The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed education at all levels. Students, teachers, and staff have had to make major adjustments now that online schooling, as well as hybrid online and in-person schooling, is the norm.

Some students who entered university or college during the pandemic have taken most if not all of their courses online. If the pandemic continues, or if it transforms into an endemic, some students will graduate without having stepped into a classroom. What made a good student before the onset of the pandemic is not exactly what makes a good student now.

In the past, being a good classroom participator meant having strong in-person social skills. Nowadays, by contrast, it means having digital social skills. In-person and digital social skills, though similar, aren’t the same; digital etiquette is different from in-person etiquette. The social rules of the classroom have changed, and good students have adapted.

Nonetheless, the main skills successful students had in the past are still the skills successful students have in the present. Here’s a look at 4 skills all successful online students share.

1. Managing Time

Successful students at the secondary and post-secondary levels have always needed to have strong time-management skills. Sure, some students do well despite procrastinating, but these students are still able to set aside enough time for different subjects and projects to do succeed.

Nowadays, with online schooling and flexible education, time management skills are even more important. When students take Ontario online high school credit courses at fully online schools, for instance, they are encouraged to set their own schedules. To do well, they must skillfully set their own pace.

2. Balancing Course Loads

Good students tend to balance their courses loads so they’re neither underworked nor overworked. That doesn’t necessarily mean they take, say, three difficult courses, one moderately difficult course, and one easy course. Rather, it means these students select their courses so that they can excel as much as possible while still having time for extracurricular activities, including ones online, as well as a rewarding social life.

3. Practicing Self-Care

The stress of school can sometimes be overwhelming. Students are better able to cope with stress when they take care of their mental and physical health. That includes having a social life. These days, it’s difficult to have a social life, but that doesn’t mean students can’t regularly interact with their friends.

4. Reviewing Notes

This skill is simple but incredibly important. Reviewing their notes every day before class and before doing assignments is essential. Reviewing notes every day, rather than taking a cursory look at them last-minute, enables students to retain far more information.

Interestingly, when someone takes notes by hand rather than on a keyboard, they retain and process more information. Not all good students take notes by hand during online classes and lectures, but it’s probably a good idea.

“I don’t want a successful business…” said no entrepreneur ever.

It’s the dream of every entrepreneur to make his business successful.

Do you know what it takes to make a business successful?

Customers…

Without customers, your business cannot survive.

This brings us to the following question:

How to attract more customers?

The answer is pretty simple…step up your marketing game! Because the absence of a solid marketing plan would leave a business high and dry.

But hey…you don’t have to worry about anything. We’re here to help you make your business successful. If you’re thinking that we’ll talk about complex marketing funnels, A/B split tests, or heavy budgets, then…

You’re WRONG!

Yes, dear readers, digital marketing for small businesses isn’t as expensive or complicated as you think.

Stick with us till the end to learn the digital marketing strategies that’ll help your business grow.

Are you ready? Let’s begin…

Top Seven Digital Marketing Strategies To Set Your Small Business Up For Success

1. Blogging With SEO In Mind

SEO plays an essential role in the success of the business. You’re probably wondering why. Because google.com has become a one-stop solution for Gen Z and millennials.

Either it’s looking up the formula for sodium bentonite or finding an ice cream shop in the city. Google never disappoints us, users.

Did you know that Google receives 3.8 million search queries every minute?

This is good news especially for people who want to increase traffic on their online stores.

Here’s why:

Google can send a lot of new prospects to your website. All you have to do is optimize your content with the right words to rank higher on SERPs (search engine result pages).

Blogging is an excellent way to attract a new audience to your website. Here’s what you can doLet’s suppose you sell mobile phones online. Chances are your prospects are checking Google for the following:

• How to capture good pictures from mobile?
• Why is my cell phone hanging?
• How to speed up a mobile phone?

So, start creating content that will help people find answers to the above problems. And here’s the best part:

While helping people, you can integrate your products in the blog posts.

For instance, if you’re sharing tips to take good pictures from a cell phone. You can suggest buying cell phones in your store that have high megapixels cameras.

Pretty easy, right?

But…what if you don’t have a knack for writing?

No problem, folks!

Video marketing on YouTube will help you…which is our next strategy!

2. Create Videos On YouTube 

If blogging isn’t your cup of tea, try creating videos on YouTube to reach the targeted audience. YouTube is a famous search engine for videos. The popular website has more than 2 billion active users. And people watch around 1 billion hours of videos on this website daily. It means YouTube is the perfect fishing site for marketers to attract prospects.

Creating videos on YouTube is no different from blogging. As we suggested writing helpful blogs for your audience, the same thing goes for videos. Create informative videos that would help your audience with their problems.

