Develop a digital marketing plan

A website provides an ongoing point of contact with customers and can be a useful way of collecting information for digital marketing purposes and for building successful relationships with them.

Provide engaging content

Make the information that you provide about you and your business as engaging as possible. Think about what you can add to your website that will benefit your customers and add value, eg online discount codes.

Blogs and social media can be another way of providing more engaging content for your customers encouraging them to come back. Consider creating content that your users will find entertaining, interesting or useful. For example, a food provider could publish recipes that use their products.

See content marketing.

Answering frequently asked questions

Answering the frequently asked questions customers ask on your website and social media demonstrates you're ready to help and may reduce the number of phone queries.

Provide an email facility for queries and customer feedback - but ensure someone checks them regularly. Respond to queries promptly and let people know their comments are appreciated.

Asking visitors to register

Many businesses ask visitors to their site to register. This can be useful for gathering statistics and email addresses for direct mailings.

But asking people to register straight away may put them off. Most people will not sign up unless there is an incentive for doing so, such as a special offer or access to further information that is not available to non-subscribers.  Ask for the minimum details possible. There are some legal considerations if you intend to collect personal data.

Customer relationship management

Many businesses invest in a customer relationship management (CRM) system to improve their customer services. The CRM system brings information like customer data, sales patterns, marketing data and future trends together to identify new sales opportunities, deliver improved customer service, or offer personalised services and deals. If your website uses a content management system it may be possible to integrate it with your CRM - to provide more targeted marketing to your customers online. 

A CRM system is also a very effective way of handling customer complaints. A well-managed CRM system can have a tremendous effect on your reputation if managed well.