Ever wonder how major brands constantly keep upping their marketing game, while others struggle to keep up?

Traditional marketing, such as radio ads and billboards, have long been used to draw in customers. While these methods still work, especially in emerging markets, savvy businesses are looking for ways to grow their reach and connect with consumers beyond traditional methods.

In today’s digital world, consumers are more likely to discover your product or service through online marketing, or SEO—the practice of getting traffic to your site from the search engines. SEO is incredibly flexible and gives you the opportunity to target different types of audiences with different messaging, while also being able to track the results of your efforts relatively easily. Plus, not all businesses are created equal, and you should be measuring the success of your campaigns regularly, so you can make course corrections as needed.

Why are businesses turning to online marketing for growth?

According to HubSpot Blogs research, 68% of businesses have used online marketing to gain additional customers. In addition, 60% of these businesses have reported that their SEO efforts have led to a 20% increase in monthly traffic. That’s good news!

Searches for keywords on various platforms, like Google, generate a significant amount of traffic. For example, let’s say you’re a real estate agent and you want to grow your business in Nashville. You could start by performing a search on Google for reputable real estate agents in Nashville.

You’ll see dozens—if not hundreds—of real estate agents appear in your search results. To target potential customers more specifically, you could perform a search on HubSpot or another search engine for SEO-friendly real estate agents in Nashville. Now, when a potential customer clicks on one of these results, they’ll be brought to your site.

How are businesses using online marketing to grow?

According to HubSpot Blogs research, nearly nine out of ten (87%) of businesses using online marketing reported that their efforts have led to an increase in sales. Additionally, 69% of these businesses have said that their SEO efforts have helped them gain better positioning in the organic search results.

Based on our research, we’ve identified three specific areas that companies are focusing on to gain online marketing traction:

1. Add more value – through content.

To stand out among your competitors, you need to provide your audience with content that can’t be found elsewhere. Since consumers are often researching before they buy a product or service, content is a great way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Your content doesn’t have to be huge to have an impact. In fact, 62% of businesses using content marketing reported that their efforts have led to an increase in sales.

In addition to establishing yourself as a thought leader, you can use your content to educate your audience about your industry and the products you offer. For example, let’s say you’re an interior designer who also provides quality cleaning services for homes and businesses. Your content might focus on the benefits of using green cleaners vs. traditional white cleaners, educating your audience about the harmful effects of traditional cleaning products on the environment.

2. Use paid advertising to drive traffic.

Searches for keywords on various platforms, like Google, generate a significant amount of traffic. For example, let’s say you’re a real estate agent and you want to grow your business in Nashville. You could start by performing a search on Google for reputable real estate agents in Nashville.

You’ll see dozens—if not hundreds—of real estate agents appear in your search results. To target potential customers more specifically, you could perform a search on HubSpot or another search engine for SEO-friendly real estate agents in Nashville. Now, when a potential customer clicks on one of these results, they’ll be brought to your site.

3. Gain credibility by publishing quality original content.

To stand out among your competitors, you need to provide your audience with content that can’t be found elsewhere. Since consumers are often researching before they buy a product or service, content is a great way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Your content doesn’t have to be huge to have an impact. In fact, 62% of businesses using content marketing reported that their efforts have led to an increase in sales.

To gain credibility, you should publish quality original content regularly. Once your audience knows that you’ve got valuable content to share, they’re more likely to come back for more. In addition to establishing yourself as a thought leader, you can use your content to educate your audience about your industry and the products you offer. For example, let’s say you’re an interior designer who also provides quality cleaning services for homes and businesses. Your content might focus on the benefits of using green cleaners vs. traditional white cleaners, educating your audience about the harmful effects of traditional cleaning products on the environment.

If you want to learn more, check out our guide to successful marketing strategies.