Throughout the pandemic, demand for digital marketing has grown exponentially. The Australian market alone grew by 24% year on year, reaching $11.4 billion in June 2021.
Australia had 22.3 million internet users (88 per cent of the population) in January 2022, with an average daily usage time of three hours. This is expected to reach 90% by 2025. The country also has 16 million active Facebook users, and 59 per cent of Aussies say social media is the first thing they look at in the morning, according to Statista.
In today’s world, digital marketing is a critical asset for business growth, and having an online presence is more important than ever. In March Rocket, has officially signed with Taurus to alert the market about the dramatic growth in demand for digital marketing post-pandemic and the agency’s strategic expansion plans.
Dynamic Business spoke with Rocket Co-founder and Director James Lawrence about the significance of digital marketing and strategies in 2022.
If you had to pick one digital marketing strategy that B2B SMEs should implement, which would be? And why?
“There is no magic silver bullet to B2B digital marketing like all marketing efforts. We always recommend adopting a multi-channel approach, but if we had to pick one strategy for B2Bs, our heads turn first to LinkedIn marketing.
“With more than 12 million members in Australia as of 2021, it’s safe to say it’s an effective platform for reaching decision-making professionals. The platform is relatively up-to-date and allows you to build audiences that stretch beyond geography and job title.
LinkedIn is also practical because it provides the option to run small budget campaigns where you can reach your perfect audience while being highly targeted. The current minimum spending on LinkedIn Ads is $10 US per day.
Here are a couple of LinkedIn marketing hacks B2B SMEs should incorporate into their digital marketing strategy:
- Don’t sell on LinkedIn – No one wants the first interaction with a stranger on LinkedIn to be a sales conversation. Rather, use LinkedIn ads as top of funnel campaigns aimed at lead generation, brand awareness and establishing authority as an expert in solving your target customer’s core problem.
- Personalise Sponsored Messaging (Previously: InMails) – Send InMails from a team member of your business rather than from the company profile. A profile photo of your business versus a profile picture of an employee makes the outreach less ‘cold.’
- Build on Messaging with Sponsored Content and Dynamic Ads – To maximise the impact of your InMails, we always recommend running Sponsored Ads and Dynamic Ads parallel to your InMail campaign. The creative, copy and CTA should be aligned with the InMail, so you’re hitting the same audience with the same message in multiple formats.
- Set up remarketing campaigns – LinkedIn Ads allows you to set up remarketing campaigns to a remarketing email list or to users that land on your website. Since users typically use LinkedIn when they are in ‘business mode’ vs when they use Facebook or Instagram, this provides a great opportunity to get more eyes on your brand and value proposition.
Can you talk about an SME client who used this strategy effectively?
“Our client, The Executive Connection (TEC), a world-class community of business leaders and decision-makers, recently utilised LinkedIn for lead generation. The mission was to improve the performance of their paid social ads.
“We achieved this by conducting a detailed audit of their LinkedIn campaigns, including campaign structures, targeting, copy and tracking setup. We then refined their audience targeting and copy with more emotive messaging. The strategy resulted in a 63% increase in leads from LinkedIn and a 42% decrease in their CPA.”
What digital marketing trends will impact SMEs most in the next year?
“Here are a few key digital marketing opportunities that SMEs should leverage in 2022 to help grow their business, keep their audiences engaged and increase traffic towards their online channels.
- Invest in an affordable CRM such as ActiveCampaign or even the free version of HubSpot
- Consider video marketing – it’s possible to produce cost-effective, engaging videos in-house.
- Consider using your videos as YouTube ads to reach your ideal audience
- Personalisation is key in email marketing – send personalised emails to your database
- Ensure your website has a mobile responsive design.”
What is the biggest mistake SMEs make when it comes to digital marketing?
“The biggest mistake SMEs can make regarding digital marketing is getting the message wrong. No matter what channel you choose, if your messaging is wrong to the target audience, your campaign will not work.
“Another mistake that is commonly made is not setting realistic goals and KPIs and instead of improvising on the go. All your digital marketing campaigns lack focus when you don’t have clearly defined goals.”
What are the pros and cons of getting external help with digital marketing rather than doing it in-house?
“Outsourcing digital marketing efforts helps you save on costs such as a salary for a full-time employee. Furthermore, by engaging an agency, SMEs will be provided access to multiple services and a wealth of expertise.
“However, the downside to outsourcing is that agencies have multiple clients, so you won’t have the luxury of rearranging their priorities like you could a full-time employee.”
Contact Rocket Agency for a custom digital marketing strategy for your company to drive traffic, conversions and revenue.
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