Web design and online marketing Surrey based Thunderbolt Digital, specialise in online marketing, web design and development, social media management and more to help local SMEs reach their goals and increase their positive online exposure. With the New Year having just passed, many of us will have set personal resolutions for ourselves, but have you ever thought about setting some for your business? We certainly have, and have done all the hard work for you by thinking up a few for you to try to stick to yourself! Read on to find a small selection of 2016’s online marketing dos and don’ts from us here at Thunderbolt Digital!

Pick Your Battles

And, just to be clear, by ‘battles’ we mean trends or hashtags! Jumping on a bandwagon and making an update about a trending topic can sometimes be too much temptation to resist – all those potential people searching that hashtag just waiting to see your post and make it go viral! However, that doesn’t happen as often as you think (especially to companies – think how many businesses put out social media updates versus how many go viral), and some users can label your brand as ‘desperate’ or ‘out of touch’ if you make a wrong move with your update, especially if it’s a topic you don’t fully understand. Companies using celebrity births are often viewed as riding tailcoats, and paying your respects over the loss of important figures should be done with care and not seen as an opportunity to capitalise.

Create Relevant and Engaging Content

This one speaks for itself – your audience is more likely to pay attention or even share your content if it’s relevant to them, and if it actually attempts to connect with them, whether by creating an emotional response (for example, through humour), attempting to engage the audience in a discussion by asking their opinion, or something else entirely. Remember, a call to action doesn’t always have to be someone instantly shelling out for your product or service! Leaving a lasting impression and building brand loyalty are important too; repeat custom and word of mouth reviews are always better than a single purchase, after all!

Don’t Neglect Video

Many people are either unaware that Youtube has more users than Facebook and Twitter combined or just forget – and that is a massive mistake! There’s a reason why Youtube is just so popular, and that’s because people absolutely love videos! Social media updates are always shared more if they include a picture because at heart we’re all super visual creatures – and if you add some music or funny sound effects to pictures that are – gasp – moving then engagement and share factor will be increased. make sure to not create videos that are too long, though, as in today’s fast-paced scrolling world, audiences often forgo watching videos over a minute long (unless they feel guaranteed of some sort of pay off), as can be seen by Vine’s huge success, especially amongst millennials. In fact, Vine is thought to be one of the untapped social media channels that could prove to be very profitable to the right businesses… providing they’re able to use it properly!

From all of us here at Thunderbolt Digital, a leading online marketing Surrey provider of SEO, social media marketing and web design, happy new year and good luck trying to implement the above tactics in the upcoming year! If your website or online social presence could do with a new-year facelift, then why not talk to us to see what we can do for you! Call us today at 01252 413757 or email howdy@wearethunderbolt.com, and together we can make 2016 your business’ best year yet!