Depending on which blogs or marketing gurus you follow, you’ll likely hear contrasting ideas about which digital web hosting marketing strategy is the best. “Content is king”, “Social media is the new Google” or “All you need is an email list.”
Such suggestions aren’t entirely wrong, but they do feed into each other. For example, content marketing is dependent on social media just as social media is dependent on building an email list. Not buying into the false ideal of “the one perfect strategy” helps you avoid risky investments and better distribute your marketing efforts.
Having said that, good web hosting marketing isn’t about the size of your budget. It’s understanding your market and respond appropriately to the needs of your customers. Follow this approach as a web hosting business with these top 8 tips, and you’ve got as much chance of success as even the biggest players.
1. Create amazing, relevant content
You’ve probably heard how important blogging is for a successful digital marketing strategy. And it is – but it’s useless if your content isn’t relevant and interesting to your audience. An active blog is key to improving your visibility in the search engines results pages (SERPs), increasing the number of visitors to your site, and achieving better promotion on social media.
However, if you publish relevant and interesting content, you’ll have a much greater chance of sparking interaction with your leads – turning them into long-standing customers. Your web hosting company can build a blog, more impressive are those that go beyond the basics and provide high-value content your audience will love.
2. Build a free email web hosting marketing list
One of your most valuable marketing channels is your mailing list because it lets you communicate with your prospects/clients directly. Get access to this and you’re six times more likely to get higher click-through rates through emails instead of Tweets. Email has proven to be 40x more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter.
But in order to communicate with your new email list, you need an email marketing platform. There are plenty to choose from, but the easiest and least expensive to start with is MailChimp — not least because you retain ownership of your list.
3. Offer a free info-product on your website
Creating a free info-product is a great way to tie many digital marketing strategies together. A series of videos, ebook, or product can provide a talking point at events and offer a reason for an online lead to sign up to your mailing list. Since web hosting is a tricky subject, there’s no shortage of content you can create in this web hosting marketing space.
For instance, you may offer a free product that explains to your customers how to build a website or online store. Or even how to use the other products and services you offer. The best part is that once you make such products, you continue to provide value to your business indefinitely.
4. Consider an affiliate program
There are many blogs about web hosting, SEO, WordPress, and website creation. But despite that fact, affiliate marketing is a strategy that’s still off the radar of many small to medium-sized businesses. This may be a huge wasted opportunity, because even website owners can be web hosting marketing affiliates, AND promote your hosting service.
The most popular way for an affiliate to promote a business is for a blogger to write a post. One including a review of your services, including a link to your web hosting service. Affiliates can also display banners on their websites. So that for each visitor that clicks on their recommendation link and ultimately buys your service, you pay the affiliate a commission.
5. Guest post on popular niche sites
Guest posting is a great way to reach a new audience – plus gain some credibility by appearing in well-respected publications. There are plenty of sites out there that provide lists of places you can submit guest posts to. The key is finding the ones your audience reads and interacts with. And of course, don’t forget to include a link back to your site in your bio!
6. Comment on blog posts
One of the oldest digital marketing strategies in the book is leaving comments on other blogs you follow. No different for web hosting marketing. That’s not to say it’s past its use-by-date – actually, it’s the opposite. Because it remains a highly personal, and somewhat time-intensive, task.
Blog commenting is a fantastic way to get noticed by bloggers and their visitors. That is, if your comments are thoughtful and you actually read the article first 😉 .
What’s more, there are many web hosting related blogs which end customers read before choosing their hosting provider. Try to leave relevant and interesting comments with a discreet link to your website.
7. Share on social media
It’s become a must to share your content on social media. However, most companies get caught up in gaining as many Likes and hearts as possible. Meanwhile, social media, as the name suggests, is much more about the act of sharing.
When you create content for Likes it speaks to a certain type of interaction and person. When you create content for sharing purposes, you are forced to get into the heads of your audience and give them something truly valuable.
Why do people follow you? How could you make their life better? Why would they share your content? It can be an interesting fact, useful industry info, or an insight into your company’s culture. The bottom line is: Shareable content is what nurtures an audience’s trust and loyalty. Perhaps that’s what web hosting marketing is about in the end.