In today’s world, everyone is online and in touch with each other. People are using social media to stay connected and show off their lives, and brands are capitalising on this by creating online stores and online marketing strategies.

So, whether you’re a local business wanting to expand your reach or an existing business wanting to improve your marketing strategy, you can start by reviewing the following five steps to online marketing success.

Step one: Define your target audience.

Firstly, you need to decide who you’re aiming your marketing at. This will form the foundation of your strategy and marketing plan. Your marketing goals and objectives will be much easier to achieve with a clear target audience in mind.

If you’re looking for local customers, consider the people living and working in Bristol. This could be home buyers looking to purchase a new property, tenants looking for better service or business owners wanting to grow their enterprise. Your chosen audience will impact which platforms you use and how you utilise them.

Step two: Decide what you’re going to offer.

The second step is to decide what you’re going to offer. Are you offering a unique product that no other business is offering? Or are you offering an online shop where customers can purchase what they see on your website?

Whatever it is, you need to be confident that this is something that will provide value to your target audience.

Step three: Select the right platform.

The third step is to select the right platform. What social media network do you want to use? What CMS do you want to use for your website (Content Management System)?

Think about your target audience and the purpose of your channel. What do they need? What are they interested in? This information will help you to decide which platform to use.

Step four: Set up your account.

The next step is to set up your account on the selected platform. You’ll need to decide whether you’re going to use your personal account or a business account. Think about what type of content you’re going to put out. Are you going to keep it professional and business-related, or are you going to use this account to promote your hobbies and interests?

You’ll need to decide whether you’re going to engage with your audience or keep it strictly professional.

Step five: Create compelling content.

Content is everything in marketing, and it’s becoming increasingly important. Without it, you’ve nothing to market and no one to market to. Your content should be relevant and engaging, and it should match the person or audience you’re aiming at. 

Consider what draws your audience to you. What makes you special? What sets you apart from other businesses? This is your content’s ‘voice’, and it will guide everything else you write or say.

Your content could be anything from a blog post to an infographic, or even a video. Think about what would make your target audience interested in what you have to say. If you want to attract home buyers to your business, you could start by creating an infograph about the Bristol property market. Or, if you want to attract artists to your brand, you might consider creating a blog post about the different art opportunities in Bristol.

Final thoughts.

So, there you have it. Now you know what constitutes a proper marketing plan for an online business. The next step is to put it into action and start getting results.