The concept of a business marketing online, once dominated exclusively by ideas like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and the use of keywords, now relies on a variety of other online marketing techniques that aren’t dependent on being found organically through an online search engine.
Online Marketing is all about choosing the right methodology for your business
These days, marketing your business online is much more comprehensive then just inundating customers with emails or overusing keywords with the intention of popping up in searches, as was the original method used for online marketing during its formative years.
But other than setting up a business website and maybe having a Facebook or Twitter, how can you take advantage of the new way of online marketing to establish a successful and long-lasting online presence with your audience? Below is a small list of ideas for how to successfully market your business online.
- Choose a methodology that aligns with your business needs and goals. Our chosen marketing method here at LOJO is called Inbound Marketing, which is more about earning the trust of your buyer by providing them with helpful and valuable information that they find helpful and would even recommend to a friend or colleague, rather than bombarding them with a sales pitch that they aren’t ready or looking for.
- Inbound marketing revolves around the idea that businesses should use online platforms and social media sites strategically; in other words when it comes to online marking strategy, it’s about quality, not quantity.
- Consistency and clarity are key to successful communication strategies. A successful marketing strategy is one that caters to the needs of your target audience on a consistent basis. Learn about what those need are through research and data analytics so that you can better provide your customers with content that is valuable to them.
- Partnering with a professional online marketing team like LOJO can give you the opportunity to tailor an online marketing strategy to your business and the unique relationship you have with your customers.
- Maintain a business blog relative to your industry. A business website is a way to advertise information about your company and product to the public (e.g., company background, office hours and info, purchasing options) while the business blog is a specific component of your website that has different pieces of content (or articles) you create to engage and educate your audience without necessarily trying to sell or promote anything.
- Blogging is essential to online marketing efforts and is a key component to keeping your website and your company relevant.
- Increase the authority your business has in the industry by consistently providing information that is of value to people in your audience.
- Utilizing your business blog to its fullest potential can even help convert traffic to leads by giving you an opportunity to collect contact information.
- Content is King. Basically anything at all that you consume on the internet is considered content, and the more quality content your business puts out there and promotes, the better chances you have of building your company’s reputation and authority in the industry. In other words, when you consistently post interesting and valuable information on your website or business blog you are practicing a vital part of successful online marketing strategy that will pay off in the long run.
- When you continually post valuable blogs that provide readers with information that has helped them, then they are much more likely to trust your business in the future should they want or need your services.
- Be it a social media post, email, blog, or eBook, the goal when creating great content for your customers is to engage and educate them on a topic that cares strongly enough to share that content with someone in their network.
There is a great deal more to learn about how to market your business online, and while the above ideas can give you a solid introduction to the basics, our friendly staff at LOJO would be happy to talk with you further about how your business can benefit from an online marketing campaign.
Written by Cassandra Sohn