Suppose you sell makeup products online. Your audience includes people who love using makeup or are professional artists. You can create engaging videos on different makeup looks by using the items that you sell.

And the best part…? 

YouTube videos rank on SERPs above the links.

Let’s move on to the third strategy. We’re sure you are already present on this channel. It’s time to use it for marketing your business.

Any guesses?

Alright, here’s a hint…it connects people virtually.

Yup… We’re talking about social media sites.

3.Social Media Marketing

Digital marketing in 2021 is incomplete without a solid social media presence. Businesses can use social media to expand their reach and brand awareness.

It also helps businesses to interact with their customers. Your business can avail of fantastic benefits by joining social networking sites.

The success of social media marketing depends upon the content’s quality. If you post boring content, people will unfollow you. But, if the content is interesting and attractive, people would love to engage with you. Social media platforms also open up wide spaces for video content. These social videos like reels, memes, stories and others are easily created with the help of online video editor to avoid any fuss and maintain the required dimensions for different platforms.

The newsfeed of the prospects is pretty chaotic. Thus, you have to make your content attractive. So that it catches the attention of the users and makes them stop scrolling their screens.

It is impossible for social media marketing to succeed if the content is not eye-catching. Hence, create exciting graphical content for your audience to keep them hooked.

But, what if you want to target a particular segment of your audience? Let’s say you want to target your female audience. Do you think Facebook or Instagram can help you, target females, only?

Nope! 

Then, which channel would be suitable for targeting a segmented audience?

It’s email marketing.

4. Email Marketing

Email marketing doesn’t sound like an effective marketing channel. But, trust us…if done correctly, it can bring fruitful results for the business.

That’s the reason why 89% of marketers use emails as their primary channel for lead generation.

Sending out emails to your prospects is a targeted form of marketing. Your messages land straight into the person’s inbox, where he’s least likely to get distracted. He can open your email, read its content, and take the desired action.

To make email marketing work, you need the email addresses of your visitors. Making people sign up for a newsletter isn’t easy. You have to give an excellent reason to people to join your mailing list. Inform your visitors of what type of emails they can expect from you. Will you share sales announcements or provide informative content?

To entice visitors to leave their emails, you should also offer something of value in return. For example, you can offer a discount code on signing up for a newsletter. A person wouldn’t be able to resist discounts in return for his email. You can also offer free downloadable materials. Such as eBooks, videos, printables, etc., to make the person sign up for a newsletter.

Once you’ve built your mailing list, start working on creating persuasive emails. Use the power of personalization to target your subscribers. If your email is convincing, subscribers will take favorable actions. Such as, buy something on your website.

Now let’s talk about how you can attract the right audience and build a good reputation for your business.

5. Hop On The Bandwagon Of Podcasting 

Podcasting is the hottest trend of digital marketing in 2021. It is like the radio of modern times.

You can use two ways to market your business with podcasts:

1. Create your podcast
2. Get interviewed on another podcast

Creating your own podcast is excellent for building your brand and audience. Yet, it takes time to grow. The next option is to get interviewed, which is an easy option.

Podcasters look for people with informative and exciting content to interview. Now, you don’t have to star in an action movie or write a thriller to get interviewed. You can still get interviewed as an online video editor  seller if you’ve something valuable to share.

Keep an eye on the podcasters that are looking for people to interview. Pitch them with your idea and what you will offer to their audiences.

Tried everything on the list and still not getting the desired results?

Well, it’s time to loosen up your pockets and spend a little on ads.

That’s right…we’re talking about PPC Ads.

6. Pay-Per-Click Ads

PPC ads are a unique advertising model. Have you ever seen the ads displayed on the SERPs? If yes, you know what PPC advertising is.

There are many types of pay-per-click ads. The most common one is ‘paid search ads. These appear alongside the results on search result pages. The purpose of this ad is to make the business’s link visible to an organic audience.

When people enter their query to buy something, Google displays these ads to them.

Isn’t it awesome?

So, even if your website’s SEO isn’t optimized to rank on the first result page. Paid search can help you rank higher.

And that’s not it…

A business has to pay only when a person clicks on the ad. It means you don’t have to spend a fortune on displaying these ads.

7. Join Forums And Community Boards

Joining forums, communities, and groups is helpful to market the business. This channel doesn’t focus on promoting goods. Instead, it provides an opportunity for you to share your knowledge, expertise, and insightful views with people.

By sharing your knowledge and answering queries, you can win the trust of people. Besides, you also build a good image of your business.

Websites like Reddit and Quora are good forums to connect and help the audience. Moreover, you can join different groups on Facebook to market your brand.

It is important to understand a few rules before boarding these forums:

i) Don’t Sound Promotional

People want answers to the questions posted by them. They don’t want people to advertise their goods. Hence, if you come across a question or discussion, do not talk about your products. Share your knowledge or opinion on the matter, but don’t brag about your products.

ii) Link To Your Content Where Appropriate

Desperate marketers will link their website or product page in the comments section. They believe that linking to their website will boost traffic and improve SEO.

