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This is a headshot of Sanj Rajput.

Business woman speaking in board room.

 

Whenever the economy takes a downturn, it’s natural for any businesses to tighten their belts.

 

But here’s a surprising truth: cutting your marketing budget could be a bad move, even during challenging economic times. In fact, smart marketing can be the secret weapon for not just surviving but thriving in tough times.


Let’s dive into why this unexpected approach works and how real companies have used it to come out on top.

 

 

Why Marketing Matters More When Times Are Tough

Picture this: You’re in a crowded room, and everyone is talking. Suddenly, almost everyone except a select few stopped talking. Who do you turn your attention to?


The ones still talking, right?


So, when competitors cut back on their marketing, your voice will become louder and clearer. But it’s not just about being heard. It’s also about being remembered.


When consumers tighten their purse strings, they become more selective. They stick with the brands they trust and remember. If you have been consistently present in their lives through strategic marketing, you’re more likely to be their go-to choice.


Think of yourself as a gardener planting seeds. In good times (early springtime), every gardener is planting. But in tough times, those who keep nurturing their garden will have a bountiful harvest when spring comes again.


To better understand, let’s look at the importance of marketing by reviewing real companies who found success:

 


Real Stories of Marketing Magic in Tough Times

Let’s travel back in time to look at some real-world examples of companies that didn’t just weather the storm, but danced in the rain.

 

 

The Cereal Showdown: Kellogg's vs. Post

 

Kellogg's Graphic -

 

It’s the 1920s. Post is the biggest market player in the cereal world. Then, the Great Depression hits. Post does what many other companies will do – they cut back on advertising to save money. Seems logical, right? Enter stage left: Kellogg's.


Instead of retreating, they charged forward.


They doubled their ad spend and also introduced a new cereal: Rice Krispies. (Can you hear the "Snap, Crackle, Pop" already?). Any guesses on the result? Kellogg's profits jumped by 30%, and they became the leading cereal provider of the time.


And they still hold a high position in the cereal market, nearly a century later. It’s truly like they saw everyone else taking a step back and they decided to leap forward instead.

 

 

Amazon's Dot-Com Defiance

Let’s rewind to 2001, when the dot-com bubble burst and tech companies were failing left and right. But Amazon? They were expanding. While many companies pulled back, Amazon doubled down on growth by investing heavily in strategies like marketing. Instead of sticking only to their original products—books, CDs, computer hardware, software, and videos—they began exploring new opportunities.


They expanded their product offerings, essentially saying, "Whatever you need, we've got it!" This bold move paid off big time. Amazon built a loyal customer base that would stick with them through thick and thin. It's like they saw the internet not as a bubble, but as the future of shopping.

 

 

Coca-Cola's Recipe for Happiness

 

 

Now, let’s fast forward to the 2008 recession, when Coca-Cola took a different approach. Instead of focusing on product features or value, they focused on emotions. Their "Open Happiness" campaign wasn’t just about selling soda—it was about selling a feeling. Think about that for a moment!


When times are tough, people crave comfort and positivity. Coca-Cola positioned itself as a small, affordable luxury—a moment of happiness in a challenging world. This emotional connection resonated with consumers. While other companies saw sales dropping, Coca-Cola maintained strong sales.

 

 

Procter & Gamble's Recession Recipe

In the same 2008 recession, the world is facing its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Many companies are in panic mode. But Procter & Gamble? They are cool as cucumbers. Instead of slashing their marketing budget, P&G doubles down on understanding their customers.


They realize that in tough times, people still need everyday items like detergent and diapers. So, they focus their marketing on household staples like Tide and Pampers. They even introduced Tide Pods during this recession.


Their message was: "We get it. Times are tough. But our products offer great value." It’s like they were saying, "We're in this together, and we've got your back."


This approach did not just help P&G weather the storm. It helped them increase their market share. They turned a crisis into an opportunity to connect with consumers on a deeper level.

 

 

Smart Marketing Strategies for Tight Times

So, now the question is how can you apply these lessons to your business? Here are some strategies that have proven effective with more real-time examples:

 

 

1. Highlight Value and Affordability

When money is tight, people become super conscious of every penny they spend. But here’s the thing: they do not stop spending altogether. They just spend smarter.


Take McDonald's, for example. During the 2008 recession, they introduced the Dollar Menu. It wasn’t about selling cheap food: it was about selling the idea of affordability and value. The message was clear: "You can still treat yourself and your family, even on a tight budget."


This strategy works because it addresses the consumer's biggest concern during a downturn—stretching their dollar. By focusing on value, you are not just selling a product; you are selling a solution to their financial stress.

 

 

2. Embrace Digital Marketing

Here is an unseen benefit to economic downfalls—they often accelerate digital adoption. More and more people turn to the Internet for information, entertainment, and shopping. This makes digital marketing not just smart, but essential.


Take Airbnb, for instance. Born during the 2008 recession, they leveraged social media to build a community around their brand. They shared stories of hosts and travellers, creating an emotional connection with their audience.


The beauty of digital marketing is its flexibility and measurability. You can start small, test different approaches, and scale what works. It’s like having a conversation with your customers, where you can quickly adapt based on their responses.

 

 

3. Tell Your Brand Story

In uncertain economic times, people crave authenticity and connection. This is where brand storytelling comes into play. It’s not about pushing products; it’s about sharing your values and mission.


Did you know Nike is a master in storytelling? During recessions, their campaigns often focus on themes of perseverance and overcoming challenges. Their famous "Just Do It" slogan takes on new meaning in tough times.


By telling your brand story, you’re inviting customers to be part of something bigger than a transaction. You’re building a relationship that can weather economic storms.

 

 

4. Adapt to Changing Consumer Behaviours

Economic dips often lead to shifts in consumer behaviour. The key is to spot these changes and adapt quickly.


Walmart is a great example of this. Their marketing consistently focuses on low prices and essential goods. During recessions, this message resonates more strongly. They never change their core message; they only amplify it to meet the moment.


So, what is the lesson here? The lesson is to stay close to your customers. Understand their changing needs and priorities. Then, adjust your marketing to show how your products or services address these new realities.

 

 

5. Leverage Data and Analytics

In tight times, every marketing dollar needs to work harder. This is where data and analytics become your best friends.


HubSpot, for instance, used data-driven marketing to grow during economic slowdowns. They analyzed customer behaviour to understand which content resonated most, which channels drove the best results, and how to optimize their sales funnel.


Think of data as your marketing compass. It will help you navigate uncertain waters by showing you exactly where to focus your efforts for the best return on investment.

 

 

6. Collaborate and Partner

We all have heard that there is strength in numbers, especially during challenging times. Collaborative marketing can help you reach new audiences while sharing costs.


A great example is the partnership between Spotify and Uber. In 2014, when both companies were looking to expand their user base, they teamed up to offer Uber riders the ability to control the music during their ride through Spotify. This created a unique experience for customers and added value to both brands.


These partnerships are like joining forces with a friend to throw a bigger, better party. You both can benefit from the increased attention and shared resources.

 

 

Turning Challenge into Opportunity

Economic downturns and market contractions are undoubtedly challenging, but they also present unique opportunities for businesses that are willing to think creatively. By continuing—or even ramping up—your marketing efforts, focusing on delivering value, and staying closely connected with your customers, you can not only navigate through tough times but also emerge stronger on the other side.


The stories of Kellogg's, P&G, Coca-Cola, and Amazon show us that bold and smart marketing during testing times can lead to long-term market leadership. These companies did not just survive recessions; they used them as springboards for growth.


So, the next time you face a tightening market, resist the urge to pull back. Instead, see it as an opportunity to stand out, to connect more deeply with your customers, and to lay the groundwork for future success. With smart marketing, you can turn economic challenges into your competitive advantage.


REM Web Solutions can help you implement these strategies and navigate the challenges of marketing during economic downturns. With their expertise, you can turn these challenges into opportunities for growth and success.

 

 

 

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This is a headshot of Sanj Rajput.

'Why Your CMS Matters for SEO

 

Your Content Management System (CMS) is essential for maintaining your search engine optimization (SEO) and reaching wider audiences. Imagine launching your new website using a CMS that portrays itself as completely user-friendly. Your website looks awesome, but a few weeks, maybe even months, go by, and your website traffic has fallen off the map.


What's likely happened here is that in your haste to launch your website, you failed to optimize it for search engines, meaning your website isn't reaching your audience. While it's very tempting to get a website launched ASAP, it can turn around and bite you if you don't plan properly.


There are a lot of things to consider when you're choosing a CMS that's going to work for you and your team. But you have to make sure SEO doesn't fall between the cracks during this process by understanding what makes CMS SEO-friendly.


You just so happened to be in luck – REM Web Solutions is not only an expert in SEO and marketing but also provides our own CMS system, WebWiz@rd, which we’ll explore a little bit more later.

