Digital Marketing Goals for 2022

As we all know goals are important. At the start of the year, they seem to be front and center. Digital Marketing for your business is no different. There is no time like the present to get started with it.
Two Sides of the Content Coin
Content discussions have been going on since the start of SEO and internet marketing. Despite the topic sounding the same the reality is that the end user has become more demanding in what they want.  In the past we have said we need to put-up high-quality content, but we never really say why or what the benefits are from doing so other than maybe getting a higher Google ranking. Despite that being true, there are really two sides to this and as we walk into the new year that need become more defined.

So for many years we have talked about adding content in the form of evergreen pages and blog pages to help feed Google. We are very deliberate in word count and in technical structure, but do we stop to consider the user. In years page, no they were just a piece of bait out on the internet waiting for a client to come a long, click through and realize how great we are. Those days are gone.

Now we may put out a page of content, and we need to put the end user first. Google of course is still in the equation and structurally we do want to include certain items. However, the page now must be written from a more informational or educational standpoint. We need to demonstrate we are experts, a core theme we stress here at Vertical Web.

So my challenge and goals for website owners and marketers are to write solid content for their users. Make sure its engaging and creates interest in what you do, but do not be pushing the ‘sale.’ There are ways to do that gracefully and usually if you can master that you have a far higher success rate in our present climate.

Once you write out that content or those evergreen parts of your website then go back and fix it for Google, but in reality if you do that correctly, you are also fixing it for your end user
Avoid Missing the Mark
I often see website designers that miss the mark in being clear for their end users. It is always a good idea to create a clean website with a lot of white space and keeping is simple. But there is a thing as being too simple. Often to be creative with language, it often does not send a clear message back to others about what a website is about. If the website is unclear so will the ROI. End users are looking for information. They are picky in how they interact with the content. Adding confusion to the top of this will only diminish the value of what you do.

In the same vein it is equally as important to make sure you are also using the right images to convey your messaging. Its again a common mistake we see, but images need to be aligned with the subject matter.

Case in point, I am in the process of building our new verticalweb.com website and in that process I had gotten some outside brand opinion on positioning. And their comments were that we are a different type of company and then proceeded to suggest using abstract images for the home page. The problem is that the public has a certain expectation so putting a picture of paper ships in a bathtub does not convey we stand out in the crowd. There are so many jokes there. But the point of the matter is standing out in a crowd sometimes means you have to understand your audience and use images that work for them.
Understanding  and Educate Potential Clients
Educating potential clients is always a solid way to earn trust and create leads. However, its one of those things small business owners often miss the mark on.  Very often they want to tell people what they have to offer rather than listening to them and seeing what they need or how you can make their solution fit.  Listening is one of the best ways to understand our clients. And best of all they often give you the content to your website on a silver platter.