In this increasingly digital age, everyone is online: constantly scrolling, posting, texting, or video chatting. There are few moments in which people are alone with their thoughts without the comfort of their phone or their laptop nearby; people live inside the internet rather than inside their own heads.
For this reason, it's important that your business has a strong online presence that appeals to and attracts customers. Online marketing is one of the most effective ways to raise brand awareness and grow your business. You don't have to be a computer whiz to create a successful online marketing campaign; here are some of the best online marketing techniques to use for your company.
1. Build a Social Media Presence
Between Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, there's no shortage of social networks that can help you grow your business. Using social media, you can interact with customers, advertise sales and coupons, run giveaways, and show off how wonderful your product is. It can be helpful to work with already established influencers to get started on building your follower base; when someone's favorite influencer advertises a product, he/she is more likely to try it out.Social media can also be a great way to get feedback from your customers. Through posting surveys, polls, or a Google Forms alternative called Cognito Forms, you can ask direct questions to get a sense of what your followers might like to see from your business. From this, you can successfully tailor your social media page and your product to your consumer base.
2. Publish a Consistent and Interesting Blog
A blog is an excellent way for your follower base to stay engaged with your business; constantly reminding your customers, "Hey, the business is here and it's interesting!" is a great way to drive up sales. However, your blog shouldn't just be about your company itself. It should focus on content related to your industry; for example, if you own a chocolate business, your blog could feature a section on "Best Foods to Pair With Chocolate."It's important that your blog is interesting; a boring, cringy blog will only hurt your sales and taint your company's name. You need to generate high-quality and authentic content that is targeted to your audience's demographic. Once you have that, you need to have a solid promotional strategy — involving avid use of your social media platforms — for getting your blog out to the public for your customers to enjoy.
3. Use the Power of Search Engine Optimization
To get your website to show up in a Google search for your product or service, you need to know how to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques. You could have the most eye-catching, visually pleasing, effective website in the world, but without using SEO, very few people will see it. Understanding how to use SEO means knowing the most highly-search keywords and key phrases relating to your industry so that when someone types these words or phrases into a search engine, your company shows up at the top of the list.4. Create an Email List
This might seem simple, but creating an email list to directly reach past or potential buyers of your product can be one of the most effective online marketing strategies out there. It's easy to miss an Instagram post or a Tweet in the feed, but everyone is constantly checking their email, and it's less likely that someone will skip over an intriguing looking message in their email Inbox.Like your blog posts, your emails should be engaging and full of high-quality, authentic content. However, they should be concise and to-the-point so that your potential customer can easily scan the screen for the information that they want. Additionally, the messages should have clear and easy links to your products so that if the customer sees something they want to purchase, it's easy to do so.
Online marketing is one of the most effective ways to build up your business. Using these four tips, you will have a dedicated, loyal, and engaged consumer base in no time.