 

 

Ability to Customize SEO Metadata

One of the key features that will take your CMS to the next level is a high potential for customization, particularly when it comes to SEO metadata. This includes meta descriptions, URLs, titles, and alt text – all of which can be optimized for SEO.


Now, that doesn't mean that a very simple website with a standard template is necessarily bad, but when you're operating a unique business, you need customizable tools that provide you with more control over your website's metadata. 


It's also essential to remember that your URL structure is vital to your website's SEO. Just like your consumers, search engines like clean, concise URLs over those that drag out and border on irrelevant. Your CMS should allow you to customize these URLs to make them concise and relevant. Here's what makes a good URL:

 

  • Descriptive
  • Concise and simple
  • Accurate to the description
  • Using real words (avoid jargon)
  • Use hyphens to separate words
  • Uses lowercase letters
  •  Indicates to users and search engines what they can expect from the page.

 

Example of a SEO-optimized URL:

www.example.com/10-tips-for-effective-content-marketing (NOT A REAL URL)

 

 

Mobile Compatibility and Cross-Platform Integration

Google favours mobile-first indexing, meaning Google uses the mobile version of your website's content and crawls with the smartphone agent to index and rank it. This plays an essential role in your search rankings. Your CMS needs to have mobile-friendly templates to make sure your website isn't being ignored by the Google SEO bots.


It's essential to have a CMS that's designed with omnichannel capability so content can be easily adapted across the mobile, web, AI chat, voice, and other platforms that are relevant to your audience.

 

 

High-Performing Site Delivery

Businesses need their websites to keep up – if your website loads slowly, isn't intuitive, and overall hasn't been optimized to the high standards of internet consumers, customers will click away. You need to be able to take full advantage of the best engineering for fast-loading sites that can handle even heavy foot traffic. These features have to be incorporated into the CMS itself and require some thoughtfully designed APIs that work effortlessly with high-performing static site generators or alternative front-end frameworks.

 

 

Content Creation Customization

The best CMS SEO is one that enables your content developers to create content the way they see fit – optimized and all. Now, this is going to be completely different based on the content developer. Some teams prefer a more simplified drag-and-drop template, while other teams prefer to be more hands-on and have a greater deal of control over their work – which can include advanced permissions. Your content needs to be customized to your business and content team.

 

 

Generating XML Sitemaps

An XML sitemap refers to a file that lists a website's most essential pages, ensuring Google can easily find them and crawl them. You need to have a CMS that will automatically generate and update that sitemap, ensuring that new content or updates are quickly found by Google and indexed without stress. This ensures that you're always ranking well in organic search results.

 

Without having this implemented, search engines won't be able to effectively find and index the pages of your website, especially when you have a more complicated website or page structure that is otherwise not accessible through internal links.

 

 

Comprehensive Data Support

Having comprehensive, properly structured data allows Google to understand the nature of your content better and show it in search results more effectively. This means your pages could appear in several search listings via star ratings and other results, providing a more clickable search result.

 

A CMS that has comprehensive data support allows you to easily set your pages up to appear visibly in search results, thereby increasing user engagement on your website. You can use AI to do this for you.

 

 

Additional Tips for Success

Some extra steps can always be taken to maximize the success of your website. Before we close out, let's explore a few more key points to keep in mind:

 

1) Target Relevant Topics

 

  • Your business offers a unique set of products or services that fall within a given niche. You can't target too broad of an audience through your content, or you aren't guaranteed to find those seeking out what your business has to offer. For example, if you're a business that offers beginner-friendly crocheting kits and tools, good content marketing could include search queries such as "crochet kits for beginners" or "best crochet kits for beginners." But it can go deeper than that.
  • You can expand this reach by looking for other relevant topics, such as: "best gifts for beginner crocheters" or "relaxing crochet kits for newbies," depending on how you market your products.

 

2) Increase Your Backlinking Profile

 

  • We've previously discussed the significance of backlinking, but it's worth reiterating just how crucial backlinks are for online visibility. Backlinking signals to search engines that other sites consider your content valuable enough to reference, while linking to other authoritative sites can enhance your own site's credibility.
  • High-quality content is a powerful asset for generating link-worthy web pages, as it ensures your content is well-researched and aligns with industry standards. You can employ various engaging strategies, such as writing from a thought leadership perspective, creating in-depth and comprehensive guides, or incorporating interactive elements to boost your content's appeal.

 

 

Easy Content Management with WebWiz@rd™

We understand there’s a lot of CMS software to choose from. REM Web Solutions offers cutting-edge CMS software that is easy to use and makes updating your website seamless and efficient.

 

Your Website Needs Content to Thrive

Our content management system provides you with the tools you need to manage and update your site with ease:

 

  • Photo Gallery
  • Blog
  • Banner
  • Form Builder
  • Newsletter
  • Email Page to a Friend
  • Full-Text Search
  • Printer Friendly
  • Secured Page Content
  • Advertisement Engine
  • Digital Plans Room
  • eCommerce
  • Events (Event Calendar)
  • Secured File Transfer
  • Locations
  • Meta Tag Management
  • Newsletter Groups
  • Newsflash

 

Typical Website Model vs. WebWiz@rd CMS

The typical website model requires a webmaster to completely manage everything on their own; that means content updates, back-and-forth communication, timely emails, and long wait times for changes and approvals. Not with WebWiz@rd™ CMS.

 

When You Own a Business, You Know Time is Money

When you have REM’s WebWiz@rd Content Management System, you have the power to make all the necessary updates to your website without delays or losing out on SEO opportunities. Our intuitive system is specially crafted to give you the maximum control over your website without the need for delay.

 

You Can Change Your Content NOW

Many webmasters are going to charge you for every update, no matter how small. And, yes, that can include even tiny fixes or typos. While these may seem miniscule, it’s dollars out of your budget. REM Web Solutions empowers our clients with the tools they need to save money and manage their content independently, without additional charges.

 

Don’t Worry - Updates are Free for Life!

Our web development team will craft your website design based on your specifications and give your business a recognizable look and feel. From the time that your website goes live, you have unlimited flexibility and can add as much content and as many pages as you see fit.

 

We’re Always Updating It!

SEO is constantly evolving, so we’re constantly updating our WebWiz@rd™ CMS to keep up with the latest SEO best practices. Here are just a few recent and upcoming updates to WebWiz@rd™ that will help boost your SEO performance! These notes were kindly provided by our dearest developer, Sean McP. All credit goes to him!

 

  • Coming soon: A new page title and description counter to page content module to make it easier for users to ensure their page meta info is SEO-friendly
  • Constantly improving the automatically generated page metadata so search engines can easily understand the content of the page
  • Meta Tag module was updated last year to easily allow clients to add and update default social sharing images that appear when you share your page on your sites and other platforms like Facebook
  • Significant improvements have been made to page loading performance over the last year. This is very important when it comes down to SEO performance. This includes features such as lazy loading images, meaning images are only downloaded when visible in the browser.

 

Take control of your website content today with one of the industry’s most comprehensive CMS - WebWiz@rd™! Contact us to learn more.

 

 

 

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Two colleagues collaborating with text: 'It’s Time to Double Down on Your Digital Transformation.

 

The headlines these days are hard to ignore. Every news cycle seems to bring a fresh wave of uncertainty. In many ways, the world feels more unpredictable than it has in a long time.


In uncertain times like these, the conventional wisdom is to hit the brakes. Cut costs, delay investments, and wait for the storm to pass.


But let’s be honest with ourselves. Has that approach really served us well in the past?


Hunkering down and hoping things "go back to normal" is a gamble, and not a smart one, when the definition of "normal" is in constant flux. These days, the only certainty is change, and the businesses that thrive will be those that not only adapt to it but embrace it.


This is where a proactive approach to digital transformation – integrating technology into every part of your business to make more resilient, agile, and, more successful – becomes a necessity,


Today, we want to explore why, in these uncertain times, doubling down on digital transformation can be your strongest defence and your greatest advantage in the year ahead.

 

 

What We Mean When We Say ‘Digital Transformation’

While the term itself might be relatively new, the idea behind digital transformation is something that many businesses, including yours, are already doing.


Chances are, your business has a website; and if you’ve got a website, there’s a good chance you’ve dabbled in Google Ads, written a few blog posts, or paid for some SEO work. In the off chance you don’t have a website, you’ve got an Instagram or Facebook page that works as your digital hub instead. And you’ve surely used email to update your clients, customers, partners, or suppliers at least once or twice.


At REM Web Solutions, we believe that digital transformation isn’t only about using technology – it’s about connecting the dots and creating a cohesive strategy that leverages digital tools to make your business more efficient, resilient, and, more successful.


