Successful Internet Marketing: The Why’s and How’s

It’s not a secret that having a business without a proper (online) marketing plan is most likely doomed to fail. Or at least stop growing and bringing you profit. It’s simple: we live in a tech world where your target audience dwells too.

Strategy Simplified

To succeed, you need a solid strategy, let’s call it 4Ps: 

• First, you need a Produce which is
• Correctly Priced,
• Well-Placed,
• And intensely Promoted

I bumped into this idea while researching for this article, and it struck the right cord immediately because it’s simple, yet effective: product, price, placement, and promotion.

Just a quick note: when it comes to price, it is estimated that one-third of all transactions depend on it. Lower prices don’t secure conversions, but higher prices might: make sure you offer extraordinary value for that money. 

A place is usually a website, such as those made by this Houston web design company, or a social network, even a directory. They have to be representative of what you do, properly optimized, offering an amazing user experience. And enticing, to make the visitors want to go further, and eventually convert. 

The Benefits of an Internet Marketing Strategy: The Why

Businesses are well-aware of the fact that they can’t go without online marketing for two reasons:

1) Brand awareness skyrockets

2) Sales skyrocket

With almost 3 billion internet users, it’s not difficult to imagine your possible (humongous) market. 

Moreover, targeted marketing will take you to the most eligible customers, which is the aim, since these are the ones you need for your revenue increase. For example, a billboard might be a good idea, but no one can guarantee that YOUR (ideal) customer will see it. 

Thus, the strategy that’s most suited to your business will bring you the “quality leads”, turning them into revenue. 

Online Marketing Modalities

Now let’s go through the modalities. There are several, and when combined, might be quite potent. 

• SEO makes it possible for your site to be ranked higher when Googled (or whatever search engine you use). It is a complex strategy in itself, and it takes time. You can’t just jump over the hurdles and come first. What’s important is the keyword research, for those words that pop to your customer’s mind first regarding your niche. You can get help with various keyword tools. Once you know them, insert them organically in the content- meta description, for example. Don’t abuse them, or search engines will dethrone you quickly. 
• Pay-per-click (PPC) is an advertising modality which is sort of a bidding machine that offers you an opportunity to decide on how much you are willing to pay monthly for every single ad click. First, you decide on the keywords, then decide how much you give for each click. You basically compete with other advertisers- if you bid less than a competitor for a specific keyword, your ad will be below theirs in search results. Nevertheless, if a visitor clicks through to you, you have to pay the amount you determined beforehand.
• Creating content makes your customers want to visit your blog or page, increasing the possibility of conversion. Second, sharing your content across social media increases visibility and again the possibility of conversion. And third, amazing content may be back-linked by some market giants, which is fantastic because of ultimate visibility, plus your domain’s authority is fostered. On top of that, search engines really love the influx of information, which is another reason to start writing some relevant fresh stories, or posting videos, or making infographics, podcasts…
• Email marketing is aimed at people who willingly gave away their e-addresses: so it’s either your existing customers or those who responded to your website’s CTA. In return, you can offer scheduled newsletters, free e-books, or any other valuable downloadable cheat-sheet, discount coupons, free printable, you name it. 
• Social network campaigns. 

Some Examples

In its article about How Internet Marketing Can Make a Business More Effective, Forbes argued how having a strategy will create stronger connections with your audience, where you can analyze their online patterns of behavior, making you understand their preferences better. It’s like you know your customers. That’s how Cadbury created a personalized video campaign that resulted in 65% CTR and a 33% conversion rate. 

The article also mentions a story of the designer Michael Kors being the first to pair a Facebook shop with the AR technology- people could try the sunglasses virtually, then buy them. Easy-peasy, what a success.

The 7 How’s

So, to be efficient with your marketing plan, you need to be aware of the three facts about it: it’s planned, it must have an objective, and you can’t do it without numbers and facts. 

1. Do the market research- know your position, your products, your competition, and your customer. Define it to the nines. Do the SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats. 
2. Analyze your potential audience. Everything about them- their hobbies, age, income, lifestyle. It’s defined by your business and its features: activity, place, and size. 
3. What’s your aim?
4. What’s your strategy?
5. Who are the participants on your side- who will be doing what?
6. What’s your budget?
7. Scan the problems and troubleshoot

Conclusion

In business, nothing is random. Plan, plan, plan, then plan some more. And be ready for a plan B.

The above-mentioned Forbes’ article concludes by saying that whatever marketing strategy you choose, it should reflect your business goals. 

What are your goals then?

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Author Byline: Liam Collins is a tech pundit and Web enthusiast working at TuiSpace.com. He spends most of his time reading and writing about the current affairs in the world of information technology. When he isn’t working, he likes going for long bike rides and walks in nature.