The combination of online marketing and social media has created something special. Today, anybody can promote a product or service online using various platforms like social media, forums, and blogs to reach a massive audience. The trick is to use these platforms in a way that creates value for customers and builds credibility for your offering. In other words, you want to use various marketing tactics to generate relevant interest in your products and services, while also building trust with audiences.

For a long time, marketing professionals have debated the merits of inbound vs. outbound marketing. Traditional outbound marketing is the process of generating interest in your product or service in a way that suggests you are reaching out to your audience rather than being discovered by an interested party.

Outbound marketing is incredibly effective, but it takes a long time to generate interest in your product. Because of this, many businesses are now turning to inbound marketing, which focuses on attracting, engaging, and delighting people to grow their business.

The debate around inbound vs. outbound marketing came to a head in the summer of 2018. That’s when TikTok launched their new campaign, “Live for the Moment.” The goal of the campaign is to encourage people to stop worrying about the future and live for the present. For marketing professionals, this is a mantra that must be adopted.

Why Online Marketing Is Preferred

Thanks to the wonders of the digital age, we live in a world where information is literally at our fingertips. This makes it much easier for us to research products and services before purchasing, which means fewer wasted trips to the store. In fact, 41% of Amazon sales come from customers who’ve discovered the products they were looking for online.

Because of this, many businesses are moving toward online marketing as a way of reaching potential customers. Some of the benefits of online marketing include:

• Cost-effective: You can target the right audience with high precision using online marketing tools like Google AdWords.
• Increased conversion: Inbound marketing relies on creating value for your target audience, which in turn, increases the likelihood they will become customers.
• Higher click-through rates: When someone discovers your product or service online and clicks on a call to action (i.e., “Learn more,” “Shop Now,” “Subscribe,” etc.) because they found value in what you have to offer, this is known as a “click-through.” These clicks are typically more valuable than those generated by traditional outbound marketing because they’ve been carefully targeted based on specific characteristics.
• Time-saving: Since much of the work is done online, you can save a lot of time that would have been wasted going from store to store finding products that match your needs.
• More accurate: With all the information available online, it’s much easier to ensure the product you’re promoting is accurately represented. This increases your odds of selling a quality item that meets your expectations.
• Leverages social media: Thanks to online marketing, you can use social media to further refine your target audience. This means the possibility of reaching a broader audience than just those who physically walk into a store.
• More personal: Since much of the work is done online, you can get to know your target audience better through social media. This, in turn, allows you to create a more personal connection and gain their trust.
• Increased brand loyalty: Since the internet can be a ‘black hole’ of misinformation, customers are often more likely to trust online marketing campaigns from businesses they know, like, or have heard of. This is why brands that engage with their audiences through online tactics gain a competitive advantage.

How To Utilize Online Marketing

Now that you understand the many advantages of online marketing, let’s examine how you can put this knowledge to work for you.

You can use many different platforms to promote your product or service online, but these platforms each have their unique features that can help to grow your business. Before you start any kind of marketing campaign, it is important to identify which platform will best serve your needs. One of the more popular platforms designed for marketing is Hootsuite. This tool allows you to set up automated emails that will blast your marketing messages out to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. This is just one example of how a business might use online marketing to grow their business. One of the best things about this platform is how user-friendly it is. Setting up email campaigns with Hootsuite is incredibly easy, and this is one place where you can start when you’re looking for a way to promote your product.

Instagram Is The Place To Be

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, and it’s easy to see why. The app is extremely easy to use, and it’s highly accessible to anyone who has a smartphone. Instagram lets you connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime, which makes it a valuable tool for any business. If you’re looking for an easy way to reach a massive audience, then consider using this app to promote your product or service.

The best part of Instagram is that it is such a highly targeted platform. You can use various tools like heat maps and A/B testing to see which types of content drive the most engagement. This means you can craft the perfect Instagram strategy to fit your needs, which is invaluable when trying to grow your business.

How To Get Started With Online Marketing

If you’re looking to get started with online marketing, then there are several resources that you can use to get the information you need. First, you should visit the Open Marketing Platforms website to see a full list of the different platforms used for online marketing. This way, you can find the one that best suits your needs.

Another place to get started is with HubSpot. This should be a no-brainer if you’re already familiar with HubSpot, as it’s where most of our content comes from. If you’ve never heard of HubSpot, it’s basically the Microsoft of marketing software. This is a tool that most businesses use to run their marketing efforts, so it’s imminent that you find out what it is and whether or not it’s right for your business.

Final Takeaway

The bottom line is this: online marketing is the way forward. It’s easy to use and cost-effective. With the right strategy, tools, and a little bit of luck, you can’t go wrong.