You’ve been hearing about online marketing for a while now, and maybe you’re even wondering if now is the right time to get involved. Maybe you’re convinced that you can make a huge impact without too much risk, or you want to give it a try anyway.
We understand how confusing it can be to find the right information online. That’s why we’ve gone ahead and curated this extensive guide, which will tell you everything you need to know about getting started in online marketing. From understanding what it means, to finding the right tools, to developing your strategy, we’ve got you covered.
The Basics Of Online Marketing
Let’s get the most fundamental stuff out of the way first. What is online marketing, and what does it mean for your business?
Put simply, online marketing is the process of getting an online presence that will attract, maintain, and grow a potential audience for your product or service. This can mean anything from creating a blog to posting on social media. However, keeping people interested in what you have to say requires focus and dedication, which is why you’ll often see businesses using a variety of online marketing techniques.
Why should you be doing this? Well, as a business owner or executive, you’re most likely aware of the many benefits of digital marketing. This entails using digital and online channels to promote your business. It can help you gain more exposure, gain more followers, and develop deeper connections with your audience. That’s because people in your target audience are more likely to learn about your business via online sources rather than through traditional marketing methods.
In a nutshell, here are a few reasons why you should consider getting involved in online marketing:
More Exposure
One of the major perks of digital marketing is that you have the opportunity to gain more exposure. Thanks to the many platforms available online, you can put up a website, blog, or social media account, and gain instant visibility. And what’s more, you can do this for free.
With exposure comes opportunity. You can use your platform to establish yourself as an authoritative voice on your topic, and in turn, can attract a potentially interested audience. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, this is a fantastic opportunity to get your feet wet. And for those interested in entrepreneurship, this is definitely one way to do so.
Gaining Followers
A successful business owner, engineer, or designer probably already has a fairly good idea of what will make them successful. However, they may not necessarily understand the inner workings of digital marketing, which is why they’re looking to you to help them out.
If you’ve got a decent following on social media, you can use your influence to help spread the word about their business, project, or idea. Your followers may decide to like, or follow them after reading your encouraging words, seeing compelling images, or hearing about their unique story. This is a great way to gain credibility and trust with your audience, which in turn, can lead to increased interest and engagement in your content.
Developing Deep Connections
If you’ve been doing business for a while and have accumulated a decent sized customer base, you may be wondering how to engage with them. One excellent way to do this is through content marketing.
Creating and distributing high-quality, valuable content regularly can help you establish yourself as an authoritative voice in your industry. This content can be something as simple as an explainer video that clarifies a point or concept, to a detailed blog post that elaborates on the same topic. The important thing is that this content provides value and builds trust.
However, establishing yourself as an authoritative voice in your industry doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to become a content crafter. Sometimes, all you need is a simple blog post to generate some interest and engagement. Or you can start a podcast and talk about your area of expertise. All of these methods can help you engage with and inform your audience about your business. And remember, the more you engage with your audience, the more they will trust you and hopefully, become your customers or fans.
Now that you understand the basics of online marketing, let’s move on to discussing the tools you will need to get started.
The Tools Of Marketing
As with any other field, technology has moved in and changed the way we do business, marketing included. Here are a few of the tools you will need to get started.
A Website
For those interested in digital marketing, a website is a must. Having a website not only gives you a space to promote your business, projects, or ideas, but it also allows you to collect leads, establish yourself as an expert in your industry, and build a community.
If you don’t have a website yet, now is the perfect time to get one. Even if you do have one, it’s probably outdated and needs some TLC (that’s technical love cake to anyone familiar with WordPress).
Make sure to pick an easy-to-use, user-friendly CMS, such as WordPress, that will allow you to build, edit, and publish content quickly and easily. Also, look for a simple theme that will make creating and maintaining your website easy and fun. In fact, don’t worry about designing your website completely from scratch. There are plenty of pre-made themes and templates out there that you can use, and WordPress makes this easier than ever. Just remember to keep your website simple and clean, as too much going on and cluttered layout will make it hard for people to find what they’re looking for.
A Blog
In addition to having a website, you should also have a blog. A blog is a great place to share valuable content regularly with your audience. It can be an online diary, a space to talk about and share your thoughts on your topic of expertise, or a combination of both. Just remember: your blog doesn’t have to be about your business or websites. It can be about anything you’re passionate about.
A blog can also be a great place to establish yourself as an expert in your industry. By regularly contributing high-quality content to your blog, you will undoubtedly find that your reputation begins to grow, and more and more people want to engage with you on your topic of expertise. Don’t underestimate the power of a blog.
Social Media
Blogs may not seem like the most suitable place to promote your business, but that’s because most people don’t know how to use them effectively. A business can have a blog, but not really engage with their audience on social media. It’s not enough to have a presence on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. You need to be actively engaging with your audience, sharing valuable content, and interacting with people.
On that note, let’s not forget about the importance of social media for digital marketing. While you may not need to have a presence on every single social media platform, it’s a good idea to have an active account on the most popular ones. Setting up a presence on these platforms will not only allow you to engage with potential customers, but it will also establish you as an expert in your industry. Thanks to the many free tools available online, setting up a presence on these platforms is easy and requires very little effort.
Video
If textual content isn’t your thing, and you’d rather express yourself through images and videos, you should definitely consider getting involved in video marketing. As a business owner, engineer, or designer, you may already have a good idea of what will make you tick, but the fact remains that you may not necessarily know how to articulate it in video form. That’s where you come in, as a business entity, and that’s where video marketing can help you.
Thanks to the rise of TikTok and other similar platforms, video has taken over the world. Essentially, TikTok is a video sharing platform that allows you to post and share short-form videos with your followers. The videos can be between 15 seconds and three minutes, and they are typically designed to stimulate a quick and easy burst of amusement or joy. The videos can also promote brand awareness, product or service, and showcase expert knowledge.
If you don’t have a video yet, now is the perfect time to get one. Even if you do have one, it’s probably not doing its job of promoting your business, and it may even be a bit outdated. Thanks to the advancements in digital technology, the need for video marketing has increased dramatically. For those interested in entrepreneurship, using video to market your business may be the best route to follow.