Although
businesses can still grow their customer bases through traditional marketing
strategies, more small and medium-size business owners are realizing the value
of investing in Internet Marketing strategies to better target their customers
and potential customers.
Using
online marketing strategies, including search engine optimization, social media
marketing, content marketing and Google AdWords, are especially important when
research shows that more consumers use their computers, tablets, and
smartphones to research and shop than ever before. In using online channels,
customers also expect more engagement and conversation with the companies they
are doing business with, so incorporating these strategies helps you get close
to your audience, get to know them, and learn about their needs and wants.
There
are so many channels that consumers and businesses are now using that comprise
social media, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and FAcebook. If you want to
get your information in front of these targets, you need to be on these sites,
offering relevant content and answering their questions through a social media
marketing strategy.
Beyond
just blogging and putting up Facebook posts, you need to do direct advertising
like Google AdWords to get the attention of prospective customers while they
are doing online searches so they can learn about you. This is also targeted at
specific demographics that would be interested in what you are offering as a
product or service rather than putting ads out there and hoping someone that
might be looking for what you have might see it. The targeted ad approach of
Google AdWords is both cost effective and results-oriented.
SEO
also helps target the audience you want to reach and it can be incorporated in
all aspects of your Internet Marketing strategy – from press releases,
articles, blogs and other content to Google AdWords campaigns and social media
marketing posts.
Another
advantage of using online marketing strategies is that you can measure the
results so much better than you can do with traditional marketing tactics. For
example, Google Analytics provides a way to see how many people are clicking on
ads or websites, where the users are coming from, and how long they stay on the
ad or website.
This helps a business better understand if their content
marketing and campaigns are effective or if they should be changed to see if
this results in more positive reaction and sales.
Although
these strategies can all be designed to build your audience and increase your
customer base, you do know how to use each one correctly and invest the time
and energy into learning each one and staying up-to-date on any changes.
If you
cannot do this, the strategies will not magically work on their own. That’s why
you should consider partnering with a seasoned Internet Marketing agency that
can do all of these strategies for you the right way so you can focus on taking
care of the more customers that will follow.