Think of it this way: You might have a great website, but if it's not optimized for search engines (SEO), new clients or customers might never find it. Or maybe you're running social media ads, but without analyzing the data and adjusting, you could be wasting your budget. Digital transformation is about bringing all these pieces together to create a powerful, unified online presence.


Here’s why now is the time to invest in this digital future.

 

 

1. Digital Transformation Builds a Fortress of Customer Loyalty

Right now, your most valuable asset isn't your inventory or your office space. It's your relationships with your customers. When the ground feels like it's shifting beneath your feet, those relationships are what will keep you steady.


Digital transformation is your tool to strengthen those relationships. It gives you the power to reach out, connect, and understand your clients in powerful ways, like:

 

  • Implementing a CRM system to better track customer interactions and preferences, allowing you to provide more personalized service and support.
  • Developing a comprehensive content marketing strategy that provides valuable information and resources to your customers, positioning you as a trusted advisor in your industry.
  • Utilizing marketing automation tools to streamline your communications and ensure that your customers are always kept in the loop.

 

This isn't just blasting out generic marketing emails. It's utterly understanding who your customers are, what keeps them up at night, and showing up for them in a way that proves you are the steady hand they can trust.


When you're the business that shows up, the one that proves you understand them, you build loyalty that goes far beyond a simple transaction. This is the kind of loyalty that weathers any storm.

 

 

2. Digital Transformation Keeps You Agile

We've all been there. You think you have a solid plan, a clear path forward, and then bam – something completely unforeseen throws everything into chaos.


It happens in life, it happens in politics, and it certainly happens in business. And right now, it sure seems like it’s happening a lot more often.


The difference between surviving these moments and being swept away by them is how quickly you can adjust. You need to be ready to change course on a dime.


Digital transformation provides the tools and frameworks you need to stay nimble in the face of uncertainty. Embracing digital technologies and processes gives you new ways to:

 

  • Pivot your strategies quickly. Digital tools like analytics dashboards and marketing automation platforms allow you to monitor performance in real-time and make data-driven decisions on the fly. This could mean shifting your marketing spend to different channels, adjusting your messaging, or even rethinking your product offerings based on customer feedback and market trends.
  • Streamline your operations. Digital transformation can help you automate tasks, eliminate redundancies, and optimize workflows, freeing up your team to focus on high-value activities.
  • Respond to disruptions effectively. Whether it's a supply chain disruption, a sudden shift in consumer behaviour, or a new competitor entering the market, digital transformation can help you respond swiftly and effectively. By having the right digital infrastructure in place, you can communicate quickly with your customers, adjust your operations as needed, and minimize any negative impact on your business.

 

When you have the right digital tools, you're not stuck in rigid, outdated processes. You can shift your sales strategies, or adjust your services and how they are offered, based on real-time data that shows you what's working and what's not. You can even launch new products and services or find new audiences for the ones you already offer.


When you’re the one setting the pace, you are not only weathering the storm but also charting your own course through it.

 

 

3. Digital Transformation Does More with Less

When things feel uncertain, the knee-jerk reaction is often to tighten the belt and cut back on anything that seems like an extra expense.


And let's be honest, "digital transformation" can sound like one of those big, expensive undertakings that's best left for better times.


But that's a misconception, and a dangerous one at that. Because a well-planned digital transformation will actually save you money in the long run. To give just a few examples:

 

  • Boost your website's conversion rate. A well-designed website that's easy to navigate and engaging can significantly increase your conversion rate. This means more of your website visitors become paying customers, which translates to more revenue without increasing your ad spend.
  • Reduce your marketing costs. Refining your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns and using landing pages lowers your cost-per-click and drives more qualified leads. This means you're not wasting money on ads that nobody sees.
  • Automate your processes. Think about all those repetitive tasks that take up your team's time. Automation tools can handle many of those tasks, freeing up your team to focus on more strategic initiatives. This could be anything from automating email marketing campaigns and social media posting to using AI-powered tools to handle customer service interactions.
  • Gain valuable data insights. Tracking and analyzing your data lets you identify areas where you can improve efficiency and reduce costs.

 

Digital transformation is about maximizing your resources, making sure every investment delivers a solid return, and building a more sustainable business model that can withstand whatever the future may hold.


While your competitors are slashing budgets indiscriminately, you’ll be investing strategically. That’s how you do more with less and come out stronger on the other side.

 

 

4. Digital Transformation Goes Beyond Borders (Even When They're Closing)

A strong digital presence transcends borders – it allows your business to exist and thrive in a global marketplace, no matter what's happening on the ground. It allows you to overcome any limitations of your physical location.


Even if physical borders tighten and international trade gets hairy, your online presence gives you access to new markets and customer segments you’ve never dreamed of.


With a well-built online presence, you can showcase and sell your products or services to customers anywhere in the world, around the clock. And targeted digital marketing lets you pinpoint those niche audiences, those ideal customers, all with laser precision – a feat that would be virtually impossible through traditional, more localized methods that would be far more expensive.


The key takeaway here is diversification. By expanding your reach digitally, you're not putting all your eggs in one basket. You're reducing your reliance on any single market, any single region; which creates a buffer against any big and unexpected changes that might be happening in one specific part of the world. It is a safeguard against the unpredictable.


When you have a diverse customer base, you're not just hoping for the best in your local market – you're actively building a more resilient future for your business, anywhere and everywhere. You’re able to pivot to where the demand is.

 

 

5. Digital Transformation Pays Off When It Matters Most

Digital transformation isn't meant to be a bandage to slap on a problem and hope it goes away. It's a long-term, strategic investment in the very future of your business.


Think back for a moment to the worldwide upheaval that was the year 2020. Not a fun exercise, we know – to say it was painful would be a huge understatement. But it’s also true that not all businesses were hit equally hard.


Those who had already begun to integrate digital technologies and strategies into their DNA were the ones who could:

  • Seamlessly transition to remote work
  • Ramp up their online sales when physical locations closed, and
  • Pivot their messaging and offerings to meet the rapidly changing needs of their customers.

 

They had the infrastructure in place to succeed when others were scrambling.


Investing in digital transformation now is a commitment to building that kind of resilience tomorrow. It's a proactive step to ensure your business is not just prepared for the next challenge but positioned to thrive no matter what the future throws at you.


In a world that feels increasingly unpredictable, that kind of long-term security is priceless.

 

 

Doubling Down on Digital Transformation

We’ve laid out the case that now is the embrace digital transformation. But knowing you need to change and making that change are two different things.


That's why we’re here to help.


At REM Web Solutions, we get the unique needs and pressures faced by small and mid-size businesses like yours. We offer a comprehensive suite of services designed to empower you at every stage of your digital transformation journey.


We'll work closely with you to understand your specific goals, challenges, and target audience, creating a customized roadmap that sets you up for long-term success. Then, we bring that vision to life with a powerful online presence that will serve you well into the future.


But a great website is only as good as its visibility. That's where our digital marketing team comes in – to help you reach the right people, in the right place, at the right time. And to ensure your website ranks high in search results, our SEO experts will optimize your site, driving organic traffic and maximizing your online reach.


What truly sets REM apart is our commitment to partnership. We're not here to sell you a one-size-fits-all solution and then disappear. We're here to guide you, to support you, and to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to thrive. You won't be going it alone.


So, reach out today to discuss how we can help you build a stronger, more resilient future for your business.

 

 

 

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This is a headshot of Sanj Rajput.

Small Business Seminar promotional image featuring the title

 

Presented by Sanj Rajput, Director of Marketing, REM Web Solutions Inc./TrafficSoda

 

Is your online presence helping or hurting your business? In today’s digital world, your website, reviews, and search rankings are often the first impressions potential customers have of your company. Are you making the right impression?

 

Join Sanj, Director of Marketing from REM Web Solutions, for an actionable seminar tailored for small business owners, where we’ll teach you how to take control of your online reputation and visibility.

 

Learn how to:

 

  • Conduct a technical audit of your website using SEO tools to uncover hidden opportunities.

  • Think like your customers and test your website for usability and conversion potential.

  • Evaluate your domain authority, backlinks, and reviews to understand how your business is perceived online.

  • Develop a practical plan to improve and monitor your online presence moving forward.

 

With expert guidance, you’ll learn to identify what’s working, fix what’s not, and create a stronger foundation for your business to thrive online.

 

Don’t miss this chance to build a competitive edge for your business!

 

Organized by Waterloo Region Small Business Centre.

 

Entry is FREE! Register Now!

 

 

 

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Economic uncertainty is just a part of any business’ lifecycle, but that doesn’t make it any less stressful. In uncertain times, making data-driven marketing decisions is crucial to staying on course.


In recent times, it seems business owners are facing more economic uncertainty than ever before. But just as there are downs, the ups must follow, and optimizing your marketing strategy is a great way to keep your business going.


Your friends at REM Web Solutions have your back on this one. In this blog, we’ll talk about how to make data-driven marketing decisions during uncertain times.

