In 2017, digital marketing grew by 17% across the world, in both B2C and B2B markets.
What does this mean for your business? If you’re not quite sure, we have the solution. Here are our top online marketing services for 2018, and why you should consider them.
1. Email Marketing
You’ve probably used email marketing services before in one form or another. Perhaps you’ve even used them to promote a product or service you’ve sold.
Traditional email marketing services offer powerful tools that can greatly enhance your marketing plan. Not only can they help you to target the right audience and engage them with your message, but they can also track the success of your campaigns and analyze the performance of your email list.
However, while traditional email marketing services offer significant advantages, they can also be rather costly. The good news is that you can find effective, affordable alternatives that still offer the high degree of functionality of more expensive packages. These services often provide excellent value for money.
2. Website Optimization (SEO)
The majority of people who visit your website likely did so because they are searching for products or services related to what you offer. When a potential customer arrives at your website through a search engine, your job is to ensure that they have a pleasant and memorable experience which encourages them to return.
Website optimization (SEO) is a field that focuses on enhancing the visibility of your website and raising its ranking in search engine results. To achieve this, you’ll need to take into account a number of considerations, including the type of content that you post, the language in which you write, and the keywords or phrases you use throughout your content.
There are numerous SEO tools that can help you pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of your current website and provide you with an analysis of how others found your content when they searched for related topics. Armed with this information, you can begin to prioritize your SEO efforts and determine the level of success you’ll need to achieve to justify the investment of time and money.
3. Content Marketing
If you’ve ever created content for social media or an online journal, you’ll know that it’s a fairly easy task to write something that will draw people in and keep them engaged. As an online marketer, you may believe that engaging with your audience on social media is a sufficient form of content marketing. You may even feel confident that writing and sharing blog posts will likewise attract potential customers and raise your brand’s profile.
While content marketing can be an effective form of marketing, it can also be a fairly expensive one. The reason is that you’ll need to create and distribute several pieces of content to have a decent impact. You’ll also need to ensure that each piece is pitched at the right level and that you utilize the right media to disseminate your content. Outsourcers may assist with publishing content on your behalf. However, they may also charge you a pretty penny for their services.
4. Paid Advertising
Paid advertising is anything you pay for that promotes your product or service in some way (e.g., banner ads, sponsored posts, etc.). If you’ve ever bought a product or service on the basis of an ad you saw or heard about, you’ll know how effective they can be in encouraging you to make a purchase. As an advertiser, you may choose to outsource the creation of your ads to teams of professionals who have extensive experience in the field.
The good news is that you can find highly skilled digital marketers who will work for you for less than you’d pay for a single advert in a traditional paper publication. The cost-effective nature of this form of advertising means that you can run numerous ad campaigns worldwide without having to break the bank. Naturally, these services come with caveats – you’ll need to carefully consider what metrics you’ll need to evaluate the success of your campaigns and how you’ll monitor and measure them as you would any other form of marketing.
5. Social Media Marketing
Marketing on social media is all about engaging with your audience on platforms like Twitter and Facebook. By interacting with your audience, you can encourage them to follow your brand, like your content, and ultimately, purchase your products or services. To get started, simply find a relevant hashtag for the type of product you sell and begin using it whenever you tweet about a new article, blog post, or noteworthy event.
When others engage with your content, you’ll appear in the newsfeed of your followers. From there, you can choose to engage with them further – perhaps by sharing a preview of a product you are promoting, or launching a contest within the content.
However, as with many marketing forms, the cost is fairly minimal. Outsourcing the management of your social media accounts and the creation of relevant content to raise your brand’s profile is all but free. Naturally, this service comes with caveats – you’ll need to be present to monitor and comment on relevant content as it appears, and to engage with your audience on your behalf.
6. Email & SMS Marketing
A few years back, marketing via email and SMS was considered “old school.” However, with the rise of new platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram, marketers are adjusting their strategies and finding new ways to keep in touch with their customers.
Although many people still prefer to receive regular email newsletters from brands, content creators, and other prominent figures, they are not the only game in town. If your target audience spends a majority of their time on social media platforms, you can take advantage of their attraction to engaging with brands and creating engaging content in the form of memes and stories. You can also use their favourite social media platforms to spread the word about your product or service and engage with your audience.
Whichever form of marketing you choose, ensure that you do your research and choose an expert agency that has extensive knowledge and experience in the field. By doing so, you’ll significantly lower your startup costs and risk, and begin building your brand and gaining credibility.