The easiest way to describe marketing is referring to it as a science. There is not one quick remedy that will work for all companies to grow. It takes time, research and a healthy mix of customized marketing strategies to be a success. Promoting your own business can be a very challenging job, especially when your budget has restrictions and you do not have any experience promoting products.
Competition can be fierce as well, and it’s getting harder to draw in new customers than ever since consumers have all the answers they need right at their fingertips on their mobile devices. This actually builds a stronger case in favor of using digital marketing, that it is even more important than ever to build your brand’s digital presence to make an impact in consumers decisions to make purchases. Customers are always searching for answers and it is your job to make sure your business is there in their search results and encourage them to take action.
Traditional forms of marketing, like local newspapers, magazines, and billboards, can put a large dent in your business’ marketing budget — and they do not offer the same accuracy as digital marketing when evaluating performance. It is near impossible to retrieve accurate data on these traditional marketing efforts. They are unable to show how many people actually saw your ad, took interest in your brand or more importantly – who took action!
Digital marketing is allowing businesses big and small to take advantage of various internet marketing techniques. Doing the research on your consumers before starting any digital marketing efforts is proven to produce the best return on investment. Researching things like keywords, the various platforms your consumers are active on and listening to conversations they are having online are sure ways to prepare your business with the right data to engage in digital marketing efforts that produce results!
Below are 7 ways online businesses can utilize digital marketing to grow their businesses. Remember, one strategy or technique that works for one company might not work for another. Each company has their own customers with unique needs. Starting off small and measuring performance is key.
- Email Marketing
We are highlighting Email Marketing as number one on our list because it actually has the power to generate sales and customers for life – depending how you use it. This digital marketing method is safe to say it will be around for the long run. It is the optimum way to communicate with your customer. When a customer decides to opt-in to your email list, they are saying that they want to give your messages some importance in their life and their inbox. Don’t take this lightly. Be sure to craft emails that provide value to your customer – so they will remain loyal readers and hopefully future customers.
2. Video Marketing
Video is known as an entertaining and engaging format of content that viewers prefer to consume. Video not only gives consumers a real-life picture of what is going on with your brand, but it’s also easy to share across multiple social platforms. Consumers like video content because it’s easy to digest and entertaining. Youtube is the second most visited search engine by consumers in the world. Creating video content that you can then place on YouTube increases your chances of engaging with prospective customers since that is the platform they are looking for answers everyday. Growing your brand’s online presence on video sharing platforms like this are sure ways to increase website visitors, brand awareness and sales.
3. Webinars
Webinars are climbing the charts as a very effective way to market to your consumers but in an organic way. Webinars give businesses the chance to provide valuable information to their prospective customers. They can be live or pre-recorded, whichever format works for you. I recommend sitting in on a few webinars before presenting one yourself. Familiarizing yourself with the format and flow of this marketing tactic will increase your chance of success. A webinar can be classified similar to an online seminar that normally is either presenting, demonstrating or discussing a particular topic or product.
Some might consider webinars just
another format of video marketing, but webinars are actually proven to produce
more engagement compared to a traditional video. Since webinars have a specific
beginning and end time, they automatically ignite the feeling of scarcity to
consumers that they don’t want to miss this chance of taking part in this
one-time opportunity to learn from experts like you! Be sure to involve your
audience as much as possible. Webinars tend to produce better results when the
audience has a chance to be interactive as well. Give them a shout out, say
hello, ask them questions. Its all about engagement!
4. Search Engine Optimization
(SEO)
Search Engine Optimization allows you to position your website better in search engine results like Bing, Google, and Yahoo. Without taking the proper steps to optimize your website content, your business may find it difficult to appear in search results when potential customers are searching for your services or products. Your ranking on search engines directly are a result of how well you are optimizing your website content with things like relevant keywords. These keywords are the words and phrases that consumers are automatically associating your products or services with. The more you use these words strategically within your content the better you will rank and be found by consumers.
**BONUS TIP** Utilize Google’s Keyword Planner (https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/) to learn more about which keywords consumers are using to
find your services, products or information on your niche.
5. Retargeting
One of the top ways to convert interested consumers into paying customers is through the use of new marketing techniques like retargeting. It is a known fact that brands need to get in front of their potential customer’s eyes multiple times before they take action and this strategy actually automates that processes for companies to take advantage of. The process involves the placement of a cookie to track customers as they explore the internet. During their time on the internet, they will be served multiple banner ads showing previous products that they have already viewed in earlier sessions.
6. Content Marketing
More and more brands are taking the initiative and creating content on their own. Taking the first step and creating a Content Marketing Strategy is a strategic way to ensure your brand is providing the content your target audience is looking for. Some examples of content include blogs, infographics, and case studies. The goal is to provide valuable information to your target audience that will position your brand as a top information resource in your specific industry. Valuable content build trusts with your audience and encourages them to share your content, which increases organic brand awareness and website traffic.
7. Responsive Website Design
This last strategy might be the most important of all. Most brands forget to check how their websites look on mobile devices when creating their new websites. Since most development work takes place on PC’s, a lot of testing does as well. Your website is the first impression potential customers have of your brand. When websites are not responsive – that increases the struggle website visitors have when trying to view your content.
They have to flip their phones or even pinch the screen to make content bigger or smaller. It just isn’t the experience you should strive for. Take the time to find a website theme that is responsive when creating your website. If your website is already created, take the time to visit it yourself on your phone. Can you see everything clearly? Better yet, have you planned out what is the action you want your potential customer to take when they arrive on your website? Can they complete that action with ease? If not, it is time to spend some time redesigning your website with the customer in mind! The easier it is to navigate your website – the easier it is for them to become customers or contact you!
By now we hope you understand the importance of implementing digital marketing strategies in your online business. Digital marketing gives brands like yours the ability to target marketing efforts to specific audiences in geographic locations, ages, interests and more. This increases the return on investment since the only people that will be seeing your ad is your specific target audience, which increases the chances they will take action. Remember, start out small, do your research on your audience and be sure to optimize your content!