 

 

Don’t Wait - Strategize Now

 

When uncertain times begin, it might seem worth it to wait and see how things pan out before strategizing your marketing plan. We generally don’t recommend this, as it’s better to be completely prepared for a situation before it reaches its peak.

 

 

Here Are Some Tips to Consider:

 

Create a Collaborative Environment

Intelligent data rarely belongs to a single constituency. It’s important that every department is sharing information and working to create a strategy that is continuously moving forward.

 

Finance needs to work alongside IT, IT needs to work alongside the marketing department, etc. The data of business projections needs to be the guiding principle that brings all of these departments together and offers input on each course of action.

 

Put the Data to Work

As data comes in you need to do an in-depth analysis to guide your business initiatives. Even if your current goal right now is just to keep the business running, you still need to develop metrics for each of your prospective goals so you can measure the success of your actions.

 

For your data to be credible, it needs to have measurable metrics to determine success. The strategies of today could lead to revenue sources in the future.

 

Adapt Your Strategy to Match the Market

Knowing how to pivot your strategies to adapt to the current market by utilizing data can enable your business to continue to find success, even in uncertain times. Sometimes, it may be more beneficial to adapt your strategy to focus more on retention than seeking new customers, instead building a reputation of trust that will keep your customers around for the long term.

 

Expand Your Voice While the Space Dwindles

Other competitors are likely to draw back their marketing reach to try and mitigate potential losses. This is your chance to amplify your brand’s visibility and voice while others are inevitably going to be quieting down. During the lull, you could reach customers who are seeking businesses they can trust during uncertain times.

 

You Can Flex Your Economic Understanding

You can create savvy business solutions such as promotions and discounts that will help retain customers and possibly even attract new ones. You don’t need to be silent about the current state of the economy, either. You can empathize and connect with your customers and reassure them that your business isn’t going anywhere and you’re going to continue to offer great service at a great cost.

 


 

 

Why Marketing During Uncertain Times Works

 

While your initial thought might be to cut back to try and mitigate an uncertain economy, there's proof that marketing through these times is possible with the use of a disciplined data strategy. History shows even during the Great Recession, 63 per cent of brands that increased their marketing investment saw a positive return on investment from these strategies.

 

What you need to avoid is cutting back the second uncertain times that appear on the horizon. Those who are prepared to weather the storm are often the ones who will reap the benefits.

 

The brands that continue to prioritize marketing budgets can work towards positive outcomes, such as:

  1. Maintaining brand visibility and encouraging a consumer relationship of trust
  2. Capitalizing on other competitors' lower marketing efforts
  3. Learning to adapt to changing consumer behaviour and preferences to reflect the times

 


 

The Pitfalls of Avoiding a Key Marketing Strategy

 

Marketing during an economic downturn is essential for keeping your brand visibility at the top of your customer’s minds, increasing their loyalty and overall competitive advantage.

 

Your business can be falling behind by neglecting or improperly managing marketing efforts during difficult times can lead to several pitfalls:

 

Losing Brand Visibility

  • The Pitfall: If you cut your marketing budget could drastically cause your brand to fade from your customers’ minds.

  • The Impact: Competitors who are maintaining or even increasing their marketing visibility are more likely to capture more of the market share, leaving your brand struggling to recover when the economy improves.

 

Erosion of Customer Trust and Loyalty

  • The Pitfall: If you reduce the communication with your customers, you could be telling them that your business is struggling or not very committed to continuing to meet their needs.

  • The Impact: Customers turn to competitors who maintain consistent engagement and messaging. If you lack the marketing, they could swoop in and take your customers.

 

Missed Opportunities

  • The Pitfall: If you fail to adapt your current marketing strategies to align properly with shifting customer priorities, you could be missing out on potential sales.
  • The Impact: Your business can completely miss out on capturing the current demand, especially in industries where customers are going to seek out affordability and long-term value.

 

Damaged Brand Perception

  • The Pitfall: Failing to execute proper campaigns, including those with tone-deaf messaging, can completely alienate your customers from your business during sensitive economic times.

  • The Impact: Negative public perception during a time when other people are uncertain can do terrible damage to your brand’s reputation, meaning you’re less likely to recover.

 

Competitor Advantage

The Pitfall: Scaling back allows your competitors who continue to invest based on data to completely outpace your business market presence.
The Impact: Competitors could poach customers or establish a more dominant position that’s difficult to challenge in a post-economic downturn.

 

Failure to Innovate

  • Pitfall: Viewing marketing as a cost rather than an investment may lead to missed chances to explore digital channels or emerging trends.

  • Impact: Falling behind in innovation makes it harder to engage modern consumers and adapt to changing behaviours.

 

Long-Term Revenue Loss

  • Pitfall: Neglecting marketing during a downturn often results in weaker sales pipelines and lower brand equity.
  • Impact: It may take years to recover lost revenue and market share, even when economic conditions improve.

 

Employee Morale and Productivity

  • The Pitfall: It could be a big mistake to scale back marketing because it can signal to your employees that there’s instability within the company, which can be a damper on company morale.

  • The Impact: Fear, reduced enthusiasm, and productivity from your team as a byproduct can harm several areas of your business.

 

Overemphasis on Short-Term Gains

  • The Pitfall: By focusing only on the short-term gains you could receive from cutting back on the budget or focusing on immediate revenue-generating tactics, you could be ignoring the importance of maintaining long-term brand value for your customers.

  • The Impact: Fumbling your planning strategy can lead to diminishing long-term returns when the economy inevitably bounces back.

 


 

 

How to Avoid These Pitfalls

 

Even during challenging times, you can still find business success if you use the data to develop your strategy and execute it accordingly. Here are some additional tips to keep your business on the upward trend:

 

  • Maintain a Consistent Presence: Rather than eliminating your marketing budget, you can completely adjust it based on your collected data to pivot your approach.

  • Refine Your Messaging: Ensure your campaigns maintain an air of empathy, are relevant to the times, and are properly aligned with your customer’s needs.

  • Focus on Providing Value: Make sure you highlight value and affordability, reliability, and the long-term benefits of your services and products.

  • Monitor Your Data Metrics: Track the performance of your campaigns to make sure you’re getting a good return on investment, even during a challenging market.

  • Make Sure You’re Flexible: Be ready to pivot your strategies based on changing consumer behaviour and market dynamics.

 


 

 

Need Help Marketing During Uncertain Times? Trust REM Web Solutions

 

Founded in 2001, REM Web Solutions has been leading the charge in the digital transformation marketing space. Comprised of seasoned industry professionals, REM Web Solutions is there every step of the way to provide you with the best market industry services. To date, we have propelled hundreds of businesses forward, even during uncertain and challenging times.

 

With REM Web Solutions, we’re there to help develop and execute a detailed and tailored digital transformation marketing strategy to help bring your business to new heights.

 

Don’t leave your business in the dark during uncertain times. Contact us today and we’ll help find a solution that suits you and your business’ unique needs.

 

 

 

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This is a headshot of Sanj Rajput.

Woman smiling while typing on a laptop in her kitchen.

 

Ah. Writing blogs. It’s fun. It’s informative. But how do you do it effectively as a business?

 

Luckily, I know a thing or two about writing blogs. I will offer you key tips and tricks for developing engaging blog content.

 

As the great Mario once said, let’s-ah-go!

 

 

Research Topics Thoroughly

Listen, lots of writers are knowledgeable on several things. But no one knows everything. When approaching a topic, you must verify the information and do your due diligence to ensure your blog is informative.

 

The more informative your blog is, the better it performs. People use blogs as sources of information to help them learn about various subjects in a digestible way.

 

Not only this but having a good grasp of a subject makes the blog writing more engaging by default. The more you sound like you know what you’re talking about, the more your content will flow naturally.

 

People can generally tell when you’re fluffing out content without any substance. And if someone is going to commit to reading a long-form blog, they need to enjoy it and engage with it throughout.

 

 

Linking to Authoritative Sources

Speaking of research, don’t be afraid to link your sources in your blog. Not only does this show your research, but it also makes your blog more authoritative. It adds credibility to your content and invites your audience to learn more from your content.

 

You can help support the claims in your blog by linking to sources that verify your point. However, it’s important to note the types of sources you link to matter. Generally, as a writer, I rely on major research entities that offer verified and peer-reviewed studies. I also will link to government entities and major statistics websites, like Stats Canada.

 

See what I did just there? I’m a genius, I know.

 

Generally, you want to avoid shady links or links to websites such as Wikipedia. Even as a Wikipedia fan myself, you have to bear in mind that it doesn’t have the same reputation as something like Stats Canada or Hubspot Research.

 


 

 

Make Your Blog “Skimmable” and Easy to Read

Listen, we know how much work it takes to write an informative, comprehensive blog, and you want people to read all of it. The reality, however, is that people are likely to skim and skip through certain areas of your blog to get to the information they’re most interested in.

 

You want people to stay on the page and make use of the content. How do you do this? A little “chunkification” and formatting.

 

Chunkification: a made-up word to describe making sure your paragraphs are broken up into bite-sized chunks instead of having walls of text.

 

Also, you can use bullet points to help break up the page.

  1. This creates more space.
  2. This highlights important areas of text.
  3. This stands out from the rest of the blog.
  4. This helps create flow.

You also have to consider the readability of your content. Depending on the subject matter, you want to make sure that your content is easy to read for the general public.

 

Now, to be clear, we’re not suggesting you assume people aren’t educated enough to digest your web content. However, it’s important to keep in mind that 49 per cent of the adult population scored below high-school literacy levels in 2022, while 17 per cent scored at the lowest level.

 

If you’re writing for a more general population, then it’s important to avoid jargon or overly complicated, uncommon language.

Listen, I’m a writer. I know some interesting words like effulgent and susurrus, but just like how you wouldn’t drop words like that in conversation, you likely shouldn’t be in a blog about writing blogs.

 

That would be “cringe.”

 

There are definitely exceptions to this rule to a degree. If you’re writing on a very educated subject that requires complex explanations, you have more leeway.

 

But as a former journalist, I think it’s still important to understand you can present even complex topics in a digestible way that appeals to experts and the general population. It’s taking a difficult subject and breaking it down into simpler terms, avoiding jargon, and being willing to explain.

 


 

 

Have Fun with It

As you’ve likely noticed, I like being a little cheeky when I write these blogs. That’s because I write a lot of content on various subjects, more than you’d likely expect. So, when crafting blog material, I find a way to really have fun with the content and get creative.

 

People can tell when you enjoy what you’re writing about. I know we all dunk on those recipe websites that go into depth about how crab dip was a central part of their childhood - but you can tell they mean it. Right?

 

Or they really understand how SEO works. Either or.

 

Regardless, having a degree of passion for the content will translate into your writing. It’ll inspire you to work hard and find new and innovative ways to engage with your audience.

 

Besides, it’s just so much more fun to read content when you can tell the author loves what they do. It isn’t just about optimizing the content through SEO, links, and industry trends - it’s about loving what you’re doing.

 

So, how to find that extra spark for your writing? Here are a few suggestions:

  1. Explore trending topics in your industry
  2. Answer frequently asked questions from your audience
  3. Share personal experiences or case studies
  4. Break down complex ideas into simple guides
  5. Write about common myths or misconceptions
  6. Highlight upcoming events or seasonal trends
  7. Create "how-to" tutorials or step-by-step guides
  8. Offer a unique perspective on current news
  9. Share lessons learned from past challenges
  10. Discuss industry innovations or new tools
  11. Create a roundup of expert opinions or advice
  12. Compare and contrast products, services, or methods
  13. Write a beginner's guide to a specific topic
  14. Share behind-the-scenes insights into your process
  15. Highlight customer success stories or testimonials
  16. Write about emerging trends or future predictions
  17. Collaborate with a guest writer for fresh ideas
  18. Repurpose and update older blog content
  19. Conduct and share the results of a survey or poll

 

See What Competitors Are Talking About

I know I said not everything is about industry trends - but they DO matter. And what also matters is what other people are talking about. One of my top suggestions is looking at industry trends, but I wanted to elaborate more.

 

Don’t be one of those who copy blog content, but you can review other blogs to get some ideas of where the industry trends are. What are people going to? What is everyone talking about? Why are people so interested? What do industry highlights have to add to this subject?

 

Finding inspiration by reading other blogs is a great way to make sure your content isn’t running dry. It also allows you to do a temperature check and get a finger on the pulse of what’s trending in your respective industry.

 


 

 

Avoid Tangents and Off-Topic Points

While I’ve made a few cheeky jokes in this blog, they’re all relevant to the content. When you’re writing long-form content, it’s hard to know when to draw the line when bouncing from one section to another.

 

I have a few things I do personally that I learned in journalism school:

  1. Start with a clear outline of your main points
  2. Write a concise and focused headline
  3. Stick to the "5 Ws and 1 H" (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How)
  4. Avoid adding personal anecdotes unless directly relevant
  5. Use subheadings to stay organized and on track
  6. Limit the inclusion of background information to what’s essential
  7. Keep paragraphs short and focused on a single idea
  8. Use a checklist to ensure each point supports the main topic
  9. Regularly refer back to your thesis or core message
  10. Avoid overloading the article with quotes or tangential data
  11. Edit ruthlessly to remove unnecessary details
  12. Read your draft aloud to identify and cut digressions
  13. Ask someone else to review for clarity and focus
  14. Stick to your audience's expectations and needs
  15. Use a strong conclusion to tie back to your main topic

 

The newsroom can be ruthless, and it’s normal to have pieces of your work completely scrapped. While it might not feel good at the time, editing your content to be concise and to-the-point makes sure your audience isn’t getting bored and clicking away.

 

If you find yourself reading your paragraphs and running out of breath, you can likely cut it down.

 


 

 

Know When Conclude

Sometimes you have a specific word count, other times you have full creative freedom. So, once you’ve optimized your content for SEO and hit all your main points, it’s time to close it out. Don’t feel pressured to oversaturate your content. Make sure you’ve touched on all your points thoroughly enough that your audience will walk away more informed.

 

If you feel like you can’t “get to everything” in one post, then link back to other blogs where you expand on a specific topic further. Maybe a related subject, like how to stand out in your customer’s inboxes.

 

Hopefully, you found this guide helpful. If you need additional assistance when it comes to marketing and your digital transformation journey, contact REM Web Solutions today.

 

 

 

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Hey there, marketing enthusiasts! Let us peek into the crystal ball and see what is happening in the digital marketing space for the upcoming year 2025. Buckle up because things are about to get exciting!

 

Digital marketing is evolving rapidly with leaps and bounds, and 2025 promises to bring exciting changes that will reshape businesses' approach when it comes to connecting with their customers.

 

In this blog post, we will explore some of the most significant trends shaping advertising, SEO, lead generation, and much more.

 

 

AI-Driven Marketing Takes Center Stage

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has already transformed the way the internet works, but in 2025, we can expect even more AI advancement. Tools powered by AI are becoming smarter and more automatic, making them essential for everything from ad targeting to personalized content creation.

 

 

How AI Impacts Marketing:

  • Ad Targeting: AI helps advertisers and marketers send the right ads to a targeted audience. For instance, machine learning algorithms analyze user behaviour to predict what your audience is most likely to click on.
  • Chatbots: These AI-powered virtual assistants are continuously improving and becoming better at understanding and responding to human queries, offering 24/7 customer support.
  • Predictive Analytics: AI tools will help advertisers and marketers predict future trends, allowing them to adjust strategies before trends change.

 


 

 

Conversational AI and Voice Search 

 

In 2025, voice search is expected to be more popular than ever, with advancement in smart speakers and virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri leading the charge. With the increase in conversational AI and voice search, marketers and brands can strategically gear their content to obtain the best results.

 

 

Adapting to Voice Search:

  • Natural Language SEO: People speak differently than they type on a keyboard. So, digital marketing experts need to focus more on NLP terms like long-tail keywords and conversational phrases (or semantic keywords).
  • FAQ Content: Answering specific questions in your content can help your website rank higher for voice search queries.
  • Local SEO Boost: Many voice searches are local (e.g., “Where is the nearest cafe?”). So, always ensure your business is listed on platforms like Google Business Profiles (formerly Google My Business) for better visibility.

 


 

 

The Rise of Short-Form Video Content

 

Platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts have made short-form video one of the popular forms of content. By 2025, these short-form videos will dominate other forms of content and will change the way brands engage with their audiences.

 

 

Why Short-Form Videos Work:

  • High Engagement: People love bite-sized content that is easy to consume on the go. A fast-paced society requires fast-paced solutions.
  • Creativity Rules: Brands can show their personality and connect with audiences through fun, relatable, or educational videos.
  • Cross-Platform Impact: A single video can be repurposed across multiple platforms to maximize its reach.

 


 

 

Hyper-Personalization: More Than Just Using Names

 

Personalization has been a trend for years, but in 2025, it will go beyond simply addressing someone by their name in an email. Advanced tools and AI will enable digital marketers and advertisers to deliver their products and services according to each user’s unique preferences.

 

 

How to Personalize Effectively:

  • Dynamic Content: Websites and emails will adjust content based on a consumer’s past behaviour or preferences.
  • Product Recommendations: Have you ever noticed Netflix and Amazon show suggestions as per your interests? This level of personalization is becoming the standard in the modern age.
  • Segmented Campaigns: Instead of blasting the same message to everyone, advertisers must create smaller, highly targeted campaigns.

