Marketing online has gotten more complicated over the last few years. While you have more opportunity to get your brand out there, you also have more competition, noise, applications, data, and upcoming trends to keep up with. But don’t let this stop you in your tracks and stunt your online marketing efforts. The most important practice you can incorporate into your strategy is focusing on specific corners of the web and being consistent. If you aren’t marketing online, here are a few of the top places to help you get started.
#1: Websites in your industry
If you don’t have a business website, then start there when it comes to online marketing. For your site, you’ll want to have it properly optimized to target the ideal customers in your location. Once you’ve established your website, then you can start to reach out to other industry sites where your customers hang out online. It’s a rare case that you would be advertising your business on a direct competitor’s website, but you can find online trade magazines that will give your business exposure, guest blog for someone who provides industry tips, or buy ad space on a site that sees a lot of traffic from your customers.
Of course, this method takes a good deal of work to get started and will require patience, but the payoff is worth it in the long run. Start your research by looking at how similar companies advertise, where your customers hang out on social media, and collect data after each exposure to see if your traffic and conversions improve. This will show you where to focus your efforts in the future.
#2: Social media
Marketing doesn’t always mean that you have to showcase your services and push sales. When social media entered the scene, it gave marketers a chance to test the waters, and then go back a day later and try something new again. It’s different than a commercial or newspaper ad in that you invest a little time, analyze the immediate results, and then quickly turn around a new strategy.
When you market via social media, it’s okay to get personal and off brand a little (as long as you have your logo or some sort of brand recognition showing). For example, if you own an IT company, you can post grumpy Monday comic strips to lighten the mood. If you’re new to marketing for your business on social media, pick one outlet such as Facebook, and focus on it until you have a clear understanding of your marketing campaign. After that, you can add more social media platforms.
#3: After the sale emails
Once a sale is official, or you’ve signed a new client, you’ve just gained some valuable information that will enhance your conversion efforts, so what better time to start marketing! Your email list is invaluable because it has real customers who have viewed and trusted your service to complete the transaction. If you’re selling goods, you can promote item specific coupons and other specials to your customers, and if you offer a service such as accounting, you can send an informative newsletter to stay at the forefront of your client’s mind as a reputable source. Make it a win-win for you and the client in all of your online marketing efforts, and you’ll see those results you’ve been striving for.
