Online marketing can be both an advantage and a disadvantage to your business. On the one hand, your website (and other digital properties) can be easily accessed by customers to learn about your products or services. On the other hand, as a digital marketer I can tell you that customers are often distracted by the barrage of “shiny objects” they encounter along the way.

No matter what business you’re in, whether you sell products online or not, you’re going to be exposed to some level of online marketing. So how can you leverage the power of digital marketing to maximize your business’ impact and minimize the damage?

Here are some proven ways to do that.

Focus On The Customer Experience

If you’ve ever been to Amazon, you’ll know that the number one rule of retail there is “customer experience.” While the products may be amazing, it’s all about the shopping experience. You may have noticed that even though the initial product you search for sells well, the ones at the end aren’t as visible because they’re overshadowed by the overall value the customer gets from the website.

When it comes to marketing, it’s the same thing. Your product may be incredibly valuable but if you don’t deliver a positive experience to potential customers, why should they even know about you or your business?

It’s essential that you understand marketing and the internet from a customer perspective. When you do, you’ll be able to develop an overall strategy that integrates online and offline channels to provide the best experience for your customers. Whether you’re marketing a product or service, create a narrative that draws the reader in and keeps them interested until the end.

Use Marketing Analytics To Your Advantage

Analytics are very important in marketing. Just like a physical business, you’re going to want to understand what’s working and what isn’t so you can refine your efforts. However, with physical businesses a key component is face-to-face interaction. In online marketing, this is virtually impossible. You’ll always be able to track interactions like clicks and visits but that’s about it.

Instead, what you need is data. There are multiple tools that can help you make sense of the mountains of visitor information available to you. With these tools, you can track individual behavior, discover demographics, and examine website traffic trends. You can even set up email notifications when a certain threshold is reached. That way, you’ll be able to react quickly to any significant changes that may occur.

If you want to get the most out of your marketing efforts, you’ll need to use analytics. You may decide that a certain element of your marketing is working well and want to increase the amount of time spent on that particular technique. Or, you may discover that a certain method isn’t providing the results you’re looking for and want to find a new approach. Either way, having the correct analytics will prove invaluable to the success of your digital marketing strategy.

Prioritize Quality Over Quantity

In life, as in business, you’re often either valued for your quantity (e.g. how many Twitter followers you have) or your quality (e.g. your educational background). While it’s essential to establish yourself as an expert in your industry, you don’t need to focus on becoming the best in the world at everything.

What you need to do is find your specialty and perfect it. Think about the types of clients and customers you usually struggle with. Chances are, you’ll be able to find a niche that is highly special to you where you can provide extraordinary value. Then, within that niche, you can become the expert you were born to be.

You can’t expect to be able to do it all on your own. Just like with any other area of business, you’re going to need to specialize in order to become the go-to person in your industry. When you focus your efforts on becoming the best in your area, you’ll be able to produce extraordinary results.

Avoid Distractions

The last thing you need is to be distracted by shiny objects. Customers have plenty of shiny objects in their lives already (e.g. smartphones, tablets, and laptops) and as a business owner or marketer, you want to make sure that they’re focused on your product or service. Therefore, it’s important to minimize any distractions that may come from outside sources (e.g. noise, shiny objects, stimuli, etc.).

To that end, set up your phone to block out all calls and texts. Don’t check your emails or social media accounts while working. If you have to take a phone call, put yourself in a position where you’ll feel more comfortable speaking with the person (e.g. at the office, in the back of a taxi, etc.).

In addition, minimize screen time. According to recent psychology studies, your customers will appreciate the opportunity to engage with your brand on a more personal level if you give them the chance. Therefore, while you should always keep your website updated with relevant information, avoid using online media to the detriment of your customers. Instead, use digital marketing in a way that provides value and builds trust.

In summary, you can use online marketing to your advantage by applying the four steps above. If you’re interested in boosting your business’ impact through digital marketing, you can get started for free with HubSpot, a popular business management tool. With HubSpot, you can build an online marketing strategy that’s both agile and comprehensive, gaining valuable insights along the way. You can also take advantage of the free version which will give you unrestricted access to all of the necessary tools. To get started, visit this link.