Bonafide Marketing Genius

Technology Examples for Online Marketing: 7 Best Practices

The purpose of this post is to present you with 7 best practices when it comes to integrating technology into your online marketing strategy.

1. Use your email marketing tool to establish rapport

The first thing you should do is to make sure that your email marketing tool is serving its purpose. You use this tool to communicate with your audience, so it is essential that you create a good relationship with your email subscribers. To achieve this, you need to make sure that your emails are relevant, interesting, and well-timed.

For instance, if you are sending out emails to attract new customers, you might want to consider sending an email every week or every other week. Frequent emails are likely to create relationship-building opportunities, while infrequent emails are more likely to feel like a quick pitch.

2. Experiment with different content types and variables to see what works

The second thing you should do is to experiment with different content types and variables to see what works. You want to find the best approach to communicate with your audience, and the best way to find this is to try out different methods and analyse the results. Some of the content you might experiment with includes:

  • Video content – the most popular type of content on any social media network, especially YouTube
  • Product reviews – seeing how others experience and rate products helps determine whether or not you should purchase them
  • FAQs – frequently asked questions and answers can help to establish your authority on a subject
  • How-to guides – teaching others how to do something guides you towards a possible expert status
  • Graphic-based content – infographics and other visual elements can make content more engaging
  • Checklists and guides – creating lists of steps to follow can help to establish your expertise

One important thing to note is that you should experiment with as many different variables as you can. The more you try, the more you will learn, and the more you learn, the better your results will be. For example, did you know that using infographics can increase your open rates by 47%? Or that adding a video can increase your click-through rates by 83%?

3. Personalise your emails

The third thing you should do is to personalise your emails. People enjoy being shown that they are important to you and that you have considered their needs. When someone signs up for your email list, they are trusting you to send them relevant and interesting content that will increase their engagement and convert them into paying customers. To achieve this, you can use a tool like Hello Bar, which will create a pop-up menu of every relevant email in your inbox when you visit the website.

The advantage of personalising your emails is that you can show that you have thought about them and their needs. If you were to send out a mass email inviting people to your website and offering them a discount on your product or service, you would receive no personal replies. However, with personalised emails, you stand a chance of getting a message back.

4. Use big data to find your target audience

The fourth thing you should do is to use big data to find your target audience. With big data, you should have no trouble finding information about your ideal customer. If you know exactly who you want to target, you can use tools like Google Analytics to find people fitting your criteria.

Then you can use an internet marketing tool like Hootsuite to segment and target your audience. With Hootsuite, you can search for your target audience based on various demographics and psychographics. You can then tailor your posts to be catered to specific groups. For example, you might want to create a video on the latest fashion trends for women, or you could create another on useful tips for the home.

While the perfect customer is someone who fits into your target demographic perfectly, finding this person isn’t easy. With big data, you will have access to a database of potential customers, which will make your job a lot easier.

5. Measure the results of your efforts

The fifth thing you should do is to measure the results of your efforts. You cannot claim that you have succeeded in using technology to improve your marketing efforts if you don’t measure the results. Simply tracking your open rates and click-through rates can help you figure out which content types perform the best and which ones need some work.

You should try different things and measure the results to find out which ones work the best. For example, if you saw that videos with a higher production value performed the best, you might want to make more of them. Also, if you notice that your target audience responds best to short, snappy messages, you might want to lower the amount of content you have and go for more concise communications.

6. Identify your target audience and create segments

The sixth thing you should do is to identify your target audience and create segments. You can use this information to categorise people according to their interests. Identifying your target audience helps you find the right customers for your product or service and determine how to reach them.

For example, if you sell beach bags and you identify that young people in their 20s are the ones purchasing your products, you might want to focus on the following variables in your next marketing campaign:

  • New items
  • Beachwear
  • Bags
  • Locker room styles
  • Poolside styles
  • Hip hop/streetwear
  • Tropical styles
  • Bermudas

This information will allow you to create specific groups of people who share the same interests. Let’s say you decide to create a club for young people who like to party on the beach. The next step would be to contact these people and invite them to join your club. You can also use this information to send out reminders about events or promotions you have scheduled – helping to retain your members and growing your audience.

7. Experiment with different mediums

The seventh and final thing you should do is to experiment with different mediums. If you notice that emails perform the best when it comes to building a relationship with your audience, you might want to try out other forms of content that can accomplish the same goal. If you can use video to grab your audience’s attention and make them curious about your product or service, you will find that most people are more likely to listen to what you have to say.

For example, did you know that using email to promote your website reduced your bounce rate by 41%? Or that displaying video content on social media increased your engagement levels by 147%?

The more you experiment with different mediums, the more you will learn, and the more you learn, the better your results will be. You don’t want to limit yourself to one form of content when there are so many others that can help you achieve your goals. Plus, trying new things is how you evolve as a marketer and grow as an expert.