The term “Internet marketing” rings a lot of meaning in different minds. For some entrepreneurs, they will think of a 
website. Others may think of social networks or blogs. All these advertising paths fall into the category of Internet marketing and each one is like a puzzle piece in a much broader marketing framework. Unfortunately, for new entrepreneurs trying to establish their presence on the web, there are many pieces of a puzzle to manage.
However, Internet marketing is essential for all businesses, even if they are small local and local businesses. Your online presence is an integral part of your business that helps you establish your experience, attract new contacts and make sales without the need for anyone to help you market your business.
But what is internet marketing?
Internet marketing is a reasonably broad term. Any type of marketing activity you do online will fall into this category. However, to help you find your way, these are some of the most popular and essential techniques that small businesses should know.
Search Engine Marketing
Search engine marketing (SEM) is any form of marketing effort designed to help users find it through search platforms such as Google, Bing etc. Search engine optimization (SEO) alongside paid search platforms such as Google AdWords are considered crucial but separate parts of SEM.
SEO is free! With SEO, you will create a website designed to position yourself well in search engines, helping people find it organically. To rank well organically, you must conduct thorough keyword research and know how to write excellent content centered on these keywords.
SEO also requires you to learn about techniques such as link building, which can also help your site move up the ranking. While you will want to check your keywords from time to time to ensure that the SEO status of your website works correctly, the SEO of your primary site does not require continuous maintenance, unlike other marketing platforms.
Tools like Yoast SEO, which is a free WordPress plugin, can help you optimize your site for SEO even if you are not familiar with it.
Pay per click marketing (PPC)
PPC marketing is a paid ad in which marketing experts create an ad, make an offer to show it to your target audience and then pay for the results. Depending on your platform and what you choose to optimize, they can pay for clicks, conversions, actions taken or impressions. PPC marketing can be of two types: search ads or show ads.
Search ads permit you to show text ads to users who are actively exploring the keywords you have targeted. If you are looking for “purple plaid pants” and are running an advertising campaign to sell some, your ad will appear at the top of the search results.
Bing Ads and Google AdWords are the two most well-known PPC search advertising platforms. They allow you to connect with users who actively search for your product and want to buy it.
All other types of ads are graphic ads, including Facebook and Instagram ads, Google AdSense, sponsored Pins, Quora ads and LinkedIn ads.
Image ads proactively show your ads to users while surfing the Web. Your ad may appear in your Facebook feed, for example, or on the news page, you are reading. They give you the advantage of presenting your product to the customer, even if they are not looking for it.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing encompasses both organic marketing and paid advertising through native PPC ad programs on a social media platform. The main objectives of social media marketing campaigns are often to create brand awareness and cultivate customer relationships, keeping the brand at the forefront.
The most popular social media marketing platform is Facebook, where you can create full pages with lots of information about your business. Even with the latest change in the algorithm that is causing a sharp decline in organic coverage, it is probably the most important social networking site for businesses.
Other great players are Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, although there are also Snapchat, Reddit, Tumblr, Periscope and many others. You can have company profiles on as many social media platforms as you want, but it is good to start with little and resize unless you are hiring someone to manage your social networks for you. Choose one or two platforms that you consider most useful for you and where your audience is most active and start there.
Email marketing
Email marketing is the practice of increasing leads and boosting sales through email communications with your customers. Like social networks, the goal is to remind users that you are here and that your product is on hold. However, unlike social networks, you can be much more aggressive with your sales techniques, since people expect email marketing to contain offers, product announcements and calls to action.
I recommend that you regularly capture users’ emails, both when they buy and even before they become customers. You can utilize lead magnets or discounts to encourage email registrations and using an email management service such as MailChimp allows you to create activated autoresponders that will automatically send prefabricated welcome email campaigns when they sign up.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is the use of content published online to attract contacts and build trust by offering value. It may involve the creation of:
– Blog posts published on your site.
– Guest posts you write for other websites, which refer to yours.
– Lead magnets such as e-books, white papers or case studies intended to capture the lead information.
– Videos and infographics that can be shared on various social channels.
