The internet has really changed the way we operate and live our lives. The internet has changed how we buy things, where we buy things and why we buy certain products. One aspect of the internet that has really affected the way we go about our daily spending and even way of life at large, is online marketing. The influence that online marketing has on the world is so immense that it can make or break a brand. Done properly, online marketing of a company, brand or a business can see it flourishing.
It is easy to understand why online marketing has such an impact on the world today. Almost 2/3 of the world today shops and look for most services online. They equally read reviews and get information on brands online. If as a brand you establish yourself online, you are at a good position of earning more clients and customers. The only challenge is how to start online marketing. If you are a newbie in this space, you will find it extremely difficult to start promoting your business and services online. You have to be in your A-game to beat competition and come out on top but as a newbie, this is not the easiest of tasks. If you are looking to start online marketing and have no idea of what to do or where to start from, worry not because we have expert help to get you started. We talked to Tony Guo and he provided his expert tips on the topic. Tony Guo is an established SEO expert and online marketer with years of experience in the field. He himself runs a number of SEO agencies and he is best placed to offer expert opinion in the matter.
Here are 10 tips on how to start online marketing as provided by Tony Guo himself;
1. Build a marketing framework
This is the first step towards a successful career in online marketing. A marketing framework is a visual representation with a logical flow of your entire marketing plan. These are the steps that you will need to take to make you vision a reality.
2. Know your market and target audience
The next step is to understand the needs of your customers and target audience. Find out what they love most, what they value most, the things that inspire them and their spending ability. Think about the channels and avenues they use when looking for information on products and service. Understanding their needs and desires will help you market your products and services in a better way.
3. Build your brand
Now that you know who you want to target and the steps you need to take to target them, it is time to start building a brand. Create a brand’s story that appeals both rationally and emotionally to the customers. A brand with a story that the customers can relate to can help you make incredible sales.
4. Build a website
You are never going to crack online marketing if you don’t own a functional website or web storefront where people can see your services and products. You therefore need to get a good web designed for your business.
5. Drive traffic to your website
You need as many people to visit your website or blog if you are to make it in online marketing. There are a thousand and one ways of driving traffic to your pages. From Search Engine Optimization to Pay per Click, find the means that promises to work for you and employ it in your marketing expeditions. The more visitors you get to your page, the higher the chances of making sales.
6. Quality service
What next after people come to your pages? What sort of service do they get when they hire your services or buy your products? Are the services of the quality they expected to get? You need to think about the actual service delivery if you are to succeed in online marketing. Strive to get customer satisfaction in every single thing that you do.
7. Audience connection
Besides delivering exceptional services, find a way of connecting with your audience. The best way of achieving this is normally through content creation. An updated blog with interesting content can help do the trick here.
8. Give them a reason to come back
Use great content and exceptional service delivery as a means of making them stick around. If customers get the service they are looking for and on top of it get a bonus of interesting content, they will always come back for more.
9. Amplify your marketing
Take your marketing even a step further by looking for other means of reaching even bigger audiences. A good way is to use email marketing. Ask people to sign up for free newsletters and use the email subscriptions to reach out to them and market yourself even further.
10. Promotions and offers
Promotions and offers are a good way of marketing your business even more. People are likely to share promotions and offers with their friends and this will only increase your audience and potential customer number. Just make sure to give offers that are not too good that look like spams.