Social success

At RIBA Guerrilla Tactics 2020, Susie Lober, of Lo Marketing, and Ayo Abbas, of Abbas Marketing, gave an introduction to digital marketing tactics

WORDS SUSIE LOBER, LO MARKETING

Digital marketing is the use of the internet – including websites, social media, search engines, email campaigns and online advertising – to reach customers.

Before choosing the right digital tactics, you need a plan of who you want to speak to and what you want to say. If, for example, you want to attract residential extensions, your strategy will be different from a practice focused on school buildings, not just in terms of placement, but in terms of tone of voice and message.

Digital marketing can be overwhelming, so here are 10 tips to get you started.

#Tip1 – You don’t have to do everything

Choose what works for you. Pick one channel and get that right first. Dedicate the time you can afford – for example, an hour a day, a day a month. Make use of scheduling tools. Make a plan for what you want to get out of digital and understand why you are there. It’s easy to fall in the digital black hole of scroll.

#Tip2 – Get your website working

It all starts with your website. If you get work through referrals, the first thing anyone will do is look you up online. You have eight to 15 seconds to make a first impression. Revisit your website from your customers’ perspective. What do you want them to do? Create one clear call to action – for example, call me.

#Tip3 – Search engine marketing

This is how people find your website. It can be complex, but everyone can make an impact. Google promotes sites that are useful and easy to use, and penalises sites with poor page-loading speeds or out-of-date security certificates; both are easy to check.

#Tip4 – Use a rich mix of content

Use sketches, details, site visits, CPD and new materials, not just completed project photos. Don’t be afraid to show some personality.

#Tip5 – Use video

Video is a great way to show off your projects and who you are as a firm. It helps build trust, and the algorithms love it!

#Tip6 – Don’t stress about algorithms

Algorithms are constantly changing. Create good content. Be consistent. Be useful. Quality is better than quantity; 100 engaged followers are more useful than 1,000 ambivalent ones.

#Tip7 – Don’t ignore paid

It’s not as easy as it once was to build an audience online. It’s worth seriously considering paid content. It doesn’t need to be expensive.

#Tip8 – Own your data

Thousands of followers on LinkedIn are great, but if it is shut down overnight, you’ve lost your contact list. Work on ways to build relationships offline.

#Tip9 – Repurpose content

People are busy, so you cannot assume they’ve seen your social posts. Use a mix of evergreen and topical content. Update high-performing content and re-use.

#Tip10 – Measure what you do

What gets measured gets done. The best thing about digital marketing is it’s accountable. Use free tools such as Twitter Insights and Google Analytics. Regularly measure what you do and you can be confident in what works and what doesn’t. Remember, stick at it. Marketing is a marathon not a sprint.

A list of free digital marketing tools included in the Guerrilla Tactics talk can be downloaded at lomarketing.co.uk