In order to benefit from online marketing and online advertising, you always need to stay ahead of the curve. A strong online marketing strategy will mean a big boost for your business.
What should you be doing for your online marketing? Short term “needs based” direct marketing, intermediate brand and awareness marketing on multiple channels, and long term content creation and SEO.
If you think about hitting it from a high level and from multiple angles, this “stair step” approach will work well for most smaller companies:
- Immediate need based results: Paid search through Google Ads and Bing Ads
- Immediate to Intermediate branding and awareness: Facebook and Instagram ads, Youtube ads, as well as display retargeting
- Long term brand building and SEO: content creation and content marketing
Here are additional steps you should follow in order to be successful in online marketing:
Create Awareness about Yourself And Your Brand
This is especially important if you are new, if you are launching something new or if you just want to attract a different kind of audience altogether. You can use Facebook’s Lookalike Audiences to try and get your content out to an audience that almost perfectly matches your ideal target audience. You could pay and sponsor your content through social media influencers or Google Ads so that your content reaches a wider audience.
Be Active on Social Media and Blogs
Create social media content and blog posts that are engaging. Don’t just aim to post content that promotes your agenda. Engagement with your audience will also show you what you should add or change in the content that you are putting out. Blogging has an upper hand in social media in that it is builds credibility and commands more authority.
Perfect Your SEO
Google SEO algorithms are constantly being changed and updated. First, do an audit of your content to figure out what key words you should be using and which ones you should add. You should then start by adding your keywords to only the most critical parts of your content. This includes headings, descriptions and URL’s. Remember that at the end of the day, content where keywords seem forced will not generate much traffic.
Aim for high organic click-through rates (CTR)
Let go of the boring titles. If it is something that can be found on another site, then it’s probably not a good title. Use online tools to see if your title is found elsewhere or how many times it appears elsewhere. Push the boundaries by engaging your audience on an emotional level. However, do not go over the top. Be sure your content is factual and relatable.
Always Track And Measure Your Analytics
Analytics show you how much traffic passes through your content. It will help you understand what content attracts more traffic and what online channels are working the best for you.
At the end of the day, to be successful in online marketing, you need to first understand your options. Come up with ways to beat the challenges that competitors present. Possessing a natural curiosity and taking a visionary approach will allow you to stay ahead. Finally, it helps to understand branding and develop your brand as this will make your online marketing work that much easier. Your brand has power. Good luck!