When business owners hear about online marketing, they might think that it is expensive, requires high maintenance and is not relevant. Many think that it is too complicated and imagine themselves having to Tweet all day and have to use Facebook. That is why these owners often choose conventional ways in marketing strategies. Are you one of these business people? If you are, now is the time to rethink and start creating a marketing plan with the internet as the medium.
First, you have to understand the fundamentals of internet marketing. Marketing on the web is a lot like the traditional method of advertising except for cost, maintenance and the people involved.
The centre of the online marketing universe is a website where you promote your business and your products or services. Once your site is up and running, the next thing to do is to create a marketing plan. Some of the many strategies available include Google Adwords (Pay Per Click), social media marketing, video sales marketing, content marketing and email marketing.
Pay per Click (PPC)
Combine PPC with display advertising. The good thing about this is you only pay when a user clicks on your website. It is important that you understand the pitfalls in PPC advertising, without good campaign management it can become expensive and will not produce the required results. This is Google’s main source of income so they work hard to make sure you get good results from PPC campaigns.
Social Media Marketing
This online marketing uses social media in promoting a product. You create a social media account. Update it regularly. Connect it to your website. The good thing in using this technique is its viral quality. When one person finds your website, product or service interesting, there is a great possibility that he or she will share it. The chain effect ensues and creates a much wider audience than is possible with traditional marketing.
Video Sales Marketing
As the name implies, it uses video ads. Thus, if you incorporate it as one of your strategies, your video must be engaging and interesting. It is just like a traditional TV ad marketing. The only difference is the scope of coverage. You are broadcasting to a wider audience.
Content Marketing
This one is the most effective among marketing in the web. You provide content through publishing in a blog. How can this help boost your business? When people regard you as an expert, they tend to buy from you. The downside is you need to keep your blog site updated; this means that you really have to be active in this. However, you can solve this downside by hiring content writers to do the task for you.
Email Marketing
It is the oldest internet marketing. You can use this technique in combination with content marketing. Send an effective email to your subscribers from time to time to remind them of the products or services you offer.
What makes it complicated is the conversion of page views into sales that generate income. However, with the right combination of one or two strategies, you can achieve the goal of increasing sales for your business.
The good thing about this is that you can switch from one technique to another without incurring a further loss in terms of actual money spent. In comparison to traditional marketing, your loss is greater when the ad seems not to work. Traditional ad costs more than an online ad.