24 Feb 5 Must-have Online Marketing Strategies For Entrepreneurs
Whether you’re a young entrepreneur or an experienced marketer, you don’t have to be intimidated by the vast amount of online marketing strategies out there.
Contrary to belief, the internet era didn’t bring new radical ideas to the table, it just adapted ideas to current, popular communication channels. So don’t be scared to embrace this e-revolution and use it to your advantage.
Conviction before commitment
Most businesses invest a great deal of money trying to achieve the same goal – acquiring new customers. They mix and match various marketing schemes and strategically aim their communications at their target market. Unfortunately, this is not enough anymore.
Reaching your audience is one thing, but engaging with them and then convincing them to use your brand are completely different challenges. Your audience has to be convinced of your offering before they will commit to it. To achieve this, you have to communicate your unique offering to them in such a way that you stand out from your competition.
The following is BWD-approved guidelines to ensure that entrepreneurs get the commitment they need from consumers through their online marketing campaign strategy:
Build a brand identity
Because it all starts with an idea, as a hardworking entrepreneur you are probably aware by now how important social capital is. Before you start investing in your brand though, begin by defining your own brand identity. A good starting point is to build your personal brand online. Be available, be connected, and show that you are qualified and have the necessary expertise. Show your audience you know what you are doing. During this process, you will learn many valuable things just by being online and observing similar brands and businesses.
Add SEO to the mix
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is becoming an increasingly relevant part of an online marketing strategy, as this tool is critical to improve your chances of being discovered online. SEO works via search engines, and when implemented correctly with the right investment, your brand could appear on the first page of Google.
In addition, you should also invest in local SEO in order to appear on an online map if you have a physical office. While we understand that you need to make a tangible profit and that cash flow can be a challenge, it’s important to remember that the main priority of SEO is to create brand awareness and make your brand accessible to as many customers as possible.
Social is big for a reason
Social media has become one of a marketer’s most powerful tools and there are plenty ways to market your business using a variety of social media platforms. One of the ways to implement social media marketing is to produce high-quality content that encourages your audience to not only engage with your brand, but also to share your content with their own social networks. This broadens your customer reach and assists with your overall brand exposure.
Try to not limit yourself to the most popular platforms only. Social media itself is a catch-all term for sites that provide radically different social actions, so choose the platforms that make the most sense for your business and your audience.
There is aggressive competition out there. Your business’s point of difference must therefore be clearly defined and using social media provides the perfect opportunity for you as a business to communicate this difference to your audience
Email marketing: old but gold
This strategy might seem outdated, but don’t ignore the benefits of email marketing. Remember: Not everything is happening on social media. Email marketing entails sending a message directly to your audience via email. Email marketing can be done to using an email list or a current customer database.
It is important to have a good email marketing campaign, as it still forms part of your online image. Keep your customers up to date or offer them something unique, but keep it relevant and make sure your subject lines are engaging enough to capture attention.
Take your brand mobile
Mobile marketing is the shared multi-channel promotion of products or services on mobile phones, smartphones, and other hand-held devices. Mobile marketing channels are diverse and can incorporate new technologies, trade shows or interactive billboards. SMS’s are currently the most common delivery channel for mobile marketing.
Another brilliant thing about having a mobile marketing strategy is that it allows you to not only get your message across, but for you to gain insight into consumer habits. You can create apps for instance, that your customers can install on their devices. In doing so, you can gather feedback and information directly from them.
The guideline for online
At the crux, it is important to remember this: Be present and active in the online environment if you want to create good brand awareness, because it will boost your visibility and make people interested in your unique offering.
If you implement these tips as part of your online marketing strategy, it is important to keep your end goal in mind. By doing so, you can monitor and alter your marketing executions according to the goal.
There are various ways to approach online strategy, but the best is to always keep your brand top of mind. Speak back to your brand and your unique offering and the vast digital realm might just become a bit smaller and a lot more manageable.
Feel free to contact BWD for more information or professional assistance with online marketing strategies.