Have you got a small business to uplift into the clouds this year? You want to get to work on the things that matter, that are going to take your little business to the next level, and net you a pretty good profit at the same time. And that means setting yourself some goals!
But to set a realistic and smart goal, you’re going to need to temper your expectations and think about what you’re really capable of. That’s why goal setting is so detail oriented, and honestly, it shouldn’t be something you can do in five minutes.
And we want to throw an idea in the ring here for you. If you want to improve your business and start seeing the results you’ve always dreamed of, focus on your online strategy. Really, this is the perfect time to set some goals that’ll make your website one of the best in your niche.
In doing so, you’re much more likely to increase your organic traffic, get more social media followers, and start seeing a return on the investment you put into things like SEO and PPC. And if that sounds like a good thing to you, here are some goal ideas to think about that could help you set your sights on greater digital success.
Get More Reviews
Reviews are a powerhouse in the digital landscape. When a business has a load of good reviews to showcase, people will take much more notice of them. When these reviews are hosted independently, away from the business’ website or online presence, they’re even more impactful.
That’s why Google profiles for businesses are such great things. Not only can you highlight all of the important information about your business – including how to contact you and the services/products you provide – but independent reviews from real customers are collected all in the same place too.
This means a potential customer just has to take one look at this profile and they’ll be able to see the type of company you really are. That’s why we recommend one of your digital strategy goals to be along these lines. The more good reviews you have on Google, the more trustworthy you’ll appear, and the higher you’ll rank as well.
Build a Mailing List
Mailing lists are great for streamlining customer engagement. If someone signs up to your mailing list, it means they want to know more about what you offer. They’re so interested, in fact, that they want regular insights, offers, and exclusives sent right into their inbox!
You’ll have to ensure that the quality of your newsletter remains high, but focusing on getting more signs up isn’t a bad goal. These could help bridge the gap between your traffic and your access to your traffic.
Really, email marketing can bring both new and old customers into the fold. The more unique visitors who share their emails with you, the more actionable, easy to follow leads you’ll have to work with.
Start a Blog
It’s quite the revelation, but at least 10-20% of businesses with an online platform still don’t have a blog. If you’re one of these businesses, you should get one up and running as soon as you can!
After all, a blog increases your website’s number of indexed pages by over 400%. That means you’re 4x as likely to rank on the first page of the search engine results. That’s some incredible marketing power that’s rare to see anywhere else.
If the reason you haven’t created one yet is all because you’re not sure what to talk about on your blog, it’s best to think about your business as a whole. What do you do? What do you want your customers to know? And how do you want to help them outside of administering customer service?
Thinking over these questions, as well as the various FAQs you’ve probably already gotten from your customer base, will help you to come up with some content ideas to get started with.
Once you’ve built your confidence, you won’t find it too hard to come up with more creative and valuable post ideas in the months to come.
Refine the User Experience
Is your website set up for the user? Or have you incorporated a design template that doesn’t take this into account as a top priority? If that’s the case, this is one of the best and most immediate goals to focus on for your digital marketing.
When a website is easy to use, in that it’s easy to navigate, you never lose your place, and the format makes reading the content simple, people are going to have a better time using it. When user experience is high, your website’s rank may just start to move upwards as well.
After all, seeing as your site’s structure and set up makes sense, your SEO usage on this technical side is going to mean more as well.
Diversify Your Content
Not only does this make your content more interesting and enjoyable, it also ensures there’s more of it and that there’s something accessible for everyone.
The easier it is to share content, the more a search engine and social media will like that content. That’s why many companies are currently undertaking video marketing development. Follow this principle for your own digital marketing.
Recognize the Red Flags
Ever felt that rush of excitement when you read about a “new” marketing hack that promises instant success? Ten minutes later, you’re frantically watching a webinar with some smiling guru who claims to have cracked the code to going viral. Spoiler alert: if it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably just another fluff piece. Stick to proven fundamentals, like building genuine relationships, creating quality content, and actually understanding what your customers want. Don’t chase every shiny object that pops up on your feed—or you’ll spend more time pivoting than actually executing.
Focus on the Right Channels
Yes, it’s tempting to be everywhere at once—Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, maybe even that newfangled platform your teenage cousin’s friends rave about. But if your audience only hangs out on, say, Twitter and YouTube, then why are you pouring hours into a Snapchat strategy? Not every platform is a match for your brand or your customers. Figure out where your people actually spend time, and then invest your efforts accordingly. Your mental health (and your to-do list) will thank you.
Start with Solid Research
Before you begin drafting marketing material that’ll “change the world,” spend some quality time gathering data. And no, you don’t need to become a data scientist. It’s enough to look into what’s already out there—customer demographics, competitor strategies, and popular search terms in your industry. While you’re at it, you might want to use a keyword research tool to see which topics people are obsessively Googling at 3 a.m. This small step ensures you’re actually creating and promoting content people care about, rather than dropping random hashtags and hoping for the best.
Craft Engaging, Useful Content
Look, we live in a world where everyone is bombarded by ads, notifications, and bizarre cat memes (hey, we’re not complaining about the cats). If you want to grab someone’s attention for more than two seconds, you need to serve up something valuable and fresh. Maybe it’s an in-depth blog post that actually helps them solve a problem, or a short, snappy video that makes them laugh while learning something new. Boring, jargon-filled fluff? That goes straight to the recycling bin, never to be seen again.
Measure, Tweak, and Measure Again
If you’re not tracking your marketing efforts, how on earth do you know what’s working? Keep an eye on metrics that actually matter—think conversions, sign-ups, or downloads. If a particular tactic is hitting homeruns, give it a bit more love. If it’s striking out, it might be time to change things up. Don’t cling to a failing approach just because you’ve already sunk time or money into it. Treat marketing like a science experiment—test hypotheses, learn from the data, and iterate.
Stop chasing fads, and start actually being successful! This could be the best year yet for your website! If you want to become one of the most user friendly websites on all of the internet, set goals in areas like these. Remember, digital marketing efforts are best used in tandem with one another, so try to target more than one area at once. And finally, never forget the power of good content no matter what platform you make it on!