Thank you all so much for being involved in our online marketing questions and answers session this week.
We hope you have all enjoyed the ease of communication and we hope to be able to continue this on throughout the year to ensure everyone is well informed when making important decisions about their business and of course marketing strategy.
I want to make sure all the questions and answers were available for you to use as reference and I also wanted to elaborate on our answers. The lovely thing about social media is the reach and ease of communication. The not so lovely thing is the lack of space and time you have to answer some of those fantastic, well-credited questions!
Online marketing questions and answers from Instagram
Where am I best to place my marketing budget – Adwords or advertising on social media?
This would depend on your business model. Broadly speaking, Google Ads (as it is now known) works best for B2B and social media advertising is good for B2C. However, marketing works best when you use multiple platforms at the same time to gain exposure as well as sales.
What does B2B mean?
B2B stands for business-to-business. This process involves manufacturer and wholesaler, or a wholesaler and a retailer.
What does B2C mean?
B2C stands for Business-to-Customer. This process involves companies that sell a service or product directly to a consumer.
Many people over lockdown have created new micro-businesses to help keep the money coming in. Many of these businesses revolve around the craft world. Maybe making hair and skin products or cakes and confectionery. These companies are perfectly suited to B2C marketing. However, never assume that because your business is small and has limited resources that you also cannot pitch to bigger retail companies.
Blooming Business example
One of our clients who manufacture natural hair recovery products, in their kitchen at home, sustained a comfortable turnover selling direct to the customer using social media.
After some time they made a small investment in B2B advertising using Adwords. From this, they gained one large client who placed an ongoing order which doubled her turnover for the year.
Never assume because you are a small business the big companies will not be interested. Big companies, in general, are made up of many smaller companies supplying their goods.
Why is my website not showing on Google?
This is an age-old question and most people assume that they are not showing because they do not spend any money through Adwords. However, this is not the case.
First of all, yes, you can pay to appear at the top of Google. The companies that do pay normally appear with an Ad box just to the left of the page title. This doesn’t validate the website and although it is a good way to pitch your business quickly, the right way to do it is to earn your position.
This involves working on your SEO and building your website so it has many healthy and relevant pages.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. Basically, Google is judging your website and ranking it. Your position on Google is based on –
- Security of your website
- Speed of your website
- Mobile optimisation
- The authority which includes age (don’t let this deter you, everyone has to start somewhere)
- Optimisation which includes technical SEO
- Links (especially inbound)
- User experience (how easy it is to navigate)
- Traffic and where that traffic arrives from i.e Social media, organic, paid etc.
I need a website but don’t know where to start.
You are always best starting with your research. Don’t jump headfirst into FREE and CHEAP website builders. You will find yourself frustrated and not quite getting what you wanted.
Companies like ourselves don’t just supply websites but also do all of the keyword research, strategy building and work alongside you to get you just what you are looking for.
If in doubt ask! We don’t bite and are also happy to answer your questions.
Can I build my own website?
Given all the above you probably are a little deterred from building your own as there is so much involved if you want a long-standing, healthy website.
You can build your own website BUT it is always worth investing in having one professionally built for you.
Most of the start-ups that approach us have spent time and money building their website and it is either not working out for them or they need something more substantial.
Be warned – Free and cheap website builders are fantastic up until you need that little bit more and then they will charge you.
We are not saying don’t give it a try but always do your research!
How much do Google Ads / Adwords cost to run?
Adwords costs whatever budget you assign to it based on your marketing strategy.
It is a minimum of £5 per day and there is no maximum! Most agencies like ourselves also charge a management fee.
Never try managing it yourself! It always ends up costly and mistakes are made.
Here at Spiders and Milk, we have Matt who is a Google certified, AdWords accredited specialist! If you just need to talk more about Adwords then get in touch with him direct – matt@spidersandmilk.com – He will be able to help you with all your Adwords needs.
How many times should I be posting on my Instagram business page?
At least once per day but no more than three times a day.
Not enough posts and you will be drowned out on personal news feeds and not get the coverage you desire. Too many times and people will become tired of your posts and eventually unfollow you.
Also keep the posts informative, inspiring and eye-catching!
How does Google Ads work?
Google Ads appear based on an auction that runs every time a search is entered into Google. The highest bidder doesn’t win though!
Confusing right!
Again, we go back to the questions above What is SEO. This time, not only is your bid considered, but also the quality of the landing page (that’s the page the customer will land on when clicking the Ad).
I guess the easiest way of explaining is –
You are selling coconut body wash so you put in a £5.00 bid for the keywords – Coconut body wash.
But so does 20 other coconut body wash sellers. They also place a £5 bid.
Joe blogs comes along on his laptop and types Coconut body wash into Google.
The person with the most relevant Ad and the best landing page wins the auction and their Ad will appear on Joe Blogs laptop at the top.
By the way, if Joe doesn’t click your Ad, you don’t pay!
So the key is to make sure you have a very good set of Ads and a good website!
As stated above, Adwords is one of those programs that, if you are not an expert, you will lose money. Always leave it to professionals and if you are still unsure, simply get in touch!
So, for now, I will end the Q&A but remember, we don’t bite, if you need advice check us out on social media. We will continue to do Q&As sporadically but you can always drop us an email or DM us on SM.
