The definition of online marketing is very general, however, most people will tell you it’s all about advertising and marketing a business or product online. While this may be true in a sense, online marketing is a lot more than this. You should already be an expert in online marketing if you’re reading this article. The following are 12 ways in which you should know how to approach online marketing:
1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is all about getting traffic from organic search engines like Google. For example, if you’re a shoe company and you want to sell your shoes online, you should first optimize for the words “shoes” and “sales” in order to appear in the search results for the key terms “shoes” and “sales.” In order to do this, you need to work with an SEO expert who can help you analyze your current website and determine what needs to be changed in order to improve your SEO.
2. SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is a combination of SEO and PPC (Pay Per Click). If you’re not familiar, PPC is when you pay for each click on your ads in the search results. For example, if you were searching for “digital marketing expert” and clicked on the first ad, you would be taken to a web page where you could learn more about the expert. You would then need to make a purchase or join their email list, etc. Once you complete the action (i.e., make a purchase or join the email list), your ads would appear in the future when someone searches for your product or service.
3. Email Marketing
Many people think that email marketing is just a matter of sending out mass emails to people who have signed up for your list. While it’s true that you can use email to promote your products and services, it’s a lot more complex than this.
You should work with an email marketing expert who can help you craft a strategy for building and maintaining your email list. The list you build should be a valuable asset to your business and can ultimately be used for market research purposes. You can use a tool like HubSpot to create a central location for all your marketing emails, including sales collateral such as websites, brochures, and catalogs. This will make it much easier to follow up with people who were not previously part of your database.
4. Website Analysis
Website analysis is all about finding out what works and what doesn’t, for your specific business. This is a vital step in order to determine your overall online marketing strategy and determine which aspects of your website are driving traffic and growth and which areas you should work on improving.
Your website analysis should include everything from basic metrics like traffic to social media, email, and website performance to more advanced analysis such as search engine optimization, paid ads, and content marketing.
5. Blogging
Blogging is one of the most effective ways to build a reputation as an expert in your field, especially if you do it regularly and strategically. The content that you put out on a blog can either be educational or entertaining, but should be concise and to the point. Your blog should also fit the design aesthetic of your website and brand. For example, if you have a fashion blog and your website’s design is on the avant-garde side, your fashion blog posts should reflect this design aesthetic.
6. Social Media
If you’re not already active on social media, now might be a good time to start. There are a variety of platforms like Twitter and Instagram where you can share your expertise with the world. Just remember, it’s all about the content you put out and how you engage with your followers. You can also use social media to find and engage with customers that are already part of your email list.
7. SEO Tools
If you want to get super-efficient about your SEO, you can use a variety of tools. Some of the most popular ones are Google keyword planner, Google Trend Analytics, and Google Search Console. These tools will help you find the exact words and phrases that people are using to find your product or service online. You can use them to determine the topics that your audience is searching for and create content around these topics based on your analysis of your competitors.
8. Website Builder
A website builder is a tool that can be used to create a fully functioning website without needing to know code. The best part is that you can use a tool like Squarespace to build a business website that will look amazing and be functional. You can use the platform to build a portfolio site, blog, or eCommerce store.
9. Analytics
Analytics is all about tracking and reporting on the performance of your website. There are a variety of tools that can be used for this purpose, but the most popular one is Google Analytics. With this tool, you can track numerous metrics like visits, how long people stay on your site, and what they do while there. You can use this information to determine the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and determine what’s working and what’s not.
10. Landing Pages
A landing page is a special web page that you can create to promote a specific product or service. These pages usually serve as the first impression of your product or service and need to accurately reflect the nature and theme of your site. The general rule of thumb is to keep the copy on your landing page short and to the point.
11. Content Calendars
Content calendars are used to plan out a content schedule for your blog or website. You can use content calendars to dictate when you’ll publish new content, based on the seasons or holidays, and ensure that you never run out of content to publish.
12. PPC (Pay Per Click)
PPC (Pay Per Click) is when you pay for each click on your ad in the search results. Like SEO, PPC is a combination of SEO and paid ads. The advantage of PPC is that you can test different ads quickly and easily to see which perform the best. You can use platforms like Google AdWords to find the right audience for your product or service and then engage with them using various paid ad platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Now you might be thinking that this was quite a lengthy list and not one that you could possibly execute on your own. Well, you might be surprised at how much you can actually do on your own if you put in the necessary time and effort. Remember, these are only 12 tips, anything beyond this will require some serious experience and expertise in order to carry out successfully. Just remember: knowledge is power, and with this power comes great responsibility.