 


 

 

Social Commerce: Shopping on Social Media

 

Social media platforms are slowly converting into an advanced e-commerce hub. In 2025, the gap between social media and online shopping will be smaller than ever.

 

 

Key Features Driving Social Commerce:

  • In-App Checkouts: Platforms like Instagram and Facebook will allow users to complete purchases without leaving the app.
  • Shoppable Posts: Users can click on a product in a post and buy it instantly.
  • Live Shopping Events: Brands host live streams where they display products, answer questions, and offer exclusive deals.

 


 

 

SEO Evolves: Smarter Algorithms and New Ranking Factors

 

Search engine optimization (SEO) will remain important and crucial, as Google and other search engines are constantly changing how they should rank websites. Staying updated on these changes is essential for digital marketers.

 

 

SEO Trends for 2025:

  • Core Web Vitals: Google is always focused on the user experience (page speed, mobile friendliness, etc.,) which will remain the top priority.
  • E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Content needs to be credible, backed-up by experts, and written for the user. Recently, Google has added another 'E' for Experience. So, in 2025, showing that you have hands-on experience will be important for ranking your content.
  • Visual Search: People will use images to search for products and information, so optimizing visual search will be important.

 


 

 

AR and VR Redefine Shopping and Customer Experiences

 

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are reshaping how consumers will interact with brands, offering immersive and engaging experiences across all industries.

 

 

What’s Driving AR and VR’s Growth

  • Immersive Shopping: Retail leaders like IKEA and Sephora are leading the charge. IKEA’s AR app allows customers to visualize their chosen furniture in their home or office spaces, while Sephora’s virtual try-on technology allows users test makeup looks virtually. These tools offer convenience and personalization, raising the bar for customer expectations.
  • Industry-Specific Applications: Fashion brands are exploring virtual try-ons, while real estate companies use VR tours to highlight properties remotely.

 


 

 

Influencer Marketing 2.0

 

Influencer marketing is maturing at a rapid speed. By 2025, brands will prioritize quality over quantity, partnering with influencers who align with their values and audience.

 

 

What’s Changing in Influencer Marketing:

  • Nano and Micro-Influencers: Smaller influencers with niche audiences always drive better engagement than mega-celebrities.
  • Long-Term Partnerships: Instead of one-off campaigns, brands are forming ongoing relationships with influencers.
  • Authenticity Over Perfection: Audiences always prefer relatable, unpolished content over heavily edited posts.

 


 

 

The Metaverse: A New Frontier for Marketing

 

The metaverse—virtual spaces where people interact through digital avatars—is creating new opportunities for marketers and brands. While it is still a developing technology, this space is anticipated to grow significantly in 2025.

 

 

How Marketers Can Leverage the Metaverse:

  • Virtual Storefronts: Brands can create engaging shopping experiences by hosting a virtual, explorable storefront.
  • Event Sponsorships: Hosting and sponsoring virtual events in the metaverse can help reach new audiences.
  • Gamified Experiences: Interactive, game-like content can engage users and build brand loyalty.

 


 

 

Email Marketing Stays Strong, But Smarter

 

Email marketing remains one of the most reliable ways to connect with your audience. However, in 2025, it will be all about utilizing smarter strategies.

 

 

What’s Changing in Email Marketing

  • AI-Powered Optimization: AI tools will help craft subject lines, test content, and send emails to the targeted audience.
  • Interactive Emails: Embedded videos, polls, and carousels make emails more engaging.
  • Focus on Segmentation: Highly targeted campaigns will always outperform, giving impressive results.

 


 

 

Wrapping Up: The Future is Bright

 

Phew! That was a lot to take in, right? But don’t worry—you don’t have to implement these trends all at once. The key is to stay informed, remain adaptable, and always keep your audience's needs your top priority.


Remember that while technology is advancing at rapid speed, the fundamentals of good marketing will always remain unchanged: understand your audience, provide valuable content, and build relationships. As we head into 2025, marketers who can balance innovative tech with timeless principles will thrive.


And hey! If all else fails while implementing these trends, you can always rely on expert guidance through your digital marketing transformation. Consider partnering with REM Web Solutions. We specialize in comprehensive digital strategies that can elevate your brand's online presence while ensuring you are ahead of the curve in this ever-changing landscape.

 

So, are you ready for 2025? We’re looking forward to a fun and exciting ride in the field of digital marketing! Buckle up, stay updated on the trends ahead—and do not forget to enjoy every step along the way! We’ll be here with you.

 

 

 

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Social media has become one of the most powerful marketing tools for businesses. With the rise of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok, brands and businesses quickly realized the enormous opportunity of reaching customers where they're already hanging out.


But there’s an elephant in the room: the decline in organic reach.


Fact is, organic reach on social media peaked somewhere between 2007 and 2012. Since then, it's been on a steep and steady decline. Take Facebook – today, the average engagement rate for an organic Facebook post sits at a measly 1.52%-2.58%, a far cry from the 12% average we saw a decade ago.


Increased competition, algorithm updates, and platforms pushing paid advertising have all taken their toll – and the shift has many marketers pronouncing organic reach well and truly dead.
But what does that mean, exactly? Is organic social reach really dead? And if it is, how can brands and content creators stay visible?  


Let’s dive in and break it down.

 

 

What is Organic Social Reach?

Before we take a pulse on organic social reach, let’s first understand what it means.


Organic social reach refers to the number of people who see your content naturally (without you paying for ads) on social media platforms. This can happen in several ways, such as:

 

  • A post being shared by followers
  • A post appearing in someone's feed because they follow you
  • A piece of content going viral through engagement (likes, shares, comments)
  • A post being discovered by new people through the platform’s algorithms

 

In the early days of social media, organic reach was the gold standard. Brands posted content and reached thousands and millions of people without spending a dime. This was because platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter prioritized users' content from pages and accounts they followed.


But in recent years, this has changed.

 


 

 

Why Are People Saying Organic Reach is Dead?

There are a few reasons why we’re talking about organic reach being dead before it’s even had an official obituary:

 

1. Algorithm Changes

One of the biggest changes in the social media landscape is the shift from chronological feeds to algorithm-driven ones. In the early days, users saw posts in the order they were shared or posted, with the newest content appearing first and on the top. But now, these social media platforms use algorithms like user intent to decide what content should appear in a user’s feed.


These algorithms try and only show users the content they are most interested in and are likely to engage with. These algorithms are based on their interests, past behavior, and interactions. This means that even if someone follows your page, your content may not show up in their feed unless it is highly interesting and relevant to them. Hence a significant drop in the number of people who naturally saw their posts.

 

2. Increased Competition

As social media has grown tremendously in the past decade, the number of users and businesses has also increased, all vying for attention.


Every day, millions of unique posts are created and are being shared across all platforms, which in return increases the competition for eyeballs.


With so much content being uploaded, it is harder for any individual post to stand out, especially if you are not spending money on ads to boost visibility.

 

3. Platform Prioritize Paid Content

Social media platforms are also businesses, and like any business, they also need to make money. Due to algorithm changes, organic reach began to decline, and platforms like Facebook and Instagram started prioritizing paid content in users' feeds. Now, advertisers are also willing to pay for their posts to be shown to a larger and more relevant audience, and this shift has further led to even less organic reach for non-advertising users.


For example, Facebook's Feed algorithm used to show posts from pages users followed. But now, it has also started to include more content from family and friends, paid advertisements (sponsored), and suggested posts. If you are not using paid ads for your brand, you are less likely to see the same organic reach you once did.

 

4. User Behaviour

In recent times, user interaction with social media has changed. Most of the users nowadays scroll quickly through their feeds, paying less attention to posts from brands. Some platforms, like Instagram, have also introduced features like Stories, which focus more on temporary (60 seconds), in-the-moment content rather than permanent posts on your feed.


People are also using social media more passively now—consuming content without engaging too much with it. Likes, comments, and shares are becoming less and less. This means the algorithm does not pick up as much engagement as it used to earlier to show your content to others.
The result? Your content has a harder time spreading organically.

 


 

 

Is Organic Reach Dead? Not Exactly

While it is true that organic social reach has declined in recent years, it is not entirely dead. The reality is a bit more complicated. Here is why:

 

1. It Depends on the Platform

Some platforms like TikTok still offer a decent amount of organic reach, especially for creators and businesses that focus on high-quality content and engagement. TikTok has proven that organic reach is still alive and well. The platform’s "For You" page uses a powerful algorithm to recommend content to users based on their interests, regardless of whether they follow the creator or brand.


Similarly, LinkedIn is another platform where organic reach is still quite strong, especially for thought leadership content. By sharing insightful posts or articles, individuals and companies can still gain significant exposure without needing to pay for ads.

