitor faces on your site.

It can be anything like a broken search button, a clunky menu, or any other image which is so small that no one can see. When you remove these frictions, the website becomes much more lead-friendly.

9. Personalize your website using dynamic web pages

This is no longer an option for you. It is a must. Therefore to personalize the buying experience on the site, you have to use dynamic pages and content. It should adapt to the following:

  • Visitor’s name
  • Their location
  • The industry
  • Their company

This will add an intimate touch to the buyer’s journey and offer a powerful personal experience.

10. You can reach more high-quality leads with content marketing

Buying decisions are taken after multiple reviews and checks these days. on average, a buyer goes through 13 content pieces like the information on a vendor’s website, the analysis reports, reviews, testimonials, and more before buying.

69% of the successful B2B marketers create a documented content strategy for increasing sales. Guest posting is one of the best factors to increase B2B lead generation.

According to Neil Patel, “I’ve tried many different inbound marketing strategies, but guest blogging has remained my most treasured tool. QuickSprout wouldn’t have been as successful as it’s become if I’d neglected guest blogging.”

11. Creating hard-hitting lead magnets

The lead magnets are the bread of your B2B lead generating butter. How? According to Richard Wood, the Marketing Director at Six & Flow,

“A lead magnet is anything that you can offer a prospect that has enough perceived value in exchange for their contact information, like an email address. If you want to create an effective lead magnet, you need to focus on your buyer personas and a specific challenge that they have and that you can address.”

Most of the companies fail to understand the lead magnet thing. Instead of offering a simple blog that is already available, try to create better quality stuff like an in-depth guide, how-tos, and detailed case studies.

12. Upsell on the popular content

Inbound lead generation is not a popularity contest. So you have to take it as a way to get high-quality leads and then turn them into sales.

Therefore, to make sure that the viral content you created doesn’t go to waste, you can offer upgrades on your popular content. This will convert curious visitors into high-quality leads.

Brian Dean is a good example of this. After creating lengthy guides, he will offer a complimentary content upgrade, which can also be a PDF or a checklist version of the post. This helps in getting more leads.

Veenam
Image Source: ctfassets.net

13. Create and publish your original research or case-study

You have to remember that B2B buyers are very serious about their research. Therefore, you have to be the company that they get their research from. This will help you increase the inbound lead generation.

You can interview the subject experts, survey your buyers, and collaborate with industry influencers. This will help you in improving your credibility and get you a lot of leads. Also, you will soon become the go-to source for industry information.

14. Treat every piece of content as a lead-gen campaign

If you check SnackNation’s article on the “employee wellness program”, it is there on the no.1 spot on Google SERP for quite a few years. Their secret is to use long-tail keyword terms that their target audience is bound to use and then create content around it.

Google SERP
Google SERP

So, how to create content that stays? Follow these:

  • Feature more points to outdo your competitors
  • Share details from other authorities in your industry related to the topic
  • Use an aggressive outreach tactic to get more influencers to share your post.

You can also use other means of content marketing like YouTube videos, co-host a webinar, create EBooks, podcasts, and backlinks from sparkling infographics. Content repurposing works for B2B lead gen as well. Use cheat codes like swipeable templates and instantly usable checklists to lure in curious leads.

B2B lead
Image from: ctfassets.net

15. Increase B2B sales with effective email marketing

Did you know that every $1 spent on email marketing, will give you $42 in return? You have to create a strong email marketing strategy. Because it is going to be the backbone of B2B lead generation.

Email Marketing
Image from: ctfassets.net

Unlike any other lead-gen channels, this is the channel that you control on how you want to interact with the leads. Once they subscribe, you will be better prepared to track how the leads respond to the varied forms of sales content.

You can use videos in your emails to boost B2B leads, tweak the CTA’s, follow up with the leads, create engaging subject lines to make a persuasive email copy. Add emojis and gifs to engage with your buyers emotionally.

16. Use social media to generate high-quality B2B leads

Social media is one of the most powerful lead generators out there. A lot of B2B marketers do not take Facebook seriously and therefore it costs them leads. Facebook will offer you a lot of chances to advertise and get high-quality leads with lower costs. In fact, you can turn Facebook to be one of the top-performing paid lead generation channels.

Use LinkedIn as well for B2B lead generation. Yes, it is true that the competition is hard and the price is high compared to other platforms, the best part is, you can hyper-target your audience. If you are going to advertise on LinkedIn, you have to offer a premium B2B product or services, or a unique/high-level education.

17. Reach out to B2B buyers with well-placed ads on niche websites

Most of the authoritative sites will offer you the option to buy media ads like banner ads or you can pay them to get your content in front of the buyers. For instance, consider the authority SEO site SearchEngineJournal. If you are offering SEO services, this is one of the best sites for paid ads because it has got an executive and qualified audience.

SearchEngineJournal
Image from: ctfassets.net

Getting B2B leads and increasing the B2B sales can be a tough job at times. However, it is not at all impossible. In fact, this is just like being a chef in a busy restaurant. You will have a lot of ingredients at hand to make a successful recipe. Similarly, you will have a lot of elements to create a great sales strategy. All you have to do is figure out the “flavor” that works. The trick is to use the right element at the right for the right audience. That’s it!