It is often said that the success of any business relies on having the right strategy and implementing it effectively. The same can be said for online marketing. Having a solid plan in place and being able to execute it effectively are two key to successfully marketing products or services online.

There are five false advertisements that might have you believing that some online marketing strategy is not working. Let’s explore.

1. Free Trials.

Giving a product or service a free trial is great for marketing. Signing up for a free trial or registering for an event such as a webinar are both low-hanging fruit that present an easy way to get customers to try out your product or service. During these trial periods, you can collect contact details such as email addresses and phone numbers which you can use to send follow-up emails and make phone calls.

While this might not seem like a problem, the truth is that a lot of businesses don’t have the data to show they’re actually making sales from these trial offers. Without clear and consistent tracking systems in place, attributing sales from free trials is nearly impossible.

Additionally, offering a free trial makes it easier for your customers to try out your product or service without having to commit to buying it. If you’re worried about missing out on potential sales, consider investing in a marketing tool that can help you automate the collection of customer information, and allow you to track and analyse sales data.

2. Email Marketing.

If you’re looking to sell a product online, the number one place you need to be is in email marketing. Not only does it reach a lot of people, but it also provides you with the opportunity to build and nurture relationships with existing customers.

Building a list of email subscribers who have shown an interest in your product or service gives you the opportunity to send them regular emails full of tips and tricks on how to use it more effectively. These emails might also include offers for discounts or freebies that are only available to people on your email list.

Email marketing is not just about getting someone’s attention and encouraging them to click a link or download a file – you also need to be engaging with your audience, and ensuring that your emails are as personal as possible. The more you put in, the more you will get back. Engaging with your readers and adding value to your emails will ultimately lead you to building a profitable email marketing list.

3. Social Media Marketing.

If you’re looking to sell a product or service online, the go-to platform for most businesses is undoubtedly social media marketing. The fact is that we live in a world full of people, and a lot of them are on social media. It’s the perfect place to connect with potential customers, build an audience, and gain credibility.

Creating engaging content for your followers on social media is relatively easy, and it’s a very effective way to attract new customers, as well as educate or encourage existing ones to purchase your product or service. The key to social media marketing is to consistently engage with your audience, and make sure that your content is interesting, well-written, and relevant to your target audience.

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

SEO is an essential part of any online marketing strategy. Without a good SEO strategy, it’s almost impossible to have a decent presence on Google, Bing, and other search engines.

Getting ranked well on search engine results pages (SERPs) is important for your business, as it can drive a lot of traffic to your website. However, too many keywords, overly-optimized content, and a failure to keep the keywords relevant to the content can hurt your SEO. Ranking well on search engines requires a lot of work, and it’s not something you can simply rush.

Also, paying for Google Adwords can be very expensive, and it is not a viable solution for every business. There are free alternatives to Google Adwords, but you must be willing to put in the time to learn how to use them effectively.

5. Video Marketing.

We live in a world full of video, and more and more people are consuming content via video. If you’re looking to sell a product or service online, video marketing is an essential part of your strategy. Videos can be used to show customers how your product or service works in real life, provide an insight into the manufacturing process, or simply entertain viewers.

Creating a visually-appealing video and including keywords in the appropriate places within the content is all it takes to have some pretty decent video marketing. Uploading your video to popular platforms like YouTube can also increase your chances of being found by potential customers.

Videos can be a lot of work, and it’s something that you must be prepared to commit to if you want to see success. Building a library of informative, engaging, or entertaining videos can take months and months of dedicated work. Don’t expect to see great results without putting in the effort.

At the end of the day, having the right strategy in place is essential for any business, and it’s a must for online marketing. Not sure what strategy will work best for your business? Spend some time looking at other businesses in your niche, as well as industries and businesses outside of your niche. Then you can decide what’s right for you. Good luck!