But that’s not the case!

Most of the links on such websites are ‘no-follow links.’ It means they don’t affect the SEO.

Link to your website’s blog post or content when it’s appropriate and relevant. Don’t overdo it.

The Bottom Line

We are certain that you haven’t started a small business to keep it small forever, right?

Consider the above 7 digital marketing strategies to step up your marketing game NOW!

It’ll help your business grow and be successful in the cutthroat market.

What other digital marketing strategies do you think are helpful for small businesses? Please share it in the comments below.

Author Bio:

Ricky Hayes is the Co-Founder and Head of Marketing at Debutify – a free Shopify theme, helping dropshippers build high-converting stores in minutes. He is a passionate entrepreneur running multiple businesses, marketing agencies, and mentoring programs.

Although 56% of Germany’s population can speak English, many prefer to be marketed in German. As one of the largest markets out there, there’s great potential in expanding your business in Germany’s digital market. This guide will discuss the benefits of entering Germany’s digital market and why English-only isn’t enough if you want to attract German users to your online content. We will also discuss some tips and tricks on successfully creating content for your target local users.

The Opportunities in Germany’s Digital Market

 Germany is one of the biggest economies in the world. On top of that, the country has almost 78 million internet users. Those millions of users can spend a lot of money online. In 2019 alone, the overall revenue generated by retail e-commerce in Germany totaled over $108 billion. Those numbers should convince you that Germany offers many opportunities for digital marketing.

Of course, if your primary language is English, you will need help from a translation services provider to communicate with the German market.

 How Translation Services Can Broaden Your Online Consumers

When your content gets translated into another language, you open the doors to a whole new market. There are over 105 million native German speakers globally, and when you add those who can know it as a secondary or a third language, the number becomes quite significant. So, when a translation services company translates your English content into German, you are tapping into that whole new market made up of over 100 million individuals.

According to Tomedes, a provider of professional translation services, getting your content translated by an experienced firm is a sure way of broadening the consumers you are targeting. It’s also a way of bridging gaps and building meaningful connections. The company has been helping companies go international for years now, so it should know about the benefits that translation services can offer.

7 Content Marketing Tips for the German Market

It’s established now that digital marketing in Germany is a profitable undertaking. Here are seven effective content marketing tips that you can use when targeting the German market.

 1. Develop an In-Depth Profile of your Target Consumer and Market

Before you even get help from a professional translation services provider, you need to know your target first. The way to achieve this is by creating an in-depth profile of your target consumer and market. The only time that you can market to a consumer properly is when you know their habits, likes, and dislikes.

 2. Creating a Multilingual SEO Strategy for Your Target Region

This is where the value of having translation services comes in. You need to create a multilingual SEO strategy, and the only way you can do that is with the help of language experts. It’s not just the language that you need insight into. You also need expertise regarding the region’s culture you want to target.

In this case, if you are targeting the German market, then you need help from someone who knows the language and the culture.

3. Your Content Must Connect to Them on a Cultural and Linguistic Level

This ties in with the last tip on this list. Your content should not just be translated into German; it should also connect with your target audience on a cultural level as well. If the local culture is not considered when doing the translation, it would still sound strange and alien to the users.

4. Build Brand Trust and Loyalty with Consumers

It’s easier to build trust among your customers and your target market. With the help of social media and some other forms of content, you can communicate directly with the consumers and your customers. Active engagement with your audience can help to build trust. They will see that the people behind your brand/company care about them.

Loyal customers can be the best promoters of your business and this is true whether you are targeting Germany or some other market.

5. Quality is Crucial in Your Brand’s Story Telling

When creating content for your digital marketing, you have to check for the quality of everything that goes out bearing the name of your company. There should be grammatical, spelling, or some other small errors which, while being minor, can still affect the overall impression of your business.

 6. Be in Compliance with Data Protection Laws

Because Germany is part of the EU, the country follows the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when it comes to protecting the data and privacy of its constituents. The law is very strict on how you can collect and handle data from consumers. Make sure that you are in compliance with the law because the GDPR imposes very steep penalties on companies that violate its provisions.

 7. Make UX for Mobile and Desktop Navigational and Culturally Relatable

The user experience or the UI of digital content can be just as important as the content itself. If you are targeting a different country, you need to think about the effect of the UX in terms of culture. Does the display of the content navigation go against what’s acceptable in the target culture?

Because translation services providers are knowledgeable not just with languages but in culture as well,

These are some of the proven tips you can use when creating content for digital marketing in Germany. Just remember to get help from a provider of professional translation services when you are developing your content strategy.