Most people have an itinerary for travel. Or when you have to throw a surprise party, you ‘plan’ it right? Similarly, when it comes to winning your customers in digital marketing you need to plan and strategize effectively to get your first customers to your business.
Effectiveness of online advertising
What is the first thing you want to do when you think of a party?
An effective digital marketing strategy or an online marketing strategy is no different. Except that… You decide your goals instead of deciding where to host. You optimize your ads and target the right consumers instead of making a list of people to invite. You think of a big idea for your campaign instead of a big surprise. And instead of convincing people to make it to the party, pin point effective marketing channels through which you will communicate well to your customers. And so on…
Here are 5 most effective online marketing strategies you can use to get your first customers onboard.
1. SEO & SEM
71% of marketers say using strategic keywords was their number one strategy for SEO. (Source)
If you truly want an effective digital marketing strategy you need SEO. Why let your brand survive and struggle without it. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Just like you use hashtags for words to help your users find your content on social media, keywords are similar but for the larger picture. Hashtags are meant for a particular campaign within that particular social media universe. So there is a difference between using keywords for your online marketing strategy and using hashtags.
The first thing brands usually do is optimize their website with the help of keywords and write blogs if they have to get their site up in the ranks on search engines like Google and Bing. That’s SEO. One thing is for sure, Search Engine Optimization is the foundation of an effective online marketing strategy. Advertising on search engines is called SEM or Search Engine Marketing. This is a form of paid advertising that lets you increase your reach and the visitors to your website.
2. Video marketing
Events placed at the beginning of videos perform the best, with a conversion rate of 12.7%. (Source)
One third of all online behavior today revolves around consuming video content. Recorded webinars, educational videos and product demonstrations have been some of the most popular forms of videos last year. This year should be the time for your brand to experiment with how-to videos, behind-the-scenes videos, interview videos, and customer testimonial videos. The popularity of those videos demonstrating tips and tricks are ever-increasing. Therefore, consider these in your next YouTube marketing strategy or overall digital marketing strategy.
3. Responsive Web Design
Responsive web design is about creating web pages that look good on other devices like tabs and mobile screens too apart from display. Reaching your customers via their mobile devices is pretty much a norm now. This is why your website needs to be responsive. Imagine a blowup version of your website on your customers mobile screen where he or she has to scroll right or left just to figure where they are on the webpage. Now that would be a disaster! So no matter what you create, be it a website or a temporary landing page, make sure you make it responsive and user friendly.
Search engines give preferences to websites that are responsive and user-friendly so make sure you take the help of a professional website designer from a well-known digital marketing consultant in Mumbai to get the job done.
4. Email marketing
Email marketing is a great tool for generating leads. If done right, it can increase your conversions and sales as well. Most people underestimate emails but it is actually one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing. You can integrate email marketing with an on-going campaign as well. Therefore it is very flexible and personal at the same time.
If you haven’t had much success with email yet, don’t give up. A smart content writer along with a designer who knows email well can actually change the game for you. Emails can also be measured. This is another good thing about it. Insights can tell you if the person opened your email and clicked through it to enter your website or not. That can determine if your email was interesting or not so relevant. Then maybe you will need to go and check your target group and why it didn’t appeal to them. Using social media icons is also great for emails. In case the user isn’t interested in your current offering in your email you also have the option of diverting them to your social media handles where they will constantly be in touch with your brand. Email marketing is a win-win for everyone isn’t it…
5. Influencer Marketing
Again, influencer marketing is also a cost-effective way to promote your products on social media. If you are a big brand, of course you could sign up with celebrities, but if you are just starting out then influencer marketing is one of the most effective online marketing strategies you can try next. This doesn’t mean that big brands don’t use influencers. They do too.
Influential people don’t need to be famous people. They could have a fan following that is exactly the type of customer you were looking to target. So take the help of digital marketing agencies who do this often and have banks of influencers for you to choose from. But make sure you are tracking the results of your activity too. These insights will help you in your next digital marketing campaign.
Bonus Strategy: Reach out your potential customers / clients via LinkedIn.
Now, we know this could be pain staking process (specially if you are doing it for the first time) of sifting through LinkedIn profiles or trying to get through a contact via InMail. But what if there is a better way? What if you could just go to their profile and ‘a way to reach them’ just popped out on your screen, screaming – ‘Here you go, this is my email!’ That’s were we found this tool interesting. It fits in perfectly with our business needs. It’s called ContactOut and it’s a great tool for generating leads, Do check them out, and drop your feedback in the comments.
The effectiveness of online advertising:
Online advertising is much more targeted than traditional media. It also has its advantages of cost-effectiveness. Online advertising can be measured. But not only that.. You can use the feedback that you receive and optimize your ads real time. The date in itself is as precious as gold, which is why some brands hire an online marketing company or a digital marketing agency to extract, collect and measure these insights. Simple things like the colour of an advertisement you are running on social media or the face that you have used on an ad that you are running across countries could be the problem. There is a lot to learn. All you need to do is keep optimizing according to your specific target group and you will enjoy creating and benefiting from an effective digital marketing strategy.
If you have a local business you can also use these effective Social Media Marketing tips that can help you. Or if you are looking for effective Marketing Strategies That Work During Festivals check out our blog for ideas. It’s always good to take on a holistic approach towards online marketing.
