If you’re reading this, I assume you’re already pretty familiar with the basics of online marketing and promotional strategy. But if you’re looking to take your game to the next level or looking to expand your reach to more customers, then read on! The purpose of this guide is to help small businesses develop an online marketing and promotional strategy that’s right for them.
Why Online Marketing and Promotion?
Before we begin, it’s important to understand why digital marketing is so effective and how it’s different from traditional marketing. In a nutshell, digital marketing allows businesses to target the right audience (typically consumers who are researching or shopping for a specific product or service) with highly effective marketing messages. The end result is often increased customer loyalty and increased purchases. Moreover, with the digital landscape changing as it is with the evolving internet, marketing online is constantly evolving as well and staying one step ahead of the game.
Additionally, there are many benefits to marketing and promoting online. One of the most effective ways to attract and retain customers is via online marketing and promotion. With so much competition, it’s essential to find a way to stand out from the crowd. What better way to do that than with a unique, attention-grabbing offer?
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is a method of marketing or advertising via the internet and other digital media. Simply put, digital marketing is using digital tools to develop and execute marketing campaigns. In other words, it’s using online resources to grow and maintain businesses.
The internet, smartphones, and other digital technologies have changed the way we work, play, and communicate. Because of this, every business must now embrace a digital strategy and the role of digital marketing in that strategy.
As a business owner or manager, you should understand the role of digital marketing in your organization. If you’re looking to get started or want to develop a clear picture of what you’ll need to do, this article will help!
What is Digital Marketing Campaign?
A digital marketing campaign is a marketing campaign conducted online using digital marketing tools and techniques. It usually includes online advertising, such as banner ads, social media campaigns, and email marketing. A digital marketing campaign can be standalone or it can be part of a larger marketing campaign. Regardless, it should follow a defined strategy
- and include measurable goals
- so that you can demonstrate results to your clients
- and ensure its success
What is Marketing Automation?
Marketing automation is the use of software and tools to streamline marketing tasks and routines. Although there are several different tools that fall under this category, the most popular ones are HubSpot and MailChimp.
Why choose marketing automation? It’s a common misconception that marketing automation is only useful for large businesses. Thanks to tools like HubSpot and MailChimp, even the smallest businesses can utilize marketing automation to its fullest potential.
Marketing automation can be used to create and send automated marketing emails, establish social media accounts and communities, and launch online stores and landing pages.
What is a Landing Page?
A landing page is a website that acts as a vehicle to promote or sell a product. Typically, a business will create a single landing page for each product they offer, and then use various techniques to attract and retain customers.
Depending on your business, you may want to consider using a CMS like WordPress to create your landing pages. Doing so will give you the flexibility to quickly and easily add content such as product images, videos, text, and more.
A/B testing is one of the essential tools for any business–especially one that’s serious about improving their marketing strategies and increasing sales. When used correctly, A/B testing can help businesses determine which versions of landing pages perform the best and then use those versions going forward.
Where Do I Start?
If you’re looking to put a digital marketing plan in place, where should you start? Depending on your business, you may already have a web presence through websites, social media, or online stores. Regardless, you can use this platform to establish your online identity and begin the process of building your audience.
As part of the process of establishing your digital identity, you should consider creating a brand voice and messaging that will guide your marketing and communications strategies. This means developing a set of keywords and short, pithy phrases that will resonate with your target customers. Additionally, you can use tools like Google Adwords, which will help you find potential customers who are searching for your product or service.
Social Media Marketing
For many businesses, social media is a necessary evil. However, you can use social media to your advantage by aligning your marketing with your brand values and engaging with your audience.
There are several different ways to utilize social media in a marketing campaign. You can create Twitter accounts for your business and individual designers so that you can engage with your audience on a 24/7 basis. Or, you can take the time to really build a community of followers who will value your content and want to be a part of your marketing efforts.
Email Marketing
Although not as popular as social media marketing, email marketing is still one of the most effective forms of marketing. Why? Email marketing allows businesses to target an audience who are already aware of their product or service, which increases the odds of converting that audience into paying customers.
Depending on your product or service, you may want to consider creating educational emails for your customers. For example, if you’re an e-commerce business selling bathroom products, you might want to send customers who purchased a certain product an email explaining various uses for that product. In doing so, you can build a list of email subscribers who will value your content and want to be a part of your marketing efforts.
What about Mobile Marketing?
Thanks to the rise of mobile marketing, all businesses must now embrace this platform and the role of mobile marketing in their organization. Like other digital marketing strategies, mobile marketing allows businesses to engage with customers and potential customers on the go.
Additionally, with so many people shopping online on their smartphones, QR codes have become extremely popular. Simply put, a QR code is a black square or icon that can point to a website, phone number, or other useful information. When a customer scans a QR code with their smartphone camera, they’ll be directed to a specific location.
If you sell products that benefit from being viewed on a smartphone, you should consider utilizing mobile marketing. Not only can you target customers on the go, but you can also engage with them on a more personal level via a business’ mobile website or app. Creating a mobile website or app can also be a useful tool for attracting customers to your business, especially if you want to gain credibility with consumers who are considering your product or service.
What comes next?
Depending on your business, you may want to consider creating multiple marketing campaigns to reach various audience segments. A/B testing and retargeting are tools that can be used to effectively target consumers who have previously visited your website. And don’t forget about SEO! Depending on your niche, you may want to consider using SEO techniques to make your website and marketing content more discoverable.
The marketing strategy you develop will depend on your product or service, your target audience, and, of course, your budget. To start, you might want to consider creating a basic marketing plan using the above tools and then adjusting it as you go.