 

2. Content Quality Matters More Than Ever

We all agree that organic reach is lower than before, but it is still possible to reach large numbers of people if your content is high-quality and it resonates well. High-quality, shareable content will always have a better chance of being seen, even if you are not boosting it with ads.


This means you need to focus on creating content that adds value for your audience. Whether that is through educational posts, entertainment, or community engagement, content that speaks to your target audience’s interests is more likely to be shared and engage users. People who engage with your content may share it, which can lead to organic reach through their network of followers.

 

3. Engagement is Key

Social media algorithms prioritize engagement—likes, shares, comments, and time spent on your post. So, while organic reach might be harder to come by it is still possible if you focus on building a loyal and engaged community.


Engaging with your followers directly through comments, polls, and interactive content (like live streams or Q&A sessions) can increase your visibility. When users interact with your posts, it signals to the algorithm that your content is worth showing to more people. Creating conversations to foster relationships with your audience is crucial for maintaining a decent level of organic reach.

 

4. Smaller, Niche Audiences Can Still Be Reached Organically

While large, broad audiences may be harder to reach, targeting smaller, niche audiences can still yield results. By tailoring your content to specific interests or communities, you can connect with people who are more likely to engage with and share your posts.


Think of it this way: It might be harder to reach a huge, general audience organically, but reaching a smaller, more engaged group of people who share your brand’s values or interests can still be just as effective—if not more so—when it comes to conversions and loyalty.

 


 

 

What Can You Do About It?

So, what should a brand and business do if they want to maintain a social media presence and grow their audience? Here are some tips a brand and business can follow:

 

1. Embrace Paid Social Media Advertising

We all know organic reach is always harder to achieve, and paid advertising is still a powerful tool. By running targeted ad campaigns, you can ensure that your content is reaching the right people. Paid ads also allow you to amplify your reach and drive more traffic to your posts/feed, products, or services.

 

2. Diversify Your Strategy

These days, relying solely on organic reach on social media can be risky. To future-proof your marketing efforts, diversify your strategy by building an extensive email list, optimizing your website for SEO, and exploring other marketing channels like podcasts or YouTube.

 

3. Focus on Community Building

Always focus on creating a community, rather than just broadcasting messages to your followers. Respond to comments and reviews, ask questions, host live sessions, and encourage user-generated content. People always engage more with such content and will share content that feels personal and relevant to them.

 

4. Stay on Top of Trends

Social media platforms are constantly evolving, so it is important to stay updated on trends and new features. For example, if a platform launches a new format (like Instagram Reels or TikTok challenges), try to take advantage of it before it becomes oversaturated.

 

5. Experiment with New Platforms

If organic reach is diminishing on one platform, it might be worth exploring new or emerging platforms where organic reach is still working and strong. TikTok, for example, remains an excellent platform for organic discovery.

 


 

 

Conclusion

While organic social reach may not be what it used to be, it is not entirely dead. With the right approach, you can still build an engaged audience and generate organic reach on social media.

 

However, businesses and creators need to adapt to the ever-changing landscape, diversify their strategies, and invest in building genuine relationships with their audiences. By doing so, you can stay relevant and continue to thrive in the ever-evolving world of social media.

 

REM Web Solutions - Boost Your Organic Social Reach Today

Is your brand struggling to get noticed on social media? At REM Web Solutions, we understand the challenges of maintaining organic social reach in today’s crowded digital landscape. Our team of digital marketing experts can help you navigate the complexities of social media algorithms and boost your online presence.


Whether you need a fresh social media strategy or help optimizing your content to reach your target audience, we are here to help.


Do not let reduced organic reach hold you back. Contact us today and let REM Web Solutions guide you on how to make the most of your social media marketing efforts!

 

 

 

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As brands compete for attention and top search rankings, one question matters now more than ever: how can you leverage SEO to drive traffic and engage your audience?


The answer lies in keyword relevance. It is essential to understand the keywords that best align with your audience’s search intent and how those keywords impact your SEO efforts.


In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of keyword relevance for better SEO results and how businesses can thrive in a digital landscape.

 

 

What is Keyword Relevance - The Basics

Before we jump into how to examine keyword relevance, it is important to understand what "keyword relevance" means.

 

Keyword relevance refers to how closely and accurately a keyword matches with the objective of your target audience and the content being provided. Keyword relevance is not just about selecting a phrase or word that has high search volume, but it is the one that aligns with the intent of the potential readers.

 

For example, a public safety website that deals with house fires would target the keyword "house fire” or a long-tail keyword such as “common causes of house fires.” Whereas a travel agency specializing in eco-tourism in Hawaii will focus on the keyword “eco-tourism Hawaii.”

 


 

 

Why Keyword Relevance Is Important

When choosing keywords for the website, it is important to focus on how applicable and related the word is to the website, not just search volume. Relevant keywords help improve a website's visibility, ranking, and authority on search engines.

 

Search engines like Google prioritize content that answers users' queries. So, understanding what the audience is searching for is the key. If the content matches customer intent, it is more likely to rank well.

 

Google’s algorithms keep on evolving and have become smarter, now focusing on the meaning behind search queries, not just exact keywords. If you've noticed, tools like Google Search Console have started providing related searches that can help reveal what people are truly looking for. 

 

By using words or phrases that align with customers' objectives, the content will be more useful and will rank better. This will drive more traffic to the website, and in return, will lead to more conversions and revenue.

 

For example, let us say you have a linen business. You sell towels online, so "towel" seems like a logical keyword.

 

But the issue with the keyword "towel" is that it is too broad and vague, and it does not describe any of your specific products, which will make it extremely hard to rank.

 

On the other hand, if your brand sells microfiber face towels, you should use the keyword: “microfiber face towels,” respectively. Even though this word or phrase might have less search volume, it is much more accurate and describes user intent very well. So, you will have a better chance of ranking higher on search engine results.

 

Instead of focusing solely on high-volume words or phrases and broader terms, you can target keywords more specific to your product that answer what your users are searching for. This helps Google better understand and rank your website.

To explain more why keyword relevance is crucial, let us consider the following benefits:

 

  • Increased Engagement and Conversions: By choosing words and phrases that align perfectly with the people's intention, you are attracting the right kind of traffic to your website. This will lead to more activity on your website, and there will be a better chance of turning visitors into customers or clients.
  • Improved Search Engine Rankings: Search engines like Google or Bing want to deliver the best and most accurate results for any user’s query. When you use keywords that are extremely relevant to what users are looking for, your content will show up higher in search results.

 

  • Improved User Experience (UX): Relevant keywords and phrases help visitors to find exactly what they need. When your content answers their query perfectly and meets their objective, it not only makes the user experience better but also encourages search engines to rank your site higher.

 

 

How to Vet Keywords for Relevance

Now that we understand why keyword relevance is so important, let us look at how you can choose the right ones. Here is a step-by-step guide:

 

 

1. Understand your audience and what they are searching for.

To select the right keywords, we first must understand what an audience is trying to find. This can get a little tricky at the start, but with the right tools and a better understanding of who your audience is, it is manageable.

There are four main types of search intent to consider:

  • Navigational Intent: The user who is looking for a specific website or page (e.g., “LinkedIn login”).
  • Informational Intent: The user who is looking for answers or information (e.g., “what is keyword relevance”).
  • Transactional Intent: The user who is ready to buy something (e.g., “buy cleaning robot online”).
  • Commercial Investigation: The user who is comparing products or services before making a purchase (e.g., “best keyword research tools 2024”).


It is important to match content with the user’s intent. For example, a blog post titled "How to Vet Keywords Relevance for Better Results" matches informational intent, while an eCommerce page like "Buy cleaning robot online" targets transactional intent.

 

2. Use Keyword Research Tools

Keyword research tools are extremely helpful when it comes to keyword planning and research. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ubersuggest, Ahrefs and Moz are equipped with features which can show search volume, competition, related keywords, and ideas.

When looking for keywords, always focus on:

 

  • Relevance
  • Search Volume and Competition
  • Long-Tail Keywords

 

3. Check What Your Competitors Are Doing

Always check what keywords your competitors are using. This is a wonderful way to discover valuable keywords. This also tells for what keywords your competitors are ranking. Using tools like SEMrush or Ubersuggest, you can enter your competitor’s website’s URL and see what keywords are used on the pages.

 

This will give you a clear picture of what is working in your industry and will help you find keyword opportunities you might not have considered.
 

4. Track How Keywords Are Performing

Planning and selecting keywords are just the start. The key is to monitor how well they are performing. Once the keywords are chosen, you need to track them using Google Analytics and Google Search Console to see their performance. Look for the key performance indicators (KPIs) like traffic, bounce rates, and conversion rates.

If you find some keywords are not performing well, you can always go back and make changes by improving your landing pages and trying new keywords.
 

