Online marketing is quickly becoming the central focus for how companies market themselves. With more people connected to the internet than ever, a business that doesn’t include online marketing in their marketing plan will certainly have a gap in their overall marketing reach.
We, here at Portside Marketing, understand that the concept of online marketing may be new to some people, especially those just starting up with their businesses. For this reason, we’ve put together the following tips and information about online marketing and how it can help your business.
What is Online Marketing?
Online marketing uses several different forms of internet marketing to help spread the word about your business to a targeted audience that is more likely to utilize your products or services. Forms of internet marketing include pay-per-click, email marketing campaigns, banner advertising, and search engine optimization campaigns.
An increasing number of businesses of all sizes are now looking to expand their online marketing skillset in order to reach customers on a global level. In order to stand out against the crowd it’s important that you understand the intricacies involved with online marketing. Since there are many facets to this new world of marketing, many also choose to hire companies such as Portside Marketing to help manage their online marketing needs.
Advantages of Online Marketing
Online marketing has many advantages for you and your company. For example, online marketing typically has a lower operation cost than traditional marketing on television or in newspapers. It also is less expensive than sending things through the mail because you save on both printing and shipping costs.
Other benefits of online marketing are that it is easily trackable. This can be a great way for you to assess which style of online marketing is working best for your company and customers. You can track the traffic growth to your websites, lead and sale conversions from campaigns, and more. Google also has analytical programs that can help you see how your marketing is converting to traffic.
Online marketing can also be targeted to specific groups of individuals who will be more likely to appreciate your company and products. Traditional advertising typically just advertises to the masses without narrowing down anyone specific that may be interested in your products and services. However online marketing can help you target groups that fit your demographic. If you’re unsure of what type of customer you’re looking for or who your company appeals to the most, then you can ask potential customers to fill out a questionnaire on your website to learn more about who they are such as their age, their interests, and their priorities. This information can not only help you target the customers that are interested in your products but it can also help you target new customers who may have similar interests. You can also use the information to find out how you can improve your company to appeal to a larger group of customers.
Using Online Marketing to Your Advantage
One of the most important aspects of online marketing right now is making sure that you understand what your customers are looking for and what they expect. Customers these days don’t just want to be targeted and sold to. They want to feel important and like their choices matter in the world. More and more they’re looking to invest in companies that they feel meet their ideals and moral standards. Customers want to feel appreciated and that your company can offer them more than just a product. These customer needs have helped lead to a new wave of search engine optimization.
Using SEO, companies are now creating content that may not necessarily result in a rush of immediate sales, but it helps build the brand into something that the customers can relate to and appreciate. The goal of the content is to provide value to the customers but it is written in such a way that the content is boosted within search results so that it is able to reach more people. Companies such as Portside Marketing have experience with SEO content that can reach large, targeted audiences, of potential customers.
Why You Should Invest in Online Marketing
Overall, online marketing is the best way to market for your company. The lower costs, combined with the ability to track your return on investment, and target specific groups of people can really help elevate your sales and get your ads seen by the people who are looking for a company that offers what you have. Just remember that it’s about more than just creating ads to catch people’s attention. You also want to make sure that you’re connecting with your customers and providing value to them as a company that they can relate to and will be proud to do business with.