The realm of the internet is now so deeply intertwined with our daily lives that the lines separating physical and cyber are almost nonexistent. We stream entertainment, pay for goods and services virtually, communicate with friends and family online, and share moments of our days through the vast galleries of social media. Traditional media no longer has the upper hand as newspapers, magazines, television channels and radio take the backseat in the world of marketing.
In line with this new, digital way of life, marketers and advertisers have been slowly and surely shifting their media spending from traditional and offline media towards the web. With basic alterations in the marketing strategy, and utilizing digital features like SEO, Google AdWords, social media marketing and others, businesses can achieve maximum visibility, optimize engagement, and generate more sales leads than ever. In this article, we give you an overview of the aspects involved in a successful web marketing strategy.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Making search engines work for you is one of the most popular digital marketing methods out there. This is because it’s pretty straightforward. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a free feature, but remember, it does need some skill.
To make the most of SEO, you will want to create a website that’s designed and prepared to rank well in search engines. Therefore, it will help people find your business “organically”. For this to happen, and in the planning phase of your web content, you will want to perform some extensive keyword research, and write optimized content that focuses on those keywords. In addition, and to maximize your SEO benefits, you will have to learn about techniques like link building, which will also help your website move up in the search rankings.
After going live with your website, you will still need to perform some periodic checks on your keywords to make sure they’re still relevant, strong, and commonly used for search, indicating that your SEO is in good health and functions well. It is, however, good to know that the basic, most business-specific SEO of your site is not likely to require much ongoing maintenance.
Pay-Per-Click Marketing (PPC)
PPC marketing means creating “clickable” ads on the various online portals; it is targeted advertising where you bid to have your “commercial” shown to your target audience, and then pay for results. Depending on the platform and what you choose to optimize for, you can choose to pay for just impressions, clicks, conversions, or even certain actions taken like an online purchase. These forms of ads come in two variants: search ads and display ads.
Search ads mean that you get to show text ads to users who are already searching for the keywords you targeted. For instance, if they are searching for “car rental in New York” and your business is running an ad campaign promoting your car rental office in New York, they will see your ad at the top of their search results before all the other results. The most common PPC search ad platforms are Google AdWords and Bing Ads; they allow you to directly reach users who are actively looking for your service or product, and are willing to purchase and pay.
That said, all of the other PPC ad types fall under the display ad category – this includes Google AdSense, Facebook and Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Promoted Pins, Quora Ads, etc.
Social Media Marketing
In addition to paid advertising through a social media platform’s PPC ad programs, social media marketing also delivers big on organic marketing. You take your business to social media to create brand awareness, foster relationships with potential and existing customers, have live conversations with your target audience, and gain insights on their behaviors and preferences.
Facebook is currently the most powerful social media platform to advertise on, as it allows you to create rich business pages with a lot of information about your products or services, communication tools, and a myriad of promotion features. Other major platforms are Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, followed by Snapchat, Reddit, and Tumblr.
Other Tools: Online Networking
In addition to the channels above, many businesses choose to supplement their online presence and campaigns with tools like email marketing, ClickFunnels, as well as content generation like blogging, and posts from brand advocates and influencers. These are tools designed to optimize conversion.
The Roundup
In this article, we gave you some insight on the basic tools of online marketing. For you to tailor a campaign that best suits your business, it is recommended to look into each in further detail, study your target, and identify the most gripping channels for them to find your business.
