A Guide To Marketing On The Internet
Internet marketing is an umbrella term that covers a range of marketing tactics, including social media, email, SEO (search engine optimization), PPC (pay-per-click), and many more. Essentially, you’re delivering your promotional messages to your audience through digital platforms.
Since the rise of the digital era, internet marketing has revolutionized traditional marketing efforts. This combination of online tactics helps businesses expand their reach and develop meaningful connections with their target audience. Don’t believe us? Here’s a peek at the statistics:
1.66 billion people shop online each year.
The number of marketers who say Facebook is “critical” or “important” to their business has increased 83% in just two years.
57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog.
75% of marketers say that their social media marketing efforts have led to increased traffic.
On average, email marketing has a 4400% ROI (return on investment).
Time and time again, internet marketing has convinced business owners and marketers of its significance. You should learn to take advantage of the benefits of marketing on the internet as well!
Benefits of marketing on the internet
The internet is a very diverse playing field. It offers a host of unique features and channels that traditional marketing efforts lack.
Lower costs but higher ROI
Internet marketing is cheaper than traditional marketing initiatives like commercials on television or advertisement on a billboard. These methods are costly, yet they are inefficient in generating leads. However, if your internet marketing campaign is executed correctly, the ROI can be huge.
Internet marketing drives a higher ROI (return on investment) because the internet algorithm ensures that your promotions reach your target audience. It helps you be seen by people who are already interested in your products or services and are more likely to convert. Want to advertise specifically to 30 to 40-year-old males with an income of over $125,000, who are interested in cars, are pet owners and live in a particular zip code? The precise targeting of internet marketing knows almost no bounds!
Wider reach
When you offer your products or services online, you can narrow your target demographic while also widening your reach to potential customers worldwide. Whether they live near or far, internet marketing removes the distance for you. This also explains why there’s an increasing rise in online stores. Companies know that setting up an online shop is more efficient than a physical store.
Accessibility
Marketing on the internet enables you to run your business 24/7. Unlike a physical store, you do not have to worry about store hours or paying your staff to keep the store open. Additionally, your customers get to enjoy the convenience of shopping for your products or services at their leisure. Thanks to the internet, they can access your store at any time and from any place.
Develop brand loyalty
The internet is a useful platform for connecting with customers and building customer retention rates. You get to communicate with customers in various forms. For example, you can engage with your followers on social media by liking and commenting on their posts. After they complete a purchase from your online store, you can send them a follow-up email to confirm the transaction and thank the customer. You can also request them to add a review on your page, which helps your brand develop a stronger identity.
These methods of communication are less convenient to follow through in a physical store. However, the internet enables both you and your customers to remain connected. If you use this to your advantage, you can quickly build strong relationships with customers.
Monitor your performance
Just like any other initiative, it’s critical to keep track of your progress. However, it can be too time-consuming to collect and measure data manually.
Internet marketing can do all the work for you. It offers tools such as Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to monitor your performance automatically. It can analyze essential metrics like the number of visits to your website, the number of people who clicked your ad, the number of people who viewed your ad, how long users stay on your page, and many, many more. This way, you can determine the success of your strategies as well as areas of improvement.
Incorporate social networking channels
Social media has changed the way we live. Almost everyone uses it, and it’s become a ubiquitous part of our daily living. Statistics show that there are 3.5 billion social media users worldwide. In Canada alone, there are close to 28 million users!
Internet marketing allows you to incorporate the power of social networking channels. You can set up a business account on social media and create a community. And the best part is, it’s completely free to use social media!
Main strategies of internet marketing
As mentioned above, internet marketing encompasses several channels and tactics to deliver promotional content. The main strategies of internet marketing include:
SEO (search engine optimization)
The purpose of SEO is to boost your website rank on search engines like Google. When you apply SEO techniques, you appear more frequently in relevant search results, which drives more traffic to your website, further boosting your SEO.
