The Online Marketing Strategies Every Campaign Must Include
You have a business, so now you need to get people to walk through your door or land on your website, because without that website or foot traffic you have no chance of generating sales. Without sales there is no revenue coming in. Without revenue you can’t keep the business above water.
So, simply put, you need to be marketing online. Seems overwhelming? Well, it doesn’t have to be. You just need to know what online marketing strategies are worth your time and effort. Not everything will work for every business, so it’s important to focus on strategies that will be beneficial. Here are a few strategies that work for almost all businesses, so consider adding them to your campaign.
A website optimized for all devices and conversion focused.
You need a website, even if all of your business is done at a physical location, because you need a way for people to discover that your brick and mortar location even exists. You also need to make sure that your website delivers a good user experience and someone can easily buy or contact you from that website.
“It’s important that anyone who lands on your website can either make a purchase if you’re an e-commerce business or contact you if your website is more of an information resource,” says April Gillmore of ClickFirst Marketing. “This is where conversion rate optimization comes into play.” There is no sense spending all of the time and money on promoting your website if the traffic isn’t going to convert.
Facebook ads.
Everyone is active on Facebook. Seriously, try to name some people that do not have an active Facebook profile. From teens to grandparents, the audience on the platform is huge and worldwide.
“Facebook gives you the opportunity to market any product or service to a very specific audience,” says Chris Moberg of Slumber Search, a website that reviews all bedding, including the best mattresses for side sleepers. “There is no other online marketing option that gives you the targeting options that Facebook gives you.” You can literally break down your ideal customer and place ads directly in front of them.
Do you want to market your sports bar to people within a 10 mile radius of Dallas that are also fans of the Dallas Cowboys Facebook page? Not a problem. With Facebook ads you can target down to any interest you can imagine.
SEO (search engine optimization).
SEO is something that needs to be a main focus point, but you need to approach it correctly or you will waste time and money. You have to understand that SEO takes time and there are some keywords and terms you will never rank for.
“If you are in a competitive line of business and websites like Amazon and Walmart are occupying the top results for some of your products then going after those keywords can be a huge waste of time and money,” says Tad Thomas, of car wreck firm Thomas Law Offices. “Instead, find keywords that you can rank for, even if the search volume is lower.” You have to be realistic.
Look for low hanging fruit you can rank for build up your organic traffic that way. Instead of throwing money at terms you will never rank for, use that money in paid campaigns where you know you can deliver results.
Content marketing.
This is something that every business needs to participate in, and publishing content on a blog regularly serves two purposes: pleasing the search engines and your website traffic.
“You have to publish content if you want to rank for keywords and search terms on Google, so while you want to do this, you also want to create that content in a way that entertains, educates and informs your website visitors,” explains Pat Skinner of highly recommended call center outsourcing company, AnswerFirst. Giving them something to engage with helps to build brand trust and it increases the chance of them doing business with you.
You don’t want to write content only Google will love and you don’t want to publish posts only geared towards visitors and ignoring what will help you rank on Google. You have to have a mix of the two. Write for Google without being spammy and write for your audience without being boring. Once you can master this you will see your traffic increase as well as your conversion rates. You can also then integrate ads into your content like this blog does, and earn Google AdSense income.
Social media marketing.
Social media is everywhere these days, and you need to first determine what platforms your customers are on and then be consistently posting new content there.
“Most businesses will benefit from being on the big three: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter,” says Pedro Del Nero of Vaporizer Vendor, a company that uses social media often. “These are the most broad platforms, but some should also focus on other platforms that have the potential to deliver results.” For example, a B2B business will want to focus on LinkedIn, while a wedding cake decorator would want to be very active on Pinterest.
Knowing who your target customer is and where they are active will help you craft the most effective social media strategy. You also want to be active on social media because it’s where most turn to when they have a customer service question or comment.
Email marketing.
This is still one of the most effective formats of online marketing, and it’s one that every business needs to do consistently, in order to leverage properly. When done right, you can generate revenue every time you press the “send” button.
“Building an email list of both customers and prospects form the first day has several benefits,” says Sandra Kindem of Owakihi, a company that offers help for the disabled. “It allows you to constantly put offers in front of your active customer base and you can also constantly appeal to those that are potentially interested in your brand.” An active email list can generate sales every time you send mail.
You want to be careful not to spam your list and mail it too often. If you are too aggressive with your emails you will see a large percentage of your list unsubscribe. Make sure you mail only when you have an irresistible offer or something of value to place in front of your subscribers.
