The use of digital media has grown exponentially in the past decade. Today, more and more people are discovering the benefits of online marketing and using it to their advantage.
However, not all businesses are equipped to utilize online marketing effectively, which is why you should consider studying this essential marketing tool in detail.
If you’re looking to get started, this is the perfect introduction for you. In this article, we will discuss the basics of online marketing and how you can use them to your advantage.
Key Differences Between Offline And Online Marketing
There are a number of significant differences between offline and online marketing that you need to be aware of before you can implement an effective online marketing strategy.
Firstly, when you’re marketing offline, you’re often limited by the capabilities of your target audience. This is something that doesn’t exist in online marketing. The fact is, anyone can be a potential customer for your product or service, wherever they are located. Unless you’re restricting yourself to a select number of locations, there’s no reason why your marketing shouldn’t reach a global audience.
Secondly, with offline marketing, you have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with your customers and build a closer connection. While this may be difficult, especially if you’re a business with multiple locations, it’s essential for establishing trust and credibility. By establishing your connection with your customers, you’re giving them the opportunity to learn more about your business and what you offer, which in turn, may lead to increased sales.
Thirdly, with offline marketing, you have the ability to tailor your strategy to fit your exact needs. For instance, if you’ve identified a demographic that isn’t being well served by current advertising strategies, you can develop a plan to attract them. Alternatively, you can focus on a niche segment and analyze what’s working and what isn’t, so you can improve your strategy as needed.
Why Study Online Marketing?
Nowadays, people are more receptive to marketing strategies that don’t involve face-to-face interaction. This is because of the rise of digital nomads and social media users. Thanks to technologies such as CRM, CMS, and email marketing automation, it’s easier than ever to target the right audience and provide them with value.
In particular, email marketing is a proven strategy that can be leveraged to achieve almost any marketing goal. It’s highly customizable, which makes it a suitable platform for beginners. Furthermore, the subject lines and emails themselves can be monitored and measured, which providing you with clear insight into its effectiveness. Email marketing is also versatile enough to be used for different purposes, such as nurturing a relationship with an existing customer, promoting a new product, or reminding people why they should subscribe to your newsletter.
Top 5 Tools For Beginners
Now that you’re equipped with an understanding of the differences between offline and online marketing, you can proceed to explore the various tools that can be used to implement effective strategies. Here are five essential tools that every beginner should have in their arsenal.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a marketing automation tool that can be used to build and send beautiful, professional email campaigns with ease. Its user interface is very simple to navigate and set up, and it offers a lot of features for those who are looking to take their email marketing to the next level. For example, you can create and send automated emails based on previous behavior, like ordering a coffee or booking a tour guide.)
Hubspot
If you’re looking for a tool that can help you build and grow your email list, consider exploring Hubspot, which is widely regarded as the industry leader in email marketing and digital marketing automation. Not only that, but Hubspot also provides you with a CRM, as well as marketing analytics, so you can monitor and analyze your email marketing from a single dashboard.
Miketoolz
Miketoolz is a free and open-source CRM that provides you with the functionality of a full-featured commercial product, while being simple to use and accessible for beginners. One of its major selling points is that it allows you to import contacts and companies from Gmail, as well as other popular email providers, like Outlook.com and Yandex.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
The Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a cloud-based platform that provides you with all the tools you need to plan and execute marketing campaigns. It is tightly integrated with Salesforce, which provides you with a CRM and a cloud-based storage space, so you can easily access the latest marketing materials from any location. Furthermore, you can use this platform to build and send marketing emails, or you can hire freelancers to help you with this task.
Drip
Drip is a marketing automation tool that provides you with everything you need to plan and track the results of your marketing campaigns. It specializes in inbound marketing and user experience, which makes it a one-stop-shop for information on marketing analytics and optimization. Furthermore, you can use its reporting and analysis tools to assess the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and make changes as needed.
Where Can I Go From Here?
With a clear understanding of the differences between offline and online marketing and the role that certain tools can play, you can begin to map out your strategy and the process you’ll use to reach your goals. Remember, with every goal you tackle, there will be a series of steps you need to take in order to reach it. To get started, simply plug in your email and hit the Create Plan button. From there, you can select the type of plan you need to build and customize it to fit your specific needs. When you’re ready, you can hit the Submit button and continue on to the next step.