The internet marketing space has come a long way since the early 2000s. The players range from stay-at-home parents to mega-corporations. With that big a crowd, having an effective marketing strategy is vital to achieving results when trying to get your message across.
A single tactic is no longer enough to make a difference. Having a holistic approach that is current with the landscape is the only way to move forward. Search engine and social media algorithms set the tone for what works.
In order to succeed in the internet marketing space, you need to follow the trends and tools that will help you build your brand while getting leads and sales. Let’s look at 5 considerations you need to keep in mind when putting together your internet marketing strategy.
1. SEO
Search engine optimization is absolutely necessary for placing your content in front of your target audience. You may have a useful message to present, but nobody will see it unless you provide your website with the ability to climb up the search result rankings as quickly as possible.
Most people in the space know the general guidelines regarding what is necessary for their website, but every year the focus falls on different pieces of the puzzle. Currently, you should be focusing on:
- Providing a great user experience
- Creating lots of up-to-date, high-quality content
- Making sure you have a mobile ready website with blazing-fast page speed
- Acquisition of natural links
2. PPC
Now that we’ve covered the free and organic way of increasing your content’s presence online, it’s time to look at the role pay-per-click advertising can have on your bottom line and how you need to approach PPC in 2019. Getting your website ranked with SEO can take as long as six months or a year, depending on how competitive your niche is. It’s important, therefore, to have the option of getting leads in the short term so as to keep your business profitable while you wait for your search engine optimization efforts to bear fruits.
If you are running PPC ads on a platform like Google, you need to be aware of the changes and developments that can determine the success of your campaign. Note the following considerations for your PPC strategy:
- Focus on audiences, not keywords.
- Apply artificial intelligence to enhance your results.
- Use cross-channel advertising to create experiences.
- Increase interactivity with ad messaging.
- Use video ads for best conversion rates.
- Take advantage of remarketing.
- Learn about all the new ad types, extensions, and features.
3. Email Marketing
Email marketing is another aspect of your online efforts that are evolving to adapt to consumer trends. The key to staying relevant with your email marketing is to make use of the new technology while providing an optimal user experience. As with PPC ads, email marketing is seeing an increase in the use of artificial intelligence. More and more campaign strategy and implementation will be made by automated systems so that you can focus on other important aspects of your business.
Become well versed in the ways artificial intelligence can be applied to your email marketing. Don’t forget to retain a strong brand authenticity while keeping your marketing focused on your audience’s experience.
4. Direct Mail
The USPS recently reported that direct mail saw a 4 percent year-on-year increase in readership, while the Data and Marketing Association reported a year-on-year increase of 43 percent in customer response to direct mail. This is proof that not only is direct mail not going away but is actually an opportunity to be taken advantage of.
Keep your direct mail campaigns effective by laser targeting your audience. It used to hold true that direct mail was a method where you mailed out thousands of pieces and hoped for the best. Now, you can combine your online and offline methods by honing your target audiences. Use information from your online efforts to minimize your cost per mailing sent while maximizing sales.
An offer that resonates with the recipient, combined with a well-designed mailing, can help build a holistic marketing strategy which adds to your online actions. Make sure to have a strong call-to-action that your audience cannot resist.
5. Copy
Regardless of whether you are writing for a direct mailing, for your website, or for your PPC ads, your copy needs to be razor-sharp. You need to captivate your reader if you have any expectation of converting them into a customer. Here are some tips for maximizing the effectiveness of your copy.
- Break your content down with the use of paragraphs and headers.
- Use story-telling as a vehicle for building your brand.
- Make use of captivating images where possible.
Creating an effective internet marketing strategy is all about putting in the focused effort and using the proper tools. There is a reason why out of millions of internet marketers only a small percentage succeed.
About The Author
Rodney Warner heads the team at Connective Web Design and is also a musician, outdoor enthusiast, and ice cream connoisseur. You can find him on his company website or on Instagram.
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