By Rodney Warner
When it comes to online marketing, there is an abundance of strategies and marketing channels you can explore. The list includes pay per click advertising, social media marketing, Facebook Ads, SEO, and more. However, there are a few fundamental strategies that you will want to have in place no matter what marketing strategy you’re trying to implement or channel you’re establishing yourself on.
Here is a list of five essential strategies you should use in all of your online marketing efforts.
1. Email Marketing
One of the things that you need to understand is that people never buy on the first offer. It takes multiple follow ups for prospects to take action. That’s why email marketing is an indispensable marketing strategy you should always utilize. Even if the prospect doesn’t take you up on the initial offer, there’s still a chance that a prospect will make a purchase later down the line or jump on another offer as long as he’s in your email database.
There are many ways to use email marketing to boost your sales. You can create drip marketing campaigns, marketing funnels, lead nurturing campaigns, email newsletters, and upsell offers. There are many platforms like MailChimp, Drip, and Aweber that will help you build campaigns, manage your email list, and optimize your email campaigns.
2. Web Copywriting
Copywriting has always been important to the success of direct response campaigns like print ads and direct mail. While savvy businesses have adapted this approach to online marketing, there are still many businesses that are not investing enough time and money into their web copy. They don’t take the time to learn how to write effective copy and simply try to “wing it” or mimic what other businesses are doing with their sales pages.
The right headline, opener, sales angle and offer can make a huge difference in how many visitors convert into leads and sales. On top of that, skillful web copywriting will always improve results whether you’re creating a social media post, article, webinar sign up page, video, or eCommerce produce page. It’s a valuable skill that business owners should learn or outsource to a skilled professional copywriter.
3. Conversion Rate Optimization
There are so many different factors that impact how many of your visitors convert into leads or sales. Nobody knows with absolute certainty what combination of headline, offer, and design will lead to the best results. This is where conversation rate optimization (CRO) comes in. It’s a process of testing different elements on a page to see which ones generate the highest conversion rates.
In the past, you were only able to test one variable at a time. These days, you can test multiple elements at a time using tools like Google Analytics and Convert. CRO is something you should constantly be working on as small increases in conversions add up over time to result in a significant performance boost.
4. Content Creation
Content is important for several reasons. First, it can be used for all major marketing channels whether it’s social media, SEO, or email marketing. Second, your content helps you establish your credibility and authority. Third, it creates context with what your target audience is looking for and presents them with value. Finally, it helps you build a relationship with your target audience.
Content isn’t something you work on for a short period of time. You’ll want to create content on a regular basis and integrate it into your marketing efforts. And if you’ve ever wondered if you should pursue a content marketing strategy, you’ll be surprised to learn that content marketing has been shown to return three dollars for every dollar spent.
5. Brand Building
Brand building is something many online businesses ignore. The reason why it’s ignored is that it’s seen as something that’s abstract. Business owners think that having a strong logo and message is what branding is. However, branding is about building a comprehensive strategy that integrates with your marketing.
Here’s a list of the different things you can do to help build your brand:
- Establish clear brand values and the unique benefits customers can expect. Make sure that it’s a prominent part of your marketing message.
- Make sure that the brand values and unique selling proposition is upheld at every customer touchpoint.
- Use multiple communication channels to stay connected with your target audience and customers (email newsletters, blogs, social media, SMS, apps, etc.).
- Build a community using solutions like Facebook Groups, online forums, chat rooms, and membership sites.
- Focus on creating an outstanding customer experience that will make customers want to spread the word about you.
- Manage your reputation online and try to get positive reviews on relevant business review platforms.
- Create loyalty programs so that your customers have an incentive to come back.
These Strategies Enhance Everything You Do
The reason these strategies are so essential is that they enhance whatever channel and strategy you’re working on. For example, if you’re planning to run Facebook Ads, then learning about copywriting and conversion rate optimization will play a huge role in the success of your campaigns. You’ll see a big difference in your results by integrating one or more of these strategies in your online marketing efforts.