There are a wide variety of SEO techniques that you need to implement. You need to research keywords that your target audience often uses, then write all your copy around that. Include backlinks from authoritative websites on your site; an excellent way to do this is through blogging. Likewise, guest blogging can enable you to gain backlinks hosted on other sites. You also need to provide high-quality content on your website to gain credibility. Improving your website design and user-experience will encourage online visitors to stay on your page longer. For instance, securing user data, providing fast load times, and implementing easy-to-use navigation.
You can learn more about SEO here.
Content marketing
Nearly 40% of marketers say content marketing is a vital part of their overall marketing strategy. Providing quality content is the most compelling way to attract a target audience and maintain your brand reputation. Content marketers focus on creating and sharing valuable information that is specially directed towards their target audience. The types of content you can produce varies from blog posts, photos, corporate videos, podcasts, e-books and many more.
Social media marketing
Social media is an excellent platform to market online. It is a cost-effective strategy that allows you to interact with followers. To leverage your social media strategy, you need to ensure that you’re providing quality content like photos to build your brand. You will also need to identify which social platforms are best to reach your target audience. The prominent ones are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
With social media, you can develop your brand voice and show customers that you value them. When customers comment on your post, engage with them by responding! Even if a customer comments a negative review, your prompt response and willingness to solve the issue will show that you prioritize excellent customer service. This helps prospective customers trust your brand and become more eager to purchase.
Email marketing
It is proven that email marketing has the highest ROI for small businesses. In addition, it is the millennial’s preferred method of communication. When you apply email marketing tactics, you can take advantage of the personalization options and connect with customers directly on a one-to-one basis. You can relay essential information such as upcoming promotions, loyalty/rewards, in-store events, and follow-up from a purchase in emails. This keeps your customers in the loop of your business updates. At the same time, your customers benefit by never missing out on a future deal!
PPC (pay-per-click) advertising
While most features on the internet are free to use, you can still invest in paid advertising. For example, paid search ads increase your visibility on search engine results, and display ads are hosted throughout the entire internet. As the name illustrates, you only pay for the ad when users click on it. Therefore, it is a popular internet marketing strategy as it drives traffic to your site at a reasonably low cost. Online ads are also less intrusive than traditional advertisements like cold calling.
Key takeaways of internet marketing
Internet marketing encompasses a plethora of options for you to promote your business. You can choose to adopt multiple marketing techniques to increase target reach and drive sales. No longer should you rely on traditional marketing means that bring futile results.
The world of internet marketing is open for anyone to conquer. However, it is essential to note that your internet marketing campaign’s success depends on your familiarity with digital channels and your target audience. Don’t be afraid to invest the time researching your market and experimenting with new tactics. A couple of months down the road, you will be thankful for your efforts.
Now go ahead and make your e-mark!
FAQ
How can I track the success of my internet marketing campaign?
It is always a good idea to review your marketing efforts and analyze your performance. A good rule of thumb is to plan SMART goals before you launch your internet marketing campaign. SMART goals stand for objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This methodology not only helps you clarify your marketing targets but also makes the process easier to track.
Another way to track your success is by specifying your KPIs (key performance indicators). These quantifiable metrics evaluate your progress in fulfilling your goals. This may include details like the number of users you want to reach your landing page or the number of followers you want to gain on Instagram. KPIs are useful for helping you identify areas of improvement.
Is it a good idea to invest in PPC (pay-per-click) advertising?
PPC is an optimal way to boost your brand’s online presence. It works best when combined with other forms of internet marketing like content and social media. You’re unlikely to see worthwhile returns by just playing around with paid ads and hoping to get results. As such, we encourage businesses to have all of their marketing assets in place, and having a complete campaign (including metrics) planned out.
Should I hire an internet marketing specialist?
As much as internet marketing is exciting, with endless possibilities, there’s no safety net to stop you from throwing money away and just shouting into space. Without a doubt, it can be quite time-consuming and exhausting to manage an internet marketing campaign all by yourself. Realistically, most business owners do not have the time to focus on effective marketing efforts when they should be concentrating on optimizing the business itself.
Getting the ball rolling yourself could be a great idea, but seeking advice from a professional in the field will always be advantageous to ensure your efforts are the most profitable.
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