Picture yourself sitting in front of your computer taking an online marketing course. You start to study, and before you know it, an hour has passed and you’ve missed your opportunity to buy something. You sigh, throw your laptop in your bag, and head to work. As you walk out the door, you wonder: ‘What am I going to do about my business this year?’
Now imagine an alternate scenario. Instead of taking an online marketing course, you’re reading an in-house SEO blog post. You’re interested in what you’re reading so you go back to the site to learn more. Before you know it, an hour has passed and you’ve read 2-3 articles. You get to the end of the blog post, and there’s a link to take you to the shop, like any other website. You click the link and are navigated to a page with all of the products the business offers. On the right side of the page is a big green call to action button that reads ‘Shop Now’. You’re interested in an upcoming cruise so you think, ‘Hmm, maybe I’ll order that button.’ As you’re about to click on the button, you remember that you were also interested in a holiday to Italy this year, so you go back to the shop and look at all of their travel products. Before you know it, an hour has passed and you’ve spent more time researching product options than you would have in a normal shopping session. Now you’re feeling a bit guilty because you know you’re not going to buy anything online, but you also know you’ll come back another day. What do you do?
The scenario above describes what it’s like to participate in an online marketing seminar. Unlike a normal boring online marketing course, however, you not only complete the exercises and gain valuable knowledge, but you also walk away with a list of sales leads that can help you grow your business.
The Many Benefits Of An Online Marketing Seminar
Let’s be honest, as savvy business owners and marketers, we all know that life is busy. Between taking care of our families, running our businesses, and being active in our communities, there just isn’t enough time to spend sitting in a classroom. But the benefits of an online marketing seminar extend beyond the convenience for the student. Here are a few of the benefits.
Personalized Help
One of the biggest benefits of an online marketing seminar is that you can take the course at your own pace. If you’re a busy person, that’s fine; you can take the course in sections or at a time that suits you. You can also use the supplemental materials, such as the e-books and webinars, to learn more about the topics covered in the course. This way, you can learn at a pace that’s comfortable for you.
Diverse Learning Environment
With an online marketing seminar, you can access a wealth of information from anywhere. This is huge! Imagine being in the middle of nowhere and needing help with finding the right travel product. You can’t just get help from a travel agent. You’ll have to keep digging until you find someone willing to assist you. With an online marketing course, you can access a variety of learning materials, such as YouTube videos, blog posts, and PDF documents, from any place that has an internet connection. You can use these to educate yourself on the topic, regardless of where you are.
Faster Learning
Another huge advantage of an online marketing seminar is that you can learn a great deal in a short amount of time. The typical classroom setting would take a lot of time to cover the same material. With an online marketing course, you can read the blog posts and review the content quickly. You don’t have to worry about going over the same information over and over again. You can also use the supplemental materials, such as the e-books and webinars, to learn more about the topics covered in the course.
More Efficient Use Of Time
Taking an online marketing course means you can more efficiently use your time. You don’t have to waste time commuting to and from school, studying in class, or rehearsing for class. By working remotely, you can achieve more in less time. You can study when and where you want, and review the content as many times as needed. You can use the tools covered in the course, such as HubSpot, to help you manage your time more effectively.
If you’re looking to grow your business, establish yourself as an industry expert, or just want to save time, you can’t argue with the benefits of an online marketing seminar.
How To Generate Sales Leads Through Online Marketing
Many times business owners and marketers get so caught up in the daily grind that they forget about marketing for business success. Whether you’re reading this article or it was just delivered to you, chances are you’re already aware that you need to market your business to achieve the results you’re looking for. Marketing can be an integral part of running a successful business, but it can also feel like a chore. There’s a lot of information out there, and it can be hard to know where to begin.
If this sounds like you, allow me to suggest that you take advantage of the newfound time you have and begin generating sales leads. You’ve taken the first step in educating yourself about marketing, and that’s a fantastic place to start. Now it’s up to you to take the next step and put this knowledge to work for you.
An important part of taking this step is articulating a clear, focused vision for your business. To help you with this, I’ve put together a simple formula that will aid you in the development of a marketing strategy for your business.
Here it is:
- Determine Your Niche
- Find Your Target Audience
- Establish Brand Awareness
- Develop a Marketing Plan
Let’s look at each part of this formula in detail.
1. Determining Your Niche
To begin, you need to determine your niche. Essentially, a niche is a ‘small market or segment’ within the large market for a product or service. For example, the niche for a travel agent is ‘inclusive holiday packages’.
When considering a niche, it’s important to think about what sets you apart from the competition. In the case of travel agents, for example, you’re not just another travel agent. You’re an experiential travel agent. Experiential travel agents specialize in organizing trips for families and friends that want to get away from the grind of daily life. The trips might include outings, such as tours of local landmarks or food festivals, to name just a few. By specializing in experiential travel, you offer a unique service that is not easily substitutable. Therefore, you can set yourself apart from other travel agents.
When defining your niche, you want to make sure that you not only consider the services you provide but that you also consider the clients you serve. It’s easy to serve a targeted audience with a niche service, but finding the right niche for your business comes with extensive research and consideration of who you’re trying to reach.
2. Find Your Target Audience
Once you’ve determined your niche, it’s time to find your target audience. Your target audience is simply the people you’re marketing to, whether directly or indirectly. When defining your target audience, you first need to consider the people you want to reach and the communities you belong to. After that, you can narrow your focus to specific demographics or segments within that audience. With a little bit of research, you’ll easily be able to determine your target audience.
3. Establish Brand Awareness
Once you’ve found your target audience, you can begin to establish brand awareness. This just means that people are aware of your brand; in other words, they know what your company is and what it stands for. To put it simply, you want people to understand who you are and why they should care about what you have to offer. Your brand should reflect what your company is all about, and it should also represent your expertise in your industry. For example, if you’re an expert in luxury goods, establish yourself as such through your branding.