Whether you run a small business or operate a large corporation, chances are you have some online marketing tools that you use to promote your product or service.
And just as with traditional marketing, not all online tools are created equal. Some are quite simply indispensable, while others are just convenient band-aids that may not provide very good value.
To find the best, most effective online marketing tools, we spoke with Jason Miller, founder of Top Dog Marketing, a digital marketing agency.
“Everything starts with a good SEO strategy,” said Miller. “It’s important to find a way to incorporate SEO effectively into every aspect of your marketing plan, from lead generation and nurturing through to sales and follow up.”
He continued, “Traditional marketing is still very relevant, and a lot of that marketing will happen online. You have to have a presence there.”
Whether you’re looking for video content, social media marketing, email marketing, or SEO, you’ll have to consider the right tool for the job.
Video Content Marketing: YouTube For Businesses
If you’re a business owner or marketing professional, you’ll undoubtedly have heard of YouTube.
In fact, YouTube is the second-largest video platform in the world, only behind Facebook. And it’s one of the most popular places for users to go when looking for online content.
According to HubSpot Blogs’s research, video content marketing is now the preferred method of creating content across all industries, spanning from technology and software to retail, e-commerce, and pharmaceuticals.
What is video content marketing?
Simply put, video content marketing is using video to get your message across. But it’s more than using video for just any old reason. When done well, video can be an incredibly effective tool for attracting, engaging, and inspiring audiences.
There are several distinct advantages to video content marketing. First, it’s easy to get started. Anyone can upload a video and attach a description. Second, it’s highly visual, so it’s more accessible to those who are less likely to read. Third, it’s often shareable. Video content is often times easier to share than text-based content. And finally, it’s often times more engaging than text-based content. When someone watches a video with a simple description of what’s on screen, they’ve already been pre-treated with the information, so they have more interest in what’s next.
What kind of video content do businesses around the world prefer to use?
According to HubSpot Blogs’ research, businesses prefer to use video content that is explanatory in nature, such as how-to guides, product demos, FAQs, and video narratives.
Businesses also prefer to use video content that is promotional in nature, creating an exciting and memorable experience for their customers. This type of video content could be in the form of a marketing video, an explainer video, a testimonial, or an introduction.
To maximize the effectiveness of your video content marketing, you need to consider a number of factors including:
Size Does Matter
Just because your video is online doesn’t mean it will reach every single person you want it to. The quality of your video content and the size of your audience both play a role in whether or not your videos will actually do anything for your business.
To maximize the effectiveness of your video content marketing, you need to consider a number of factors including:
- Quality of the Video Content
- Size of your Audience
- Video Platform you will use
- Video length
- Video format (i.e. .mp4,.mov,.flv)
- Do you have a voice actor?
- What is your video’s purpose?
- Do you have a story to tell?
To ensure your videos will reach your target audience, you need to make sure that the content is of a high quality. Avoid using too many noisy plugins or amplifiers in your video processing chain. Instead, look for a reliable video hosting platform that provides you with the right settings and tools to create your content and share it with the world.
When it comes to reaching an audience, quality matters. Without a quality video, even the most engaging and entertaining content won’t do much. The key is to find a good balance between quality and entertainment value. If you’re looking for pure entertainment value, then YouTube is arguably the worst place to find it. But if you want to attract and engage your audience, then YouTube is the best place to do so. It’s all about finding the right platform for the job you have in mind.
Mobile First
If your product or service is, for the most part, accessible via mobile phone, you have access to a global audience. Many people now get most of their news and entertainment via mobile phones, reducing the need to visit websites. So if your product or service is relevant to someone on the other end of a cellphone, they may well be more receptive to what you have to say.
There are several distinct advantages to reaching an audience via mobile phones. First, it’s highly accessible. Anyone can log on to YouTube, whether or not they’ve used a computer before, and create video content.
Second, it’s often times easier to reach an audience via mobile phones than it is to reach an audience via the PC. In fact, HubSpot Blogs’ research found that while 75% of people use the internet to research products or services, only 26% use it to seek information about a brand or company.
Finally, when used effectively, mobile phones allow you to connect with your audience in real-time, wherever they are.
Social Media Marketing
If you’ve been on the internet for any length of time, you’ll undoubtedly have heard of social media platforms.
These are websites and online services that allow people to connect and share content across platforms. If you’re not familiar, the most popular social media platforms are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Each of these platforms provides businesses with a variety of tools and capabilities that can be utilized for marketing and content creation.
When done well, marketing through social media can be extremely effective. Just remember that while these platforms are excellent for attracting and engaging audiences, they don’t necessarily entice or inspire action. So if you’re looking to gain customers or make sales, you may need to shift your focus to traditional marketing methods.
Email Marketing
If you’re looking for ways to promote your product or service, you’ve probably already heard of email marketing.
As the name implies, email marketing is the practice of using email to promote your product or service. But while the method may be quite old-fashioned, it continues to be among the most popular and effective marketing strategies.
The appeal of email marketing is its reliability. If you’re looking for an audience that will genuinely engage with your content and buy your product/service, then email marketing is a relatively low-cost and high-yield strategy.
Email marketing doesn’t necessarily require a lot of overhead. Simply create a simple email template with compelling content, and make sure to follow up with a clever call to action (CTA). For example, if you sell kitchenware, your email marketing template may include a range of recipes that can be used to inspire and engage your audience.
While it’s tempting to think that all you need for marketing are the right tools, it’s important to remember that a marketing plan that is not built on strategy will never reach its full potential. In the end, having the right tools is not nearly as important as having the right strategy. So be sure to spend some time thinking about your marketing objectives and the metrics you’ll use to measure your success (i.e. click-through rates and conversions).