If you’re new to internet marketing, you’ll probably wonder what an online marketing strategy is. The good news is that it’s not as complicated as it seems. In this article, you’ll learn all about online marketing strategies, including what they are and how they differ from traditional marketing strategies.
What Is an Online Marketing Strategy?
Simply put, an online marketing strategy is the set of tactics, techniques, and platforms that you’ll use to grow your business online.
The best online marketing strategies are usually centered on producing quality content that will engage and persuade potential customers to purchase your products or services. That is a tall order, but it’s what sets successful businesses apart from those businesses that are just trying to make a quick buck.
Why Should You Create An Online Marketing Strategy?
One of the key reasons to create an online marketing strategy is that it will guide your efforts as you build and grow your business. Ideally, you’ll keep your eyes open for opportunities to expand your business, and this is where you can start by forming strategic partnerships and developing scalable growth plans.
To make your business stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to use various platforms and marketing tactics to drive traffic to your site. You can’t just park your website up and wait for the magic to happen. Instead, you’ll need to put in the hard work to create effective strategies to reach your goals.
What Is The Difference Between An Online Marketing Strategy And A Marketing Plan?
An online marketing strategy is broader than a marketing plan, as it covers all of the tactics you’ll use to grow your business, including paid advertising, SEO, and content marketing. However, an online marketing strategy is shorter than a marketing plan, as it needs to be concise and to the point.
Your marketing plan will be more of a comprehensive report that includes a detailed analysis of how previous campaigns performed and the key takeaways from this particular strategy. You can also find a free sample of a typical marketing plan here.
An Online Marketing Strategy Should Include:
Since an online marketing strategy is a relatively new concept, it can be tricky to know what exactly should go into one. That is why you’ll need to sit down and map out a plan that is specific to your business. However, here are a few things to keep in mind as you craft your plan.
Key Performance Indicators
One of the first things you’ll need to do is set up key performance indicators (KPIs) to track your progress. KPIs are simply measurements that you’ll use to determine the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. For example, did your latest paid campaign lead to a boost in traffic? Were your SEO efforts successful in getting the keywords you were targeting ranked higher in the search results? Are people actually clicking on your promoted products and engaging with them?
It is essential that you establish KPIs to track the performance of your strategy, as this will help you identify areas where you need to improve. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
A Performance Budget
A performance budget is simply how much you’re willing to spend on marketing measures, based on the results you’re getting. To set up a performance budget, start by taking your total marketing spend for the past year and dividing it by the number of visitors you had at that point. For example, if you spent $500 on ads in the past year and you got 100,000 visitors, your performance budget would be $50,000. Once you have that number, you can decide how much you’re willing to spend on ads in the next year, establishing the budget for the following year.
Targeted Audience
Your targeted audience is the group of people that you’ll be marketing to with your strategy. It is a common pitfall for entrepreneurs to think that everyone is their target audience and that everyone will benefit from their products or services. While this may be true to some extent, it is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a marketer.
For example, if you are an entrepreneur who is launching a fashion line for men, you might decide that all men are your target audience and that your products will be specifically designed for them. While this may be true, you’re severely limiting your audience and likely leaving out many women who could have benefited from your products as well. This is a common mistake that many marketers and businesses make; they think that everyone will benefit from their products or services, when in reality, they could be missing out on a large, untapped audience.
Your targeted audience is the group of people you’ll be marketing to with your strategy. It is a common pitfall for entrepreneurs to think that everyone is their target audience and that everyone will benefit from their products or services. While this may be true to some extent, it is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a marketer.
For example, if you are an entrepreneur who is launching a fashion line for men, you might decide that all men are your target audience and that your products will be specifically designed for them. While this may be true, you’re severely limiting your audience and likely leaving out many women who could have benefited from your products as well. This is a common mistake that many marketers and businesses make; they think that everyone will benefit from their products or services, when in reality, they could be missing out on a large, untapped audience.
There are numerous tools that are available to online marketers and businesses to help them find their target audience. For example, you could use Google Analytics to track the sources of your traffic, whether this is from social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram, or SEO. Using this data, you can tailor your strategy to reach the right audience.
The Process Of Creating An Online Marketing Strategy
Once you have an idea of what your strategy should include, it’s time to put it into action. In order to create an effective strategy, you’ll need to follow a particular process that begins with research and ends in analysis.
The first step in the process is to do extensive research into your intended audience, competitors, and the market in general. This is a crucial step, as you’ll never know what kind of strategy will be effective unless you try it first. You can also find a free sample of a marketing research report here.
Once you have all of that research, it’s time to create a marketing plan. A marketing plan is similar to an online marketing strategy, in that it can also be a bit more comprehensive, outlining the exact steps you’ll take to grow your business. You can also find a free sample of a marketing plan here.
The next step is to test your strategy, evaluating how well it performed in comparison to your expectations. Once you’ve tested your plan, you can modify it as necessary and start over again. The process will continue in this fashion, until you have a perfectly executed plan that will help you attain your goals.
The Importance Of Evaluating Trends
If you’re interested in putting a stop to bad habits, one of the best things you can do is to take a close look at what’s trending in your industry. To do this, you’ll need to use various tools and platforms, including Google Trends, to track public opinion and interest relating to your topic. With this information, you can figure out which trends will make a positive impact on your industry and which ones will be detrimental.
For example, if you are a fashion designer and you notice that people are showing an interest in vintage styles, you might want to incorporate this into your design process. However, if you notice that a large population is interested in exploring different ways of cooking, you might want to take a step back and consider ditching your fashion line in favor of a food truck.
By taking the time to evaluate trends, you’ll be able to determine whether or not they are beneficial to your business, and if so, how you can best use them.
Where Do I Start?
If you’re just getting started, the first thing you’ll need to do is to determine which platform will be the best fit for you.
There are numerous platforms where you can create and execute an online marketing strategy, including HubSpot, Marketo, and Pardot. Each of these platforms has something great to offer, and it’s up to you to decide which one will be the best fit for your needs.