In our recent report, 68% of respondents cited “brand passion/passion for their products or services” as the most effective way to generate website traffic. So, if you’re looking to grow your business via the web, it stands to reason that you should consider exploring ways to become more passionate about your brand. Fortunately, there are easy ways to do this. One of the best ways is through online marketing. If you’re thinking about trying your hand at online marketing, here are five tips for you to keep in mind so you can succeed.

1. Build trust.

The majority of web traffic is driven by people who have established trust with an online marketer — usually through previous interactions or transactions with the business or individual. Essentially, you’re trying to build a relationship with your audience and show them that you’re a transparent, reliable, and responsible entity, which is why it’s so important to establish trust early on in your relationship with potential customers. This means treating them fairly and being transparent about what you offer, as well as the value you bring to the table. People who feel like they can trust you will be more likely to do business with you or buy your product or service. So it’s important to gain the trust of your audience by being honest and open about your goals, values, and plans.

2. Make your resources work hard.

You’re probably familiar with the expression “it takes money to make money”. While this is partially true, it’s also imperative that you make the most of your resources. The saying “it takes money to make money” can be applied to your business’ finances as well as your marketing efforts. You must make sure that your money is being used effectively to its fullest potential, which means you must consider investments in both your finances and your marketing. The reason why is because, in today’s world, companies with limited resources often have a difficult time competing with those who have unlimited funds. In short, if you want to succeed in business, it’s important to make the most of your limited resources. There are a few tactics you can implement to make the most of your money and resources, including using performance marketing analytics to drive marketing dollars toward the campaigns that are performing the best, experimenting with different creatives to find the ones that work best for your business, and segmenting your email list to have a better chance of reaching your audience.

3. Measure the right things.

People who spend lots of money on marketing tend to get very hands-on when it comes to measuring the results of their efforts. Since 62% of respondents in a marketing performance benchmarking survey said that they believed measurements were the best way to prove the value of marketing, it would be a wise move for you to explore the numerous ways of measuring the success of your online marketing efforts. There are three main types of metrics you should focus on:

• Volume traffic (i.e., the amount of website traffic)
• Site engagement (i.e., the amount of time visitors spend on your site)
• Customer satisfaction (i.e., the amount of positive feedback you receive from existing customers)

Keep in mind that not all forms of marketing are created equal, so you need to be sure that you’re measuring the right things to know what’s working and what needs to be changed. To get started, consider using a tool like Google Analytics to track the volume of traffic and the behavior of your visitors (e.g., which pages they’re reading, how long they spend on each page, and what they click on most often).

4. Be present.

Being present means that you must constantly be thinking about your customers and what they want, which you can do through a variety of marketing tactics. One of the simplest ways to be present is by creating compelling content that will keep your audience engaged. When you write compelling content that teaches your audience something new or answers a question they might have, you’re going to keep them interested and, hopefully, make them your customer. To get started, simply search for content ideas on Google and YouTube — the two largest search engines — and you’ll come up with countless articles, blogs, and videos on the topic. You can also review case studies, white papers, and FAQs to learn more.

5. Be consistent.

Consistency is often overlooked as a crucial component of effective marketing, but it’s actually one of the most important factors. People who are consistent usually have some sort of track record of doing business with a company or individual, so they know that what they’re getting is going to be delivered on time and, most importantly, that it’s going to be relevant to what they want or need. Essentially, being consistent means that you’re going to consistently put in the time and effort into marketing and, hopefully, growing your business. If you want to learn more, consider using free tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Ads to gain an understanding of how and when you reach your audience (e.g., what tactics work best for acquiring new customers and retaining existing ones), as well as the pricing structures of your top competitors.

Use the above tips to succeed in business, and you’ll be able to drive more traffic to your site, build trust with potential customers, measure the results of your marketing efforts, and become more profitable.