Would you propose to someone on the first date?

If you’re like most people, you would probably prefer to get to know someone, enjoy the fun of dating, and fall in love. So when it comes to marketing your business online, would you ask someone to commit on the first visit?

Just like dating, there are some basic dos and don’ts to avoid the fast track to getting dumped.

Less You, More Them

Just like your new love interest, shoppers need to be wined and dined.

Content marketing is all about winning over an audience over a period of time. Users want to read educational, useful, relevant content— and that’s not going to happen if you’re constantly pitching your business and services.

Instead, put yourself aside and think about the customer. What are their pain points? What topics do they care about or are confused about? What should they know to make them a more informed potential customer? Whether you’re shedding light on one of their problems or making them a little bit smarter, customers will start to trust your company as you make your mark as a thought leader.

First Impressions Count

I don’t know about you, but I definitely judge books by the cover. I can’t help it. And I do the same thing with websites. Just as much as you don’t want your date to show up like a disheveled mess, you don’t want to visit a website that’s confusing, sloppy, or slow.

Sometimes it’s tough to see our own flaws, so turn to the data instead. Log in to Google Analytics and check out your bounce rate. What pages (especially product pages) are people jumping from? How about a low time on site? If those metrics are decent but no one is converting, what is holding them back? Maybe your page is confusing, contains no calls to action, or even has too many calls to action.

Hop on over to Google Webmaster tools to identify some potential turn-offs. By going to “Other Resources” on the lower left and then “PageSpeed Insights,” you can see what you can improve to decrease your site’s load time and ultimately make for happier visitors.

Thinking of You

When you’re interested in someone— and better yet they’ve shown some interest in you— you want to send them subtle reminders (without coming on too strong, of course). This is where remarketing comes into play.

When someone visits your site or a specific page on your site, remarketing will put your brand back in front of prospective customers’ eyes when they’re surfing the web. Whether it’s a banner they see on Weather.com or a pre-roll video that plays before they listen to their favorite Neil Diamond ballad, you can drop a very targeted reminder to come back to your site.

If your digital marketing can use a little love, give the PCG team a call.