Internet marketing is more than just advertising online; it’s building your online presence so you can gain visibility and increase sales of your product or service. At its core, Internet marketing centers on content, as most people discover products and services through search engines, which means that providing relevant content to potential customers can help you convert them into paying customers. If you want to learn more about Internet marketing, check out the following guide to Internet marketing basics that will provide the foundation you need to build an effective Internet marketing strategy.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is probably one of the most important aspects of your overall web marketing strategy. SEO allows you to optimize your website so that search engines can find it and more accurately display it in results when users type in related keywords. Even if people don’t end up clicking on your site, they’ll still see it, which will drive traffic and awareness for you.
Social Media and Community Engagement
People are likely to trust other people they know and respect, so joining groups and connecting with like-minded individuals on social media is a great way to spread your reach. If you’re looking for leads, try teaming up with other bloggers in your niche and sharing leads that way. Community engagement is also a must—and it doesn’t just mean commenting on other blogs. Participate in forums, contribute articles for others and comment on mainstream news sites like ABC or Huffington Post.
Email Marketing
An email is sent to a list of subscribers, each of whom has signed up for your updates. It can be based on new products or services you are launching, an updated menu, special offers, or maybe just a thank-you message. For many small businesses and start-ups, email marketing is ideal as it’s easy and quick to do. Your customers will get regular messages from you, which means they keep coming back for more!
Video Content Marketing
Whether you’re creating your brand or marketing for a company, video content is one of the most powerful ways to attract new customers and potential leads. While it takes a lot of time and effort, it pays off. Video posts on social media get more engagement than text-based posts. So if you can put in that work and learn how to craft videos that entice people with valuable information, you’ll also encourage them to share your content. For example, Nikkie de Jager has made her career from YouTube; she posts beauty tutorials that turn into sales for makeup brands. With 13 million subscribers, she has found success with sponsorship and soon with her makeup line. But putting together quality content isn’t easy; after all, there are countless influencers out there who make a living posting guru-y videos on Facebook and Instagram.
Affiliate Marketing
In affiliate marketing, you earn commissions by promoting someone else’s products or services. It’s a great way to generate income if you enjoy sharing and talking about new products with your friends and family. But if you want more targeted traffic, you need to add more value and become an authority in your niche. It doesn’t happen overnight—but it can pay off over time as long as you keep adding value!
Content Creation
Anyone can create content, but creating quality content is what will make or break your business. The competition for attention spans is tough, so if you want to stand out in a crowd and get noticed, you’re going to have to put a lot of time and effort into planning and executing your content strategy. A good place to start is by figuring out what type of information is relevant and valuable for your customers. What would they like to know? And how can you interestingly deliver that information?
Let’s say your products or company is HVAC-focused. Your audience would benefit from blogs and infographics about furnaces, so your HVAC content marketing ideas should revolve around these things. Perhaps do-it-yourself advice will resonate with them and help them save money by saving time. You could write articles on topics like these, conduct surveys or polls, ask questions and incorporate quotes or feedback from social media. Through content creation, try to give your target audience as much information as possible while still making it entertaining.
Press Releases
A press release is an important marketing tool that tells your target audience about something you’ve recently done. For example, maybe you’ve launched a new product or won an award. In either case, press releases are great ways of promoting your business and getting publicity at no cost other than time.
Mobile Apps
These days, most people search for a business or product on their phones. In fact, in 2020, it’s estimated that 4.28 billion people were on mobile—meaning more and more businesses will have difficulty reaching them without a mobile app. If you own a local business, creating an app allows you to access your customers where they are. It can also work as an effective marketing tool by providing coupons or special deals.
Investing in online marketing for your business pays off when done right. Everyone heavily relies on social media and technology, so it’s the best platform if you want to gain more customers and boost your branding.