While the concept behind online marketing is quite simple – use the internet to attract, engage and convert potential customers into paying customers – the execution is more complex. With so much competition and so many ways to reach an audience, it can be quite challenging to build a successful business online.
If you’re looking to start an online marketing business, then this article is for you. Here we’re going to cover everything you need to know including how to find your target audience, crafting compelling content that will keep them engaged, and leveraging cutting edge technology to grow your business.
Find Your Target Audience
One of the most challenging aspects of starting a business is finding the right target audience. You’ll want to find a group of people who are interested in your product or service and are likely to be motivated enough to buy it once they discover it. The challenge is figuring out which group you should be focusing on.
One popular strategy amongst marketers is called demographics. It’s based on the theory that since people’s needs and wants vary from country to country and within countries differences in demographic make up can lead to major differences in buyer behaviour and as a result, the kinds of products and services that are most successful in one country may not be as popular or effective in another. For example, people in China might value cleanliness and appreciate having a fridge delivered to their homes every year while those in the U.S. might value money and be more interested in having a cheap and cheerful one that they can fix themselves.
To determine the demographics that you should be focusing on, you’ll need to get into the habit of thinking like a marketer. What are the most pressing problems that your product could fix? What kinds of consumers are searching for solutions to these problems?
For example, is your product design or coding causing you problems? Has the price of your product become too high? Is the manufacturing process inefficient and disrupting the environment?
Once you’ve identified these problem areas, you can begin to answer the question: who is your ideal buyer?
For instance, if your product can help businesses operate more efficiently, then prospective buyers might include business owners who are looking to achieve greater work-life balance or executives who are seeking an opportunity to grow their business.
Crafting Compelling Content That Will Keep Your Audience Interested
The most effective form of marketing is, generally speaking, word-of-mouth marketing. This is where a customer recommends your product or service to their friends and family members who may then become interested in your offering and decide to try it out themselves.
The key to successful word-of-mouth marketing is good old fashioned product placement. Consumers naturally look for products that they see in everyday life. If you want to create awareness about your product, then you need to find a way to integrate it into a customer’s life so they can see the value of your product and be compelled to share their love for it with their friends.
To achieve this, you’ll want to focus on content creation. Every business owner or entrepreneur can think up a thousand words in a day. If you want to reach your target audience and grow your business, then it’s important to keep the thought leaders, bloggers and experts interested in your product. This is where content marketing comes in.
Since the dawn of time, humans have been drawn to narratives that are entertaining, educational or inspiring. The fact is, we all have busy schedules and limited time to spend online. So, to keep our attention, we’ve been conditioned to seek out quick and easy wins. This is where storytelling comes in.
Whether you’re creating videos, articles, or infographics, the aim is to entertain, engage or educate your audience with a combination of these three elements.
Use Digital Marketing To Reach Your Audience
If your product is aimed at a general audience, then you don’t need to limit yourself to one channel when you can use multiple platforms to reach your customers.
The more channels you use, the better. According to HubSpot Blogs research, users typically spend more time on websites when they’re using multiple devices (i.e., desktop, tablet, and smartphone). Having a presence on one channel means you’ll be able to connect with your audience when they are on the platform. Also, having a presence on multiple platforms means you can determine the demographics you’re reaching.
For example, if you’re using HubSpot, then you can create blog posts, assemble product reviews, and develop case studies for your business blog. These three elements combine to form a rich body of content that is relatively easy to manage. When it comes to marketing, content is everything. Having a blog is a great way to distribute news stories, product reviews and case studies about your business. It takes less than five minutes to write a business blog post and you can schedule them to go live at a time that suits you.
Blogs aren’t the only content-based platforms you can use to reach your audience. If you want to create a buzz about your product or service, you can use social media to promote your blog post, video or article. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about your product. To encourage potential customers to learn more about your company, you can use social media to put your best foot forward.
Use SEM To Get Found By Keywords
Even if you’ve got a great product and compelling content, unless someone is searching for your product or service, you’re not going to find them. So, how do you get found by keywords? You use search engine optimization (SEO).
SEO is a form of digital marketing that can help your website or blog stand out from the competition. To get started with SEO, you’ll need to pick a few key words or phrases that you think are relevant to your product and target audience. For example, if you’re a food blogger looking to attract readers who are interested in vegetarianism, you might want to consider using terms like vegan, vegetarian, or meatless.
Then, you’ll want to create content that is relevant to these keywords. While you can’t keyword spam, you can use the content you’ve already published to build awareness about your product.
To find keywords that are relevant to your product, sit in front of a keyboard and brainstorm. If you’re looking for a new product to promote, you can use competitive analysis tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush to find popular keywords, competitive analysis, and tons of additional information about the industry.
Make Sure Your SEO Is Optimized For The Right Platforms
There are a lot of different platforms that you can use to distribute your content. If you want to target the largest audience possible, you’ll want to make sure that your content is being seen by as many people as possible. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in. To get the best possible result from your SEO, you’ll want to consider the platform that your audience is using.
In case you’re curious, here’s a breakdown of the most popular social media platforms and why you should consider using them:
- YouTube
If you’re targeting U.S. users, then you’ll want to make sure that you’re using platforms geared towards people with U.S. residence. This brings us to our next point.
Curate Content For International Readers
If you want to expand your customer base and get more international readers, then you’ll want to consider creating content in a way that is easily consumable by foreigners. This means using language that is simple to understand and interesting to read. For example, instead of using complex legal terms, you can use the words and phrases that foreigners are more likely to know. Plus, if you’re targeting U.S. users, then you’ll want to make sure that your content is also accessible for those users who are not located in the U.S.
Now that you have a general idea of how to start an online marketing business, let’s delve into the nitty-gritty of each component.