Internet marketing – where to start?

In the era of universal access to the Internet, well-run Internet marketing becomes increasingly important. Companies are not limited to just creating their own websites. They are also present in social media, run blogs related to their business, and invest in paid forms of advertising or outsource activities to marketing agencies. All this is aimed at reaching users who will be interested in the product or service of a given company.

What is internet marketing?

Internet marketing (also known as e-marketing) is all promotional activities conducted online. It can be distinguished from traditional marketing by the ability to personalize the message by directing the advertisement to a specific target group. What is more, marketing on the Internet enables verification of precise results of conducted campaigns. Online advertising is also associated with lower costs than traditional media.

Types of internet marketing

The Internet provides many opportunities to promote your business. It is worth taking advantage of them. The most popular activities include SEO, i.e. positioning in search engine results. Also popular is content marketing, which consists in publishing content. Social media marketing cannot also be forgotten. Certainly, you have also heard the statement: “You are not on Facebook – you do not exist.” Another activity worthy of attention is e-mail marketing. It may seem a bit outdated, but it is still going strong, if it is done well. Marketing is also connected with paid advertising, so it is worth exploring the secrets of the Google Ads advertising system.

Where to start?

The basis of marketing is to be where your company’s potential customers are. That’s why not every online store or service industry company uses all types of marketing. Before you take action in e-marketing, determine your target group. Check also the fastest way to reach new customers. Competitor analysis can be helpful in this regard. See what your key rivals are doing and what communication channels they are using. Remember that many customers check the credibility of a company by visiting its website and checking reviews in Google My Business. In the case of your business, does it look professional?

Social media marketing 

Almost all of us spend a lot of time on social media. Successful businesses are well aware that this is where they can find their customers. That’s why one of the most popular activities is to be present on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. Of course, your business doesn’t have to be everywhere. In the beginning, you can focus on one channel and appear in others over time. It all depends on the industry you’re in and the time you can devote to your company profiles. Creating an account is not enough. You need to share knowledge with your viewers by publishing regular content (e.g. blog posts, videos, trivia). Give your users value, show that it is worth to visit you, because there is always a piece of information waiting for them. This way you will build an engaged community.

Advertising campaigns in Google Ads and Facebook Ads

You can also run paid advertising campaigns online. Google Ads is used to set up and manage ads targeting potential customers. Using these ads, you will increase traffic to your website or online store. Google Ads campaigns are displayed to users in search results when a keyword is entered and on Google AdSense member sites.

Facebook Ads, on the other hand, is a system that allows you to create ads to later display them on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network. The Ads Manager gives you the possibility to create targeted campaigns for selected groups of people, which increases the effectiveness of your actions. In this tool, you have several formats to choose from (e.g. image, video, carousel), so you can test and see which one gives you the best results.

Content marketing vs. SEO optimization

Content marketing is about reaching your customers through content. However, the content has to be valuable, it should arouse interest. Content marketing consists not only of text (blogs, social media posts, emails, e-books, or newsletters), but also images and infographics and various forms of video (live broadcasts, webinars, podcasts). Creating a variety of content attracts attention and increases user engagement. This, in turn, contributes to more traffic to your website and consequently more sales. When creating a content strategy, use storytelling, which creates a higher communication level with the customer, which helps build trust in the company.

Content marketing also has an impact on SEO, which is why your efforts should be consistent with your SEO strategy. Analyze your target group for search engine phrases, then create interesting content and include keywords in it. However, it is important to keep your information updated for SEO purposes. Of course, some content may be current for a long time, but in many cases you will need to keep it fresh. Updating may include, for example, introducing new phrases or refreshing statistics.

While speaking about online marketing activities related to content publishing, it is important not to forget about Direct Answer, i.e., a direct response to search engine queries. It appears in the so-called zero position – above all other results. Direct Answer contains a fragment of text, which according to Google best answers the asked question. These are often questions starting with: how…, how much…, where…, when…, who…, what… etc. It would seem that this is an ideal situation, but zero position is associated with the risk of a decrease in page views. If the information in a box completely answers the user’s question, they will most likely not visit your site. Risky… That’s why you should check whether Direct Answer is positively affecting your website traffic or the opposite. You can easily check this in Google Analytics. If you want to opt out of answer snippets, you can use the nosnippet tag.

How to monitor marketing activities?

Online marketing activities should be monitored. It doesn’t matter if they involve a specific product, building your company’s image online, or generating hits to your website. Monitoring has to be a part of your marketing strategy. You can check the effectiveness of individual activities in Google Analytics, among others. Monitoring also allows for deeper insight into the customer’s profile and checking how they perceive the brand. This way you can quickly eliminate obstacles on the customer’s purchase path.

Summary

As you can see, online marketing involves many activities. The choice of appropriate channels should depend on the specifics of your target customers and the products and services offered by your company. If you just want to start promoting your brand on the Internet, you may think that you can’t handle it, that it’s not for you. However, it is worth remembering that practice makes perfect. If you don’t feel up to it and don’t want to make mistakes, you can always outsource the tasks to a marketing agency. The choice is yours.

Finally, I have some more useful links for you:

   1. monitoring activities and image on the web

Google Analytics 

Brand24

RatingCaptain 

   2. creating paid campaigns

Google Ads 

Facebook for Business 

   3. planning and creating social media posts

CreatorStudio

Canva