Content marketing should be carried out, taking into account the objectives and should be used in conjunction with search engine optimization. You should also plan to create content regularly, or this marketing route quickly loses most of its momentum.
Online networks
The online network, if done correctly, allows you to build valuable relationships in online forums and groups that can help you advance your business. You could meet experienced colleagues with whom you could collaborate on a project, or you could provide value to your target audience by sharing your knowledge and consequently, winning some clients. Regardless, the goal of this type of marketing is simply to build relationships and not sell directly.
Some of the best places to search for online communities relevant to your business include:
– Facebook Groups.
– LinkedIn groups.
– Industry forums, such as the Warrior Forum for businesses or Wedding Wire for marriage professionals.
– Questions and answers forum like Quora.
Regardless of how you choose to connect online, it is a great way to lead potential customers and grow your business, often for free.
Start here!
To start with internet marketing, the first thing you should do is create a solid and well-designed website. In most cases, hiring an expert to do it is an excellent way to get the job done, as they can create a website with a motivational copy and intuitive navigation designed to convince customers to convert.
As your site is created and the copy is written, perform a thorough search of the keywords. The keywords you choose will be essential to help you position yourself well in search engines, so developing a good keyword strategy is a fundamental part of your Internet marketing approach.
When people start visiting your site, get a clearly visible email acquisition form. You should have a welcome autoresponder ready, so you can start building relationships with them.
After building your site, creating a social media presence is the second-best step for most businesses. All businesses must have a fully enriched Facebook page with lots of information about their business. Depending on your audience, you can also create a Twitter, Instagram and/or Pinterest account. Social networks are a long-term commitment that requires frequent updates and monitoring, but it is one of the best ways to build an online community around your business.
After establishing your social media accounts, you can switch to other Internet marketing options. PPC marketing, both in social media ads and search ads, can help you extend your reach quickly and efficiently, and content marketing is an excellent way to show your skills.
Measure your internet marketing results
There are a lot of free tools that you can utilize in monitoring the effectiveness of your Internet marketing, regardless of the platforms you choose. These include:
Google Analytics, which helps you track which channels send your site traffic, who visits it, how they interact with them and what encourages them to convert. Synchronize it with your site with simple tags and it is a valuable source of information that all websites should have.
Native analysis on the platform, which includes Facebook information, Twitter analysis and Instagram information. These platforms can help you evaluate your metrics on the platform, such as Likes, Actions, Retweets, Comments and Direct Messages. With this information, you can assess the effectiveness of your community’s construction efforts and the interest of your audience in your content.
How much will it cost?
Internet marketing can cost a lot, but fortunately, it can be convenient for all marketing budgets. You will have to spend around $100 a year to buy a domain name and pay for web hosting, which allows you to create and maintain a highly functional website.
Social media marketing is free, as is content marketing if you are creating and managing content yourself. A good number of email marketing platforms have free plans for the first hundreds or thousands of subscribers, which give you time to increase your income before you have to start paying. There are also free keyword research tools such as the Google Keyword Planning Tool that can help you optimize your site for free.
However, there are some costs that I recommend investing in, as soon as you have the capital to do so. These include:
– Hire a professional designer to create your site.
– Hire a copywriter to manage the copy on your site.
– Invest in PPC campaigns to expand your reach and accelerate your lead generation efforts. If you have the opportunity to do so, hiring an agency or a marketing operator can get more results.
– Don’t forget that every penny you spend on Internet marketing is not only an investment that can generate new revenue but also a business expense. Business expenses can be useful when taxes arrive, so that money is even more useful.
Conclusion
Internet marketing may seem complicated at the first launch. However, it is a necessity for all companies. Even small businesses that only serve local customers should use Internet marketing to reach new customers and cultivate relationships with them.
Fortunately, the number of free platforms and tools makes Internet marketing adaptable to your budget. This makes Internet access accessible and profitable for businesses of all sizes.
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I send a very warm thank you to John Thornhill for allowing me this opportunity to Guest-Post on his Blog.
This is a guest post from Byron Horde, if you would like to be considered for a guest post please contact me.
