Organic and paid search together comprise over 90% of total digital revenue. (Predictive Analytics) As a marketer, it’s your task to grow traffic and turn online shoppers into real customers. Sounds easy, right? Well, it is, but there are many different strategies and tools you can use to achieve this. That’s why we’ve put together this short guide. We’ll cover everything from the basics – what are the main sources of traffic and what is the average order value – to the more advanced topics like SEO and paid search marketing. So grab a cup of coffee and get started.

The Basics of Online Marketing

If you’re new to the field of online marketing, then it’s a good idea to start by taking a crash course in digital marketing. Don’t worry – we’re not going to make you read any textbooks. We’ve put together a list of the most essential things you need to know as a beginner.

Marketing Mix (Online Marketing Strategies)

The first thing you need to understand is that no one marketing mix suits all businesses. You need to identify your target audience’s needs and wants and determine what mix of content to use to satisfy them. In general, you’ll need to use a combination of:

• Product positioning (Product positioning is the placement of your product in the minds of your target audience. The better your positioning, the more likely your product is to be chosen.)
• Price (The lower your prices, the more attractive you’ll seem to customers. However, too low of a price can put you at a disadvantage, as there’s often a minimum spend amount that customers must meet before they make a purchase. To learn more, read our blog post on Why Everyone Is Talking about Minimum Spend Pricing)
• Promotions (Promotions include discounts, free gifts, etc. You can use various tools like Facebook offers or coupon codes to track discounts and promotions. Make sure you keep track of which offers work best for your brand and then use this data to optimize your digital marketing campaigns.)
• Content marketing (Content Marketing is a form of marketing that involves creating and distributing relevant and useful content to attract, engage and grow a desired audience. For example, if you’re an eCommerce store owner, you’ll likely use content to attract customers and grow your online store. Blogging and vlogging are examples of content marketing tactics that can be effectively used to gain exposure and grow a brand.)
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (SEO is the process of improving your website’s content and design to make it easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for. With SEO, you can significantly increase site traffic and revenue by using a combination of on-site and off-site strategies. We’ll discuss off-site SEO in more detail below.)
• Paid Search Marketing (Paid Search Marketing is the process of getting paid to display ads that are relevant to the keywords you’re targeting.)
• Email Marketing (Email Marketing is the process of getting relevant and timely information to your audience via email. It’s a highly effective way to maintain contact with past customers and grow your email list. You can use a tool like MailChimp to help get the word out about your business.)

Once you know what your target audience’s needs and wants are, you can develop a strategy for meeting those needs and wants. With these Marketing Mixes in mind, you’ll be able to create a plan for effectively using digital channels to market your product or service.

The Different Digital Channels

Let’s get back to basics for a moment. What are the different types of digital channels you can use to market your product or service?

Well, there are many different kinds of digital channels that you can use to push content to your audience. When developing your strategy, you need to consider which channels will be the most effective for promoting your product or service.

The different kinds of digital channels include:

• Web (also called WWW or Internet)
• E-mail
• Mobile Phones (also called “Mobile Apps” or “Apps”)
• Social Media (also called “Social Media Marketing” or “SMM”)
• TV (also called Video Marketing)
• Radio
• Search Engines (like Google, Bing, or Yandex)
• Podcasts
• TikTok
• Instagram

When choosing a channel, you need to consider the size of your audience. Do you have hundreds or thousands of customers? Is your target audience concentrated in certain regions? If you’ve picked a channel that reaches a specific audience, then congratulations – you’ve successfully picked a channel that provides value to that audience. However, if you’ve picked a channel that appeals to a broader audience, then you might want to consider whether or not that channel is right for your business. Let’s examine each type of digital channel in more detail.

Web (or Internet)

The web (or Internet) remains the most popular digital channel today. Thanks to the internet and social media, people can now find almost anything they want with just a few keystrokes. This has significantly reduced the number of searches needed to find what they’re looking for. While this convenience has made the web (Internet) an attractive place for customers to find information and products, it also makes it more difficult for businesses to connect to customers. Creating and maintaining a website is also considerably more expensive than other types of digital channels. Lastly, most online shoppers learn about new brands and products through affiliate marketing or promoted products on social media channels. While these tactics can be effective in generating sales, they’re less effective if you want to build a long-term relationship with a customer.

Choosing the right platform is critical when deciding which web (or Internet) channel to use to market your product. WordPress is one of the most popular CMSs (Content Management Systems) available and can be used to create a custom website with the look and feel of your product or service. Creating a highly-optimized WordPress site can also take a considerable amount of time and effort. Another popular CMS is Joomla! If you’re looking for a free solution with a limited feature set, then you might want to consider choosing WordPress as your web (or Internet) platform. However, if you’re looking for a more sophisticated solution with richer features, then considering Joomla!

Regardless of which CMS you choose, make sure to install a reputable and tested SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or All-in-One SEO (AIO SEO). These SEO plugins will help your new WordPress site achieve high search engine rankings for keywords and phrases that are important to your business.

E-mail

E-mail is still the most popular digital channel for transmitting information and data. However, e-mail marketing was originally designed to be a short-term strategy used to promote products. With the rise of the infomercial and the ability to send mass emails with mass marketing platforms like MailChimp, marketing via e-mail has evolved into a long-term strategy.

Many businesses keep their marketing strategies secret because they fear competitors will use the same methods to attract customers. However, marketing via e-mail doesn’t require expensive tools or advanced technology. All you need is a private email address and a computer or mobile device.

You can also use free email platforms like Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail to send and receive e-mails. Keep in mind: these are free services, so your inbox can get cluttered quickly if you don’t keep up with your spam filters.

In general, e-mail marketing provides the following advantages: