Whether your business is a brick-and-mortal establishment or strictly online, Internet marketing can enhance your customer base and increase your revenue. Internet marketing often works best when you combine different strategies in a coordinated campaign. There are a number of tools at your disposal to make your marketing efforts easier and more convenient, including search engine optimization social media platforms and marketing related apps.<\/p>\n
Social Media<\/strong><\/p>\n Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn \u2014 social media has evolved from functioning as online private hangouts for young people to an integral aspect of social and business interactions. If your business isn\u2019t active on social media platforms, you\u2019re missing out on a huge audience of potential customers. It\u2019s best if you have a staff member whose main function is handling social media, or, barring that, contracting with a savvy consultant.<\/p>\n A mistake many companies make is attempting to use social media as a direct sales strategy. It\u2019s fine if your Facebook page is set up as an online storefront. However, social media often works best as a \u201csoft\u201d marketing tool that generates interaction with visitors to your company\u2019s various social media platforms. The most effective social media strategies are designed to generate word-of-mouth recommendations. That\u2019s because people are much more likely to trust \u2014 and purchase \u2014 products and services recommended by friends and family than products they only know through advertising.<\/p>\n Another mistake that many companies make is attempting to control social media content. This doesn\u2019t mean that you don\u2019t moderate comments. In fact, you should make a point of answering to questions visitors to your social media platforms may ask as well as responding to complaints or criticisms they may express. What\u2019s not advisable, or even possible, is to censor all unfavorable content. That will only drive people toward third-party review sites where you have even less control.<\/p>\n Integrated Marketing Strategies<\/strong><\/p>\n Integrating several marketing tools into a targeted campaign is an ideal way to reach younger customers. Develop Smartphone and tablet apps related to your company\u2019s products or services. . Think outside the box: Mountain Dew created its own record label called Green Label Sound to promote the brand among tech savvy Millennials and provide an outlet for new bands. If an entire music label is beyond the budget of your organization, adapt a similar idea on a smaller scale. For instance, your company could sponsor a Google+ hangout to discuss an issue that is related to your organization and important to potential customers.<\/p>\n Search Engine Optimization<\/strong><\/p>\n Good search engine optimization can make the difference between your website drawing lots of traffic \u2014 and paying customers or clients \u2014 or withering from lack of traffic. Bad SEO can sink your website into oblivion. Incorporating keywords and metatags into website is an essential Internet marketing strategy. If your company does not employ an SEO expert, it\u2019s worth the money to hire one, at least as a consultant.<\/p>\n However, your SEO strategy should seamlessly incorporate keywords and metatags into your website content. Keyword stuffing is a major sin, and offending websites are often severely punished. That\u2019s because back in the day, unethical website owners abused SEO, stuffing websites with so many keywords that the resulting content was a muddled soup that bore little resemblance to language that human beings actually spoke, wrote or read. But the web pages ranked high on search engine results, and that was the point.<\/p>\n Google\u2019s Panda algorithm adjustment changed all that. Seemingly overnight, websites saw their rankings drop off the first page of search results to page five, six or even further back. In extreme cases, offending websites were actually de-listed, removed from search engine results completely. Other search engines followed suit with similar measures.<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n – Five Questions to Answer Before You Build Your Website\u00e2\u20ac\u00a8<\/a>
\n– Google Tweaks Algorithm to Thwart Keyword Stuffing and Link Schemes<\/a>
\n– Six Habits of Highly Effective Mobile Marketers\u00e2\u20ac\u00a8<\/a>
\n– Six Pro Tips for Marketing to Digital Natives<\/a><\/p>\n