What is Online Marketing?
Online marketing is a set of digital platforms, internet tools, and methodologies used for promoting products and services through the web. Online marketing includes a wider range of marketing options than were present with traditional business marketing. Simply because there are more communication channels and marketing mechanisms available on the internet. Here are five tools you can use to help you market your product or service and convert to sales.
1. Online Blogs
Blogging is extremely useful for connecting with your audience on a regular basis. This is a pull marketing tactic that will expand your brand’s presence online and acquire new customers if done right. There is almost a strong correlation between blog post frequency and customer acquisition. We recommend blogging at least once a week using the WordPress Platform.
2. Ebooks, White Papers, & Case Studies
These longer content pieces often take more time and resources to produce. We encourage our clients to use your blogs to make an ebook. This way you are writing the content piece by piece and it doesn’t feel so overwhelming. Generally, a prospect must complete a form on a landing page before they can download the content thus instantly converting them to a business lead. Because their production is more extensive, ebooks and whitepapers are considered premium content marketing offers. People will gladly give up their email address in exchange for good information about something they want to know more about.
3. Webinars, Seminars, Workshops & Summits Online
Webinars, also known as web conferences are live, interactive online meetings in which viewers are often encouraged to ask questions. Webinars are great for promoting new pieces of content, new features of your product or case studies of how your company has helped others. You can gather other people in your industry and host a panel discussion on a timely topic. Or you may want to invite others who have the same target market to offer a longer conference with each having their turn to talk/pitch.
4. Video Marketing
Video is increasing in popularity due to the power of social media and the prevalence of mobile devices. With social sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat and Youtube, video marketing has taken off! Studies have shown that those who view video are much more likely to make a purchase than those who do not! There are many types of video marketing being used today:
- Live via Facebook, Instagram, and Periscope
- Prerecorded
- Screencasts
- Photos to music with services like RIPL
Variety of your social media and video marketing is key to keeping the viewer/customer interested.
5. Email Marketing
Still, the most popular form of online content marketing many small businesses are using is email marketing. This direct marketing and sales channel work with both B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) as an efficient and cost-effective way to communicate valuable and relevant content to prospects and customers. A few ways you might want to use email marketing are:
- Newsletters
- Lead magnets
- Email updates
- Event invites
- Specials
Customer Buying Process
All of these tactics are used to nurture leads and encourage sales. For example:
- Your target market wants to purchase your product or service.
- They conduct an online search and discover your company blog post, “Best X for Every Budget” which has a call to action at the bottom of the blog that links to a free ebook on how to choose the best X for their specific needs.
- The prospect gives their name and email on a contact form, then receives ebook via email.
- The prospect begins to receive email because they signed up from the ebook and on the email announces upcoming webinar.
- The customer signs up and watches your webinar.
- The happy informed customer now has information to buy your product or service.
- Customer and your business have now created a new relationship which can lead to future sales, referrals, and reviews.
Let us help you create a unique online marketing plan to get prospects to buy from you!
