Hack. Marketer’s keep using that word but I'm not sure it means what they think it means.
But that’s the nature of the English language, I guess. Everything gets hijacked.
Despite my beef with using the word “hack” to describe real marketing strategies, let’s start off by agreeing that no one is “hacking” anything here. But… if you want some good ideas that will help you jump start your digital marketing, that give you an edge, you’ve come to the right place.
I’ve outlined 20 of the best digital marketing hacks strategies that you may not be doing. And it’s likely costing you dearly.
- Broad SEF sweep – Before worrying if your site is search engine optimized, first check to see if it’s search engine friendly. This can cover a lot of technical ground, so a first place to start on this is to make sure all your titles, meta descriptions, and headings are in place, unique, and relevant to the content of the page. These won’t create instant success–especially if you have other issues, but it does give Google some meat to grab onto.
- PPC – Want to get near-instant data on keyword search volume, the viability of certain keywords for your SEO strategy or the value of your onsite experience? PPC, pay-per-click advertising, can give you that info for a relatively low cost. You’ll have to spend a little money, but the data you get will be worth it. Still not sold? Take a look at the key benefits of digital advertising for your business.
- Give away free content – Free content is a great way to showcase your expertise, skill, experience, and know-how. It’s not about engaging in self-promotion, but about providing the solutions your audience seeks and becoming a thought leader in your industry. When you give away content, always be aware that you should also be asking something in return. This is where calls-to-action and gated content can provide just the right push to get your visitors closer to being customers.
- Reward brand sharing – If people are sharing, discussing or talking about your brand, be sure to reward them. At the very least, acknowledge it. That can be enough. But you can also do fun things such as contests, random giveaways, and other interactive things that let your fans know you care.
- Hire a customer – Okay, so you don’t actually have to hire a customer, but you can use customer data to improve your website. Whether it’s by reviewing your analytics regularly, performing multivariate testing or, yes, real-user testing, your customers can provide a wealth of data that will help you better serve them in the future.
- Audit your website – Auditing your website can give you a fantastic jump-off point for solving a lot of problems. In fact, this can be a great shortcut to getting as much information as possible so you can then dole out the fixes to whoever is right for the job.
- Make every page a landing page – I have a rule: Every page on a website needs to have a purpose. And then it must fulfill that purpose. Ask yourself, what do you want visitors to do after landing on that page? Then make sure the messaging and the calls-to-action all support that specific goal.
- Evergreen content – In addition to your regular blog and content creation, take the time to write something that is likely to withstand the test of time. Current facts and information are great, but a good piece of evergreen content can generate traffic–and leads–for years.
- Repurpose content – Never, ever let your website content be wasted on a single audience. You took all that time to create something of value, right? Well, why not share it with someone else? Figure out how to re-use existing content in other formats and for new audiences. Get the most value out of it that you can.
- Remarketing – A subset of PPC, remarketing allows you to get the most out of every visitor. Once a visitor walks away from your site, you can gently remind them to return. It’s often far more cost effective than PPC alone and lets you tap into people who are already familiar with your brand.
- Make a ruckus – Did you do anything worth mentioning? To anyone? Then make a big deal about it. No, I don’t mean write a press release, but there is no reason not to toot your own horn a bit and give people a reason to come check out your awesomeness.
- Write for your competition – A lot of industries don’t mind a little competition and are even willing to provide a space for other experts to share their thoughts and opinions. If you can write for a competitor’s blog, you can get yourself in front of an entirely new audience that you may not otherwise have had access to. No matter how you look at it, that’s a win!
- Engage on social media – Your customers are using social media. Why not reach out to them and make friends? Can’t hurt.
- Curate content – Having a good content strategy doesn’t mean you have to produce all the content yourself. Curate content from other sources to share with your audience. It’s a great way to showcase your knowledge… even if it is just knowledge of where the best knowledge is.
- Answer questions – It’s time to think beyond your FAQ pages when it comes to answering questions your audience is asking. Not only are people asking questions on places like Quora and Clarity, among other places, but you can answer questions anywhere on your website that is relevant. Think of two or three questions that can be answered on any given page of your site, and add it to the content.
- Socialize your culture – I firmly believe that social media is an engagement platform rather than a publishing platform, but sometimes that engagement starts with a good post about yourself. Take some time to share more about your team and culture on social media. Not all at once; spread it out. Let people see the real you!
- Build UGC – Look for opportunities to build user-generated content (UGC) on your site. This can often work in conjunction with contests as well as encouraging people to guest post on your site–provided they have the expertise to back it up. Again, don’t try to do everything yourself. Recruit help from your audience.
- Keyword research – Get the most out of your keyword research by using it to dig into what your target audience is looking for. This can also be a great way to do research for products that your audience wants but that you don’t yet offer. Don’t let this wealth of information go to waste.
- Improve user experience – Instead of always trying to grow traffic to your site, spend some time working out ways to convert more of the traffic you already have. A small percentage growth in conversions can often equal a large percentage of traffic increase. And it’s often cheaper.
- Make your website algorithm proof – Stop focusing on search engie algorithms and you’ll suddenly find yourself completely immune to them. Granted, that’s not entirely true, but it is mostly. The more you focus on the user the better you will do across all platforms. When you focus on the search engines, you may win for a while, but soon enough things change and you’re playing catch up all over again. Get ahead by focusing on the user and your website will be rewarded.
