If your marketing strategy still revolves around offline channels (display ads, brochures, etc.), you’re basically stuck in a ‘marketing time warp’ and the sooner your game plan evolves to align with current trends the better your chances are for success and survival.
Up to a few years ago, the concept of online marketing was a hard sell to many businesses largely premised on excuses that ranged from cost to the contentment with their mostly offline customer base. Fast forward to 2017 and many of these same businesses have embraced the use of the web to boost their brands, though many still struggle to fully harness its marketing potential. The results of a recent survey published by Web.com show that two-thirds of the businesses polled see online marketing as a strategy that can help them grow their business and customer base. However, the report also pointed out that these same businesses struggle to cope with the dynamics of the web.
Perhaps the single greatest benefit of online marketing is that it allows smaller businesses to get better returns on their advertising spend. Beyond excellent returns, the Internet levels the playing field for smaller businesses to compete with larger counterparts given that success is not determined by the advertising spend, but hinges on how efficiently resources are allocated. Additionally, if you’re thinking about making an impact with your advertising, you have to consider the global reach of online marketing strategies.
And, yes, personalization means a lot when your goal is brand attachment. Unlike traditional mediums, online marketing allows you the ease to personalize your message – without the heavy spend – to develop a more personal connection with your target audience, nurture those relationships, and study behavioral patterns.
Your online marketing strategy and content will be driven by the nature of your business and target audience, so you’ll need to answer the following key questions in order to develop an effective online strategy that will draw eyeballs to your business:
- What type of business do you have?
- Which industry do you operate in?
- What are your business goals?
- What do you hope to achieve through your online marketing efforts?
- Who are you targeting and where are they located?
- What type of content would most interest your target audience?
- Are your competitors active online?
- On which platforms are discussions about your industry taking place – Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter?
If your business is more online-oriented, you should consider allocating a good portion of your advertising budget to online marketing efforts to complement your offline strategy. Always remember that your returns will depend on how much effort – financial and otherwise – you put into your strategy.
Keep in mind also that your website must be optimized to improve ranking results in search engines and should also be responsive to different devices. Additionally, you should have a clear content strategy to ensure that what you put out will attract your target audience and can generate leads with the goal of conversion in mind.
The truth is, with the Internet so integrated in our daily lives not having an online presence is like shooting in the dark. If you are unclear about what your website or online marketing strategy should look like, we have the expertise to help you out. We’d love to chat with you. Just click here to drop us a line.
