If you’re a small business owner and you’re intimidated by digital marketing, know that you’re not the only one. There are so many methods that you can use, and you’ve probably had people selling you every technique in the book already. If you are wondering which digital marketing method works the best for your business, you have to look at things like your budget, the nature of your business, your target demographic, and many other factors. Let’s take a look at some of the top online marketing methods so you can get an idea of which ones could work for you.
SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimization and is the art of maximizing your site’s visibility on search engines. If you’re not already aware, Google doesn’t choose who gets on the first page arbitrarily or through payola. They have practices that they deem favorable and will reward sites that abide by these principles, plain and simple.
Highly relevant authoritative sites will usually get awarded higher rankings by Google. Google will also privilege websites that provide the best experience and will gauge user experience by monitoring on-site activity and external factors like inbound links and brand mention among others.
This is where SEO comes in. If you want to gain positions on search engines, then you will need to fit the mold of what Google judges to be a good website. This means having a highly performant website with clean navigation, high-quality engine content centered around relevant themes, and getting links from credible websites that are related to your niche.
SEO should start with optimizing your page. If you don’t know what you would need to do to boost your on-page SEO, then you can order an audit from a reputable SEO company. From then on, you can decide to make the relevant fixes yourself or hire someone.
Link building is usually a matter of crafting great content with inbound links and brand mentions and reaching out to blogs and other online publications. This is something you can do through a blog outreach service or on your own. It will take more time if you do it yourself, but if you know how to build connections with blog owners, then you should be able to find a few who will let you post on their blog as a guest.
PPC
PPC is another way to get more visibility on search engines and on social media sites too. PPC stands for pay-per-click and is a method that allows you to bid on specific keywords and have your ads appear around search results. You can also have your ads served as text, banners, or other formats on pages related to your product or services.
The beauty of PPC is that you only pay for results. If your ad appears and no one clicks on it, then you don’t have to pay. From then on, everything is a matter of calculating how much you can spend on clicks while still earning a return.
While PPC might sound like the perfect advertising method, it is not the best option for everyone. PPC is usually a better choice for businesses that have a product or service to seek since they can put a clear dollar value on visitors. But, if you wanted to build an audience for a blog, for instance, then PPC might not be the best option.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is probably the most powerful and cost-effective online marketing technique you can use. We are not exaggerating here. There is no online marketing technique we can think of that allows you to have that kind of reach at a touch of a button.
With email marketing, you could literally reach tens of thousands of people in seconds for less than what it would cost you to ship a single mailer. And, if you nurture people on your email list correctly, you could be surprised at how many people would be willing to buy from you after sending an email.
If you want to start with email marketing, you first need to learn about the laws governing it. One of the most important rules to remember is to always get your subscribers’ express consent before you start sending them messages. Next, you need to choose a good autoresponder platform. Some of the top options include MailChimp, Sendinblue, and VerticalResponse, just to name a few.
If you still don’t fully understand the benefits of email marketing, you can find out more about email marketing here on LNP Media Group’s Website. Not only do they run down the reasons why you should use email marketing, but they also show you how email marketing campaigns are structured. LNP Media will also set up a campaign for you if you don’t feel comfortable setting one up yourself, and they even offer a guarantee on their services.
Social Media Marketing
Social media should also get your attention and most businesses can benefit from having at least some presence there. But we wouldn’t suggest that a business puts all of its eggs in the social media marketing basket. Certain types of businesses can benefit from social media more than others. Any business that is highly visual, like the restaurant business, for instance, will have greater results than someone in a niche that is a bit more technical, for instance.
Another issue with social media is that people don’t usually go there with buying intent. People usually go on social media to unwind, check out some news, and connect with people they know. So social media should be viewed more as a brand-building tool than a marketing one.
SMS Marketing
Another digital marketing method you should consider is SMS marketing. Some say that SMS marketing doesn’t get the attention it deserves and is severely underused. SMS marketing is similar to email marketing in many ways but is not entirely the same. The biggest difference is the character limit, but also how much access you will have.
Email marketing is great if you want to have a deep connection with your audience, while SMS can be great if you want an immediate buying response. People spend a lot of time on phones and an SMS will get right in front of their faces. Most people will also check their messages the minute they receive them.
Note that if you want to use SMS as part of your marketing mix, you first need to get permission to send them. This can easily be done by setting up a loyalty program and asking for permission, getting their permission after they’ve made a purchase, or asking them if you can send promotional SMS messages after they sign up for your newsletter.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is great for both selling your product and services and building a brand. The main goal of content marketing, however, should be to inform your potential customers and present yourself as an authority.
Good content marketing is about more than getting links. It’s truly about educating people about a problem and presenting yourself as a solution. This is why you need to not only disseminate content but make sure that there is continuity once people get to your site. This is what will ultimately allow you to keep readers on your site and eventually turn them into customers.
These are some of the most commonly used and effective digital marketing methods that you can use as a business. It’s impossible to tell which one would be the best for you without specifics, but if one of these methods seems to be a fit, then study it as deeply as you can.
Also Read: Importance Of Local Seo In New York For Your Growing Business
