Online marketing is essentially the lifeblood of business nowadays. I’ve watched so many businesses completely turn around by making the switch online. I knew one friend who had a little bakery downtown and she was essentially invisible online—until she got started with social media marketing and email newsletters. The next thing you knew, she had people lined up waiting who discovered her online. It was sort of mind-blowing.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is really just about appearing in people’s search results. If people can’t find your site, you’re kind of missing the party, aren’t you? I recall working on a friend’s travel blog that had just fantastic posts, but no one was reading because the site wasn’t optimized.
We made some adjustments here and there—such as putting in internal links, writing more descriptive titles, and speeding up the site—and her traffic increased within a few weeks’ time. It was so wonderful to behold. If you’re looking to learn more about Views4You, you’ll see how optimizing strategies can significantly impact visibility.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
PPC ads can give you instant visibility, but they can also drain your wallet if you’re not careful. I once made the mistake of bidding on very general keywords, and I received lots of clicks with no sales. I discovered through trial and error that specifying my keywords and having the ads speak directly to my target audience saved me tons of money and even boosted conversions.
Social Media Marketing
Social media is where we’re all hanging out, so why not communicate with people there? You don’t have to be on every site—just go to the sites where your crowd wants to hang out. I’ve watched small businesses take off in popularity simply by posting useful content on Instagram or behind-the-scenes material on TikTok. Be regular. The more you engage (and don’t merely pitch), the more they trust you. If you want to increase your engagement, consider using strategies that encourage interaction.
Content Marketing
Quality content is still the true MVP of digital marketing. “Quality” can also not always have to be über professional, either; sometimes folks just need something that’s just honest and informative.
I created a series of how-to guides for a friend’s tech site and noticed that breaking things down in simple English yielded a lot of engagement compared to using technical business speak.
And, do not be shy to recycle your own content—convert a blog post into a short video or an infographic, and lo and behold, you have fresh content for other channels. Click here for more ideas on how to enhance your content strategy.
Email Marketing
Though I am “old school,” one of the most lucrative channels is still email. I used to send a single email to my entire list, and my open rates were ridiculously terrible. When I eventually segmented my audience based on interest and mailed them when they were actually logged in, my open rates and clicks essentially doubled. Incorporating some level of personalization into the subject line also made a tremendous difference.
Influencer Marketing
Influencers can be a massive shortcut in terms of establishing trust. But I’ve worked with someone before who had a high number of followers with no fryd carts engagement—and suffice it to say it wasn’t attractive. Follower numbers can be deceiving if individuals aren’t engaging, so check out their engagement rate. And partnering with somebody who already enjoys your product or service goes a long way in helping the promotion feel authentic.
Marketing Automation & CRM Integration
Automation will rescue you from the tedium that drives you insane, such as sending the same email repeatedly or updating various social media outlets. I recall a time when I neglected to send a scheduled update, and it destroyed an entire campaign. Once I began utilizing automation tools, I could trust them to keep the monotony away.
Getting a CRM also allowed me to track where the leads were originating from and how near they were to purchasing so that I could follow up more precisely.
Analytics and Data-Driven Strategies
Following your gut is great and all, but data gives you real insight. Google Analytics can inform you about where your traffic is coming from, which pages people view the most, and how quickly they leave. A/B testing can tell you if a certain headline or color of a button performs better. I once changed the color of a call-to-action button from gray to something more vibrant, and the click-through rate nearly doubled.
Mobile Marketing
Because most individuals are on their phone 24/7 (myself included, definitely), having a mobile-friendly site is important. Slow websites will scare visitors away. Mobile apps and push notifications also allow you to remain in contact even when they aren’t reading email. I’ve also found some success with simple SMS reminders, such as sending out last-minute offers to subscribers. Individuals will open up texts immediately.
Emerging Trends and Technologies
Staying on top of what’s fresh can provide a colossal edge. AI chatbots, for instance, are becoming increasingly adept at fielding customer inquiries (and I’m happy I don’t need to do that myself in a manual capacity). Voice search is also picking up momentum, so ensuring that your content is prepared for the way individuals speak—such as when they ask Alexa or Siri to perform a task for them—is supremely, supremely important.
Measuring ROI and Continuous Improvement
Finally, you have to track what you’re doing. Otherwise, how do you know what’s actually working and what’s just fluff? I typically set specific goals—like “boost email sign-ups by 20% in three months”—and check my analytics to make sure I’m on track. If something’s not performing well, I change strategy, try new things, and continue to tweak until I get better results.
FAQ
1. Which is the least expensive form of digital marketing?
SEO and content marketing can be very cost-effective if you get them right, and they have a tendency to return the investment over time.
2. How do I boost my website’s organic traffic?
Prioritize genuinely valuable content, fundamental SEO optimization such as decent titles and meta descriptions, and acquiring quality backlinks.
3. Which is the most suitable social media platform for business?
It totally depends on your audience. LinkedIn is a good fit for B2B brands, whereas B2C brands may find Instagram or TikTok more suitable.