5. Align Keywords with the Right Content

Every content must have a separate set of keywords. In other words, every page of a website has a different purpose, so they should have specific keywords for every page. High-competition, broad keywords should be used for homepages or main content, while more specific, low-competition long-tail keywords are great for blog posts, product or service pages, or FAQ sections.

The main aim is to match the right keyword with the content to get the best results for SEO.
 


 

 

Conclusion

Keyword relevance is a critical component of a successful SEO strategy. So doing in-depth keyword research before you even start to write content is important. By understanding user search intent, researching competitors’ keywords, refining your keyword list, and optimizing content accordingly, you can target keywords that are not only relevant but also highly effective in driving traffic and conversions.
 

Improve Your Website for Success - SEO Strategies by REM Web Solutions

At REM Web Solutions, our team of SEO experts and content strategists will help you implement the best keyword strategies, improve your rankings, and drive more traffic to your site.

We have years of experience in digital transformation and a proven record of success. We know how to boost your website’s health, visibility, and engagement. Let us help you stay ahead of the competition and ensure your website is always working for you. Reach out to us today to start optimizing your SEO strategy!

 

 

 

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So, you’re diving into pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, hoping to bring in waves of traffic, boost your brand’s visibility, and see those conversion numbers climb. You’re not alone in craving fast results!

 

A lot of business owners and marketers eager to see their hard work pay off ask, “How soon will I see any impact?”

 

That’s a fair question—PPC, after all, is known for its potential to get you noticed fast, unlike those slower marketing methods where it feels like you’re watching paint dry.

 

But don’t get ahead of yourself: while PPC has that faster edge, it’s not a magic trick that delivers instant wins. Why? The PPC timeline is more of a shifting target, depending on everything from your campaign structure and targeting strength to ad quality, budget, and bidding strategy—each piece affects how fast results kick in.

 

Here’s the real rundown on what to expect in those early PPC days, key milestones showing progress, and a grounded timeframe for seeing that long-awaited payoff. This guide will help you hit the ground running with realistic expectations, so you’re clear on what PPC demands in its first few weeks.

 

 

Understanding the PPC Timeline: Why Results Take Time

Sure, PPC gets your brand in front of potential customers fast—but let’s not mistake that for overnight results. You’ll likely see some movement within a few days of launching a campaign, but major outcomes? Those need a bit more time to develop. PPC success isn’t a quick-fix—it’s a process that builds through collecting data, making adjustments, and optimizing with precision.

 

When your ads first go live, they enter what’s called a “learning phase.” In this stage, platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads work behind the scenes to figure out the best way to show your ads, testing variables like timing, audience, and placements. Each click, view, or reaction to your ad feeds valuable data to these platforms, helping them improve targeting accuracy over time.

 

This stage is a must for getting peak performance, but it’s not instant—it often takes weeks of data collection and fine-tuning to hit efficiency. This phase is especially important in competitive industries where every little adjustment could be the difference between solid clicks and wasted budget.

 

 

Week 1: Initial Setup and Learning Phase

That first week of a PPC campaign is all about laying down solid groundwork. This is where your PPC team sets up ad groups, chooses keywords, defines your audience, and locks in budgets.

 

Foundational decisions are key here, like selecting high-intent keywords that’ll actually draw the right crowd, creating ad copy that grabs attention, and making sure landing pages are prepped for conversions. Without these steps, the campaign may never reach its full potential, so a careful setup in week one can make all the difference for your ad performance over the long haul.

 

A major part of this setup is understanding your audience from the get-go. REM Web Solutions’ Target Audience and Market Segmentation is a great resource for tips on pinpointing and segmenting your target market, a critical piece of launching a strong PPC campaign. This early understanding not only ensures your ad dollars are being spent wisely but also starts your campaign off with data-backed accuracy.

 

In these early days, don’t expect a landslide of conversions—this phase is all about feeding data into the algorithm so it can learn and improve. You might start seeing clicks and impressions, which is encouraging, but remember, it’s just the beginning.

 

 

Weeks 2-4: Optimization and Adjustments

As you move into the second through fourth weeks, the picture starts getting clearer. You should start seeing steadier results in terms of clicks, impressions, and maybe even some early conversions.

 

By now, the platform has collected enough data to make smarter choices about who sees your ads. This is when your PPC team steps in to make the necessary tweaks—like adjusting bids, refining targeting, and experimenting with new keywords.

 

These ongoing adjustments keep your campaign dynamic, responding to what’s working best and amplifying those results. During this stage, having a rock-solid digital marketing strategy in place is crucial. Our post on The Basics of Creating an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy dives into the fundamentals of building an impactful strategy, which will enhance your PPC campaign’s performance.

 

It’s tempting to start making sweeping changes here, but PPC thrives on data—it needs time to respond to each tweak so you can gauge its impact accurately. Patience pays off, so give each adjustment time to settle and gather insights.


Experimenting is key, but don’t be hasty; quick shifts can create confusion in your campaign's performance data. Instead, controlled changes let you truly measure what’s moving the needle.

 

 

Weeks 4-6: Gaining Traction and Measuring Progress

Moving into weeks four through six, your campaign is likely hitting a more consistent stride. With the learning phase wrapping up, you’ll get a clearer sense of audience responses, and your campaign goals should be coming into focus.

 

At this point, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) is vital. Check out our post on Measuring Digital Success: KPIs & Analytics for Business Growth to learn more about the crucial KPIs you should be watching to gauge progress—like click-through rates (CTR), cost per click (CPC), and conversions. These numbers tell you what’s working and what needs work so you can plan your next moves.

 

Performance patterns emerging now help make strategic decisions easier. You’ll likely find that some keywords and ad types are standing out, while others may need phasing out. By identifying these patterns, you can effectively reallocate resources, making sure every ad dollar goes further and improves your return on investment.

 

 

Months 2-3: Building on Initial Success

If you’ve stayed the course through the early phases, months two and three bring satisfying returns. This is the point where a solid foundation and weeks of data pay off.

 

By now, you should be seeing returns on investment (ROI) and meeting some of those initial campaign goals. Steady returns not only mean that your campaign is hitting its stride but that it’s positioned for greater scalability as the data continues to come in.

 

With a more mature campaign, it’s time to consider the finer points of PPC. Read Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC): Driving Immediate Results for more insight into leveraging PPC’s nuances for further success.


At this stage, you might want to experiment with display ads, remarketing, or new ad groups—targeting high-performing segments that showed promise in the first month or two. You can also begin to target fresh audience segments or test visually engaging ad formats to keep users engaged and expand your reach creatively.

 

 

Months 3 and Beyond: Long-Term Strategy and Scaling

After three months, your campaign should be running with peak efficiency and a refined setup. At this point, you’ve likely found the “sweet spot” where your ads hit the right audience, at the right times, with precision. This phase is when businesses often see the largest returns and can scale with confidence.

 

Scaling isn’t just about throwing more budget at the campaign. It’s a calculated strategy that involves exploring new keywords, ad formats, and possibly even expanding to other platforms. This could mean using Facebook or Instagram ads to broaden your reach or even adding video content if your audience responds well to visual media.


For insights into the long-term benefits of PPC, check out this guest post on our blog about 6 Benefits of PPC for Small Business. Recognizing these benefits keeps your strategy fresh and adaptable as your PPC investment grows, letting you see more significant results over time without the worry of stagnation.

 

 

Key Factors That Influence Your PPC Timeline

The timeline for PPC results varies. Here’s a look at some factors that impact speed:

 

  • Industry Competition: In competitive industries, PPC costs and timelines can run higher.
  • Ad Budget: Larger budgets allow for faster data collection, speeding up the process.
  • Target Audience: Broad campaigns take longer to optimize, while niche targets often yield quicker insights.
  • Campaign Goals: Campaigns aimed at brand awareness show impact faster than sales-focused ones.
  • Ad Quality and Relevance: High-quality, relevant ads with strong calls-to-action perform faster.

 

With each of these factors, PPC requires a watchful eye to ensure each element is performing up to its potential. Don’t be afraid to adjust based on what’s working—PPC is an adaptable approach that can evolve to fit your business needs, which is what makes it so effective.

 

 

Wrapping Up: Patience Pays Off in PPC

PPC can be a game-changer, but it demands patience and a strategic approach. The timeline from launch to results can span months, with the best returns emerging after three months of careful monitoring. The silver lining? With each week, your campaign gathers more data, and each tweak inches your campaign closer to peak performance.

 

If you’re looking to boost your PPC efforts, knowing the realistic timeline helps set clear expectations. For more on building a PPC strategy that stands the test of time, see REM’s Sustaining Long-Term PPC Success. With a well-planned campaign and steady tweaks, you’ll be on the path to lasting results.

 

Ready to see what PPC can do for your business? Contact REM Web Solutions today and let’s build a campaign that delivers real results and maximizes your return on investment.

 

 

 

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