If you’re reading this, chances are you’re already involved in some way with online marketing. Maybe you run a website and sell affiliate products. Or maybe you’ve got an online store and are handling the sales yourself. Either way, you’re using online marketing to get customer into your site, buy what you’re selling, or find information about what you offer.
But what is online marketing, exactly? And what are the basics of online marketing? Let’s explore.
What is Online Marketing?
In today’s world, “online marketing” can mean a lot of things. But at its most basic level, online marketing is simply getting people to visit your website. You can put out a great deal of content, offer your products at a good price, and do all the right things, but at the end of the day, you won’t be able to get the eyeballs of potential customers to visit your site if they don’t even know about it.
As the name would suggest, online marketing takes place primarily online. Traditional marketing, such as newspaper ads or radio commercials, only reach a small portion of the population. And digital marketing, which includes online marketing, only refers to the methods we use to connect with and engage with customers.
The Basics of Online Marketing
To get started, you need to do a little bit of research into your target audience and what they value. Once you know that information, you can begin to develop marketing strategies and campaigns that will connect with them. Here are the basics of online marketing:
Creating Content That Will Engage
It’s no secret that people love content. Whether you’re creating a blog post, social media profile, or advertisements, you’re regularly serving up content for your audience. But is any of this content effective?
According to HubSpot Blogs research, 66% of respondents said that the type of content they enjoy the most is “top-notch infographics,” while 19% like the text-based content the most. Only 14% like to read lengthy blog posts.
So, what exactly do people like? They value quality, not quantity, when it comes to content.
To engage your audience and stand out among your competitors, you need to create content that is both interesting and useful. An informative infographic might not be enough to make someone click on your ad or purchase your product. However, if that same information were presented in a blog post or social media profile, you’d stand a much better chance of engaging your audience and encouraging them to take action.
Creating a Marketing Plan
As we mentioned above, online marketing is significantly different than traditional marketing. This is mainly because you’re interacting with prospective customers online, hence the name. But that doesn’t mean that traditional marketing methods don’t apply. You still need to develop a plan and set up goals to get the most out of your marketing efforts.
A traditional marketing plan would consist of everything from newspaper ads to radio commercials to billboards and magazine spreads. To get the most out of your online marketing efforts, you need to develop a digital marketing plan, which will guide your efforts in getting customers to your site, engaging with them, and getting them to take action.
Building A Community
The main difference between traditional and online marketing is the audience you’re connecting with. With traditional marketing, you’re often targeting the general population and reaching a large portion of the population. With online marketing, you’re mainly connecting with people who are already interested in your product or service. Therefore, you need to create a space for people with shared interests and values. This is easier said than done, but you can do this through the creation of an online community.
Think of your favourite blogs, magazines, and websites. These are all examples of online communities built on shared interests and values. When you begin to build an online community, you’re not only engaging with customers, but you’re also creating a space for like-minded individuals to come together.
Strategies For Attracting and Engaging Customers
Once you’ve got an audience of engaged individuals, you can begin to focus on attracting and engaging those people. There are several strategies you can use to do this, including:
Product Demonstrations
Product demonstrations can be a great way to attract potential customers and get them to visit your site. Whether you’ve got a physical product to sell or a service to offer, you can use this strategy to provide customers with an experience that will convince them to purchase your product or service. For example, if you’re selling kitchen appliances, you can host a successful demonstration and explain every aspect of the product, including the benefits and how it works. This will make prospective customers feel like they’re getting something worth their time and money. In addition, you can also provide them with valuable information they might not have known about the product.
One of the main reasons people like participating in product demonstrations is because they allow the consumer to try out the product before making a purchasing decision. If you’re providing a quality product and a helpful, informative demonstration, you’ll create a good impression that can only lead to future purchases.
Product Trials
Product trials are similar to product demonstrations, except you’re not actually selling the product and instead providing customers with information about how the product works and what they can do with it. When someone visits your site and decides to try out a product, you’ll have the opportunity to increase your odds of making a sale. By creating a trial period for potential customers, you’re not only providing them with valuable information, but you’re also giving them the opportunity to try out your product without committing to buy it. This can be a great strategy for increasing sales.
Product Reviews
Reviews provide customers with an honest, unbiased opinion about a product. If someone is reading reviews, they can get an idea of whether or not the product is right for them, what advantages they might have, and what disadvantages they might encounter. Reviews are a great way to provide customers with information they might not know otherwise and to get them to trust your suggestions more than those of a salesman trying to sell them a product.
To increase sales and grow your business, you need to utilize online marketing, which is significantly different from traditional marketing. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. You still need to develop a plan, set goals, and follow-up on these objectives. As you become more experienced, you’ll find that the process of developing and implementing an online marketing plan isn’t as difficult as you initially thought it would be. Just remember to keep evolving and changing as you go along in order to remain effective. And don’t be afraid to try new things. This is the best way to grow and learn.