Interested in using a WordPress site for effectively marketing your business?
You’ve made a smart choice!
WordPress is easy to use and one of the best vehicles available for creating a professional website. It’s free to start-up, and you can use the more advanced features to articulate your site as you grow your business. A well-designed and executed site will get you on the map and closer to your customer base.
Here are a few simple tips and strategies for marketing using WordPress.
WordPress Background
A little background on WordPress’s origins can help new users to understand its potential. In 2005, WordPress was introduced as a platform for blogging and was considered a content management system (CMS).
The way it is used has changed considerably since then. It is now running 1 in 6 websites across the Internet – almost 60 million in 2012!
Since then, it has profoundly changed the way businesses market themselves online and is the easiest way to set up a website and host your domain name.
How WordPress Can Get People In the Door
When it comes to creating your site, it’s essential to establish marketing goals and know how to establish web traffic. Are you interested in creating a monthly newsletter to communicate your products or services? Do you plan on writing informative articles that showcase your business offerings or advertise an event?
Let’s say you’re a restaurant owner and want to attract 20-somethings to enjoy a new indie band you recently booked. Imagine the group will be playing on Tuesday nights and you want to market the event to increase your sales. You may write an article introducing the band, create a special menu for the event, and offer an online coupon for $5 off their meal. There are many creative ways to engage your online customers and keep them coming back.
Choosing a Professional Theme
WordPress makes it easy for you to express your business’s unique look through a variety of WordPress themes. This is an important marketing step and is crucial to creating a professional, targeted online presence. Finding one to fit your business concept can take a little time to research, but is worth the effort.
Analyzing how other businesses are showcasing themselves using WordPress themes is a great start. Review some collections of the best WordPress themes and best responsive themes to get an idea of what is out there.
Optimize Usability
You should consider the usability of your WordPress website on mobile devices from the get-go; establishing your business’s presence through a mobile platform is no longer optional. Before you make a final decision on a design, create a test page with your chosen WordPress theme and try it on a variety of devices. Go down to an electronics retail store and see how your website looks on a tablet, an e-reader, and several phones and laptops.
This user checklist will help you evaluate the results. Additionally, WordPress is set up well for search-engine optimisation (SEO). That is, it allows effective online search results as users enter keywords. This makes it easier for them to find your business.
Social Media Networking
Another powerful way to attract online traffic is to diversify your marketing across the social media network. Use WordPress widgets and other apps to link to various social media sources. This will further increase your marketing potential. You should also consider adding a subscription widget which allows customers to subscribe to your website.
If you’re serious about marketing your business through WordPress, study the ways similar businesses are selling themselves online, showcase your products and services with professional photos and graphics, and, perhaps most importantly, create quality content that serves your customer base.
The richer and more distinct your content, the more easily your customers can find you in keyword searches, and regardless of your specific marketing goals, consistent, quality content will always serve as an excellent representation of your brand.
Sources:
Content Management System – http://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2012/09/05/the-internets-mother-tongue/
Host your domain name – http://www.ccmarketingonline.com/demystifying-domain-names-and-web-hosting/
WordPress themes – http://codex.wordpress.org/Theme_Development#Theme_Templates
Best WP Themes – http://www.100wpthemes.com/
Best responsive themes – http://www.tripwiremagazine.com/2013/06/business-WordPress-themes.html
User checklist – http://www.usereffect.com/download/checklist.pdf
Search-engine optimization (SEO) – http://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/
WordPress widgets – http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Widgets
Sara Collins is a writer for NerdWallet, a personal finance site that helps keep users informed about topics like understanding section 529 college savings plans.
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