Online marketing is not
an easy one to pull off. Not only does it require highly-technical knowledge
(in most cases), but it also involves wielding a complex array of skills. The goal
of marketing a business online is to gain visibility and reach a
target audience, whether be it on Google, Yahoo, social media platforms,
and others. There are potential landmines for thousands of experts,
while newcomers need to face a massive learning curve. At the end of the
day, it might take you a lot of time and resources. But considering the fact that people have more of the former than the
latter, it is imperative to learn some practical and low-cost online marketing
techniques, especially suitable for small businesses.
#1. Blogging
It holds
true that blogging can take years to develop and perfect. Nonetheless, it
remains an effective means for reaching a highly-targetted audience. While it
can take some time to build a real semblance of an audience, passion and
persistence can help you gain success in the long-run. Being an effective blogger means having
the ability to deliver a significant amount of value and originality without
undermining the key information you want to convey in your industry or
niche. For instance, you want people to learn about different low-cost digital advertising strategies. You may want to include some samples
or relevant topics, such as unique content about digital marketing platforms like Bannerbit.com, DOZ, HubSpot, etc.
#2. Email Marketing
Email
marketing can be a relatively inexpensive way to reach new customers and
reconnect with past or current ones. Although it depends on the software you
are using, it gives you the ability to connect with customers through their
email inbox, and reach them anytime, anywhere. When developing an email
marketing strategy, it is essential to set your goals and determine what you
want to achieve. Who and when do you want to target? Do you want to focus
mainly on new clients or perhaps the current ones? Or maybe it would be better
and more effective if you’ll design separated marketing strategies, along with
special offers, individually crafted for each group of clients.
#3. Social Media
Marketing
If you want to market
your small business on a shoestring budget, then you certainly want to include
social media marketing in your strategies. Social media has become a massive
playing field in the online marketing industry, with a promise of offering
traction from billions of consumers across the world. Even more so,
these potential customers, when targetted properly with compelling offers, are
readily able to buy your products or services. So, what’s important here is
finding a way to reach them. It is likely for you to spend a bit more capital
in order to get the right visibility for your business, for example by using
Facebook Ads, but it can definitely be a worthwhile investment to have. As long
as you use the right fundamentals and strategies, you can turn those potential
buyers into real customers.
#4. Search Engine
Optimization
It cannot be denied that SEO (stands for search
engine optimization) is an arduous undertaking, but one that you can always
embark upon, especially for the long-run. In fact, it is so effective that your
business can make serious traction in almost whatever industry it is in. Just
imagine all the possibilities if you are able to send massive amounts of
organic traffic (i.e., free) to your business’ website. Interestingly, there
are lots of free tools (Google keyword planner, SEO Web
Page Analyzer, Yoast SEO, etc.) and resources online that can help you
improve your SEO strategies. Master this field, and you should easily make the
world your oyster.