If you’re reading this, I assume that you’re either an entrepreneur who’s curious about online marketing or a marketer who wants to dip a toe in the water and see what all the buzz is about. Rest assured that you’re in the right place. We’ve got you covered from every angle. Let’s get started.
Create a Solid Foundation
The first step to entering the world of online marketing is to create a solid foundation by taking a few weeks (or months) to learn the ropes. Before you start throwing money at paid ads or putting product in your body, you should first decide how you want to approach marketing online. Do you want to focus on SEO, paid ads, social media, or a combination of the three? Each platform has its perks and quirks, and it’s important to understand what works best for your business. Plus, you should always be learning. The more you know, the more you’ll be able to do. And the more you do, the more you’ll learn.
Determine The Type Of Content You’ll Need
Once you’ve built up some momentum, you can start to determine what niche you’ll need to fill and what type of content you’ll need to produce. If you’re just getting started, it’s a good idea to focus on generating content for one platform or channel to begin with. For example, if you’re just getting started with paid ads, you might want to try implementing them on social media platforms like Twitter or Instagram. The great thing about these platforms is that they’re free; all you need is a good account and you can start posting right away. The same goes for SEO. If you want to optimize your site for the search engines, you can do so freely without having to pay a premium for the service.
Choose The Right Platform
When it comes to online marketing, the sky is the limit when it comes to platforms. You can start a blog, gain some traction with a YouTube channel, or launch a podcast to capture the attention of potential customers. What you should focus on is finding the right platform for your business. Just because a lot of people use a certain platform doesn’t mean that it’s the best fit for your business. There are a lot of considerations to make when choosing a platform, including the features that are important to you, your target audience, and the amount of money you’re willing to spend for the service.
Understand The Economics Of Each Platform
One of the things you should do before you start any kind of marketing is to understand the economics of each platform. This will help you make better decisions about your budget and how much you should be investing in each platform. There are a lot of hidden costs that you’ll need to be aware of when using any of these platforms. For example, while using a free blogging platform like WordPress or Blogger may seem like a no-brainer, you’ll soon discover that you have to pay for web hosting with either of these platforms. And, if you want to have an interactive blog, you’ll need to pay for a premium WordPress service. Taking into account these costs, you may find that paid ads aren’t the best option for your business.
Decide What You’ll Need To Offset The Costs Of Using Each Platform
Once you’ve established yourself on a few platforms, you can start to figure out what you’ll need to offset the costs of using each platform. If you want to create high-quality content on a daily basis, you may want to consider investing in a content-creation tool like Wix or Shopify. Blogging platforms such as WordPress and Blogger allow you to do all the formatting yourself which cuts down on the costs associated with high-quality content. However, if you want to use a paid platform to drive targeted traffic to your site, you may need to consider paying a marketer to create compelling content for you.
Determine The Overall Type Of Media You’ll Need For Each Platform
Another important factor to consider when choosing a platform is determining the overall type of media you’ll need for each platform. One of the great things about online marketing is that it’s highly flexible. You can use a variety of platforms and methods, and your strategy will depend on your goals and the nature of your business. For example, if you’re looking to attract customers, you may want to consider using video to capture their attention and engage with them on a more personal level. Alternatively, if you’re looking to establish your expertise, you may want to consider using case studies or examples of your work to attract potential customers.
Curate & Organize Content (When You Have The Time)
The third step to getting started is to curate content and organize it in such a way that it can be easily accessed. When you have a lot of content, it can be hard to keep track of everything, and that’s what often leads to information loss. You can use a content planner to help you keep track of all your content and organize it into workable chunks. The better you get at using a content planner, the easier it will be to navigate and the more time you’ll be able to spend on other vital tasks.
Build Your Personal Brand
Building a personal brand is a crucial part of entering the world of online marketing. Just like with any other type of marketing, branding yourself as an expert in your field is the best way to go. You can do this through articles you write, videos you create, or speaking at events. Once you establish yourself as an expert in your industry, you can use that to your advantage by creating content that is specifically geared towards solving your customers’ problems. As an added bonus, you may also find that attracting customers becomes much easier as they expect and appreciate your expertise.
Hopefully, this was helpful. Now that you’re equipped with the basics of getting started, you can start using the internet and social media to grow your business. Ensure that you put in the time to learn the platform and how to use it effectively for your business. And, don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. After all, that’s how creative people come up with unique ideas to help businesses succeed.