Any business, big or small, knows the importance of marketing to survive in this competitive market. But over past decade, marketing has evolved significantly and Internet Marketing has come to the forefront.
“Running a business without marketing is killing it” – Paul Cookson
Internet Marketing has removed geographical barriers, allowing businesses to approach customers across the globe. It has also helped local businesses expand their reach in their targeted geographical area. With most of your existing and prospective customers online, businesses cannot afford to miss out on the digital boom. Businesses cannot overlook the importance of taking their business online, whether it’s with a user-friendly mobile optimized website, Facebook advertising, or Pay-Per-Click advertising. Ideally, businesses will use all means available to increase sales.
From development of a website to promoting the business to a highly targeted audience, there are a lot of things involved in Internet Marketing. Here are few common forms of Internet Marketing that every business must utilize –
- SEO – Search Engine Optimisation is the organic way of ranking in Google Search results. An SEO expert will optimize your website for a variety of factors that affect ranking in Search Results. You need to choose a set of relevant target keywords for your business before the optimization process starts. SEO is further classified into on-page and off-page SEO activities.
- PPC – Pay-Per-Click ads involve purchasing ad space on Google and other search engines to display ads. PPC ads can also be used on social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. Depending on your budget and competition, the ad campaigns need to be planned. PPC, if done right, can be quite beneficial in generating leads for your business.
- SMO – Social Media Optimization. Social Media platforms offer a great way of staying connected to your current and prospective customers. From Facebook and Twitter to Quora and Tumblr, there are several social media platforms where your business can participate on.
- SMM – Social Media Marketing. Just like Search engine results, it is also possible to plan paid ads on social media platforms. The business needs to create their page or profile and promote it directly to their target audience. j4o Consulting has had great success with Facebook advertising for our clients.
Being a local service provider, do you think that this “new age” marketing techniques are not for you? Or do you think that you may not get returns on your marketing investment? There is a common misconception in small business owners that they do not need Internet as their customers are drawn by the location. You need to understand that Internet presence will help you stand out amongst your local competitors. Also, as most users tend to make their searches using mobile devices, you will be able to catch attention of customers nearby. Another common misconception seen among business owners is that just having a website is sufficient. Remember, getting a business website is only the first step; the next step is to get visitors to and to interact with the website. This is where Internet Marketing comes into picture.
Hopefully you know by now that to have success in any business, Internet Marketing is important. Talk to an Internet marketer to understand different forms of digital marketing and how they can be implemented for your business.
If you are still unsure whether Internet Marketing is the right choice for your business or not, here are few reasons to give you more insight about the importance of Internet Marketing –
- Reach – Internet Marketing allows a business to broaden its reach. The higher the target audience reached, the higher the probability of lead generation and conversion.
- Convenience – Internet Marketing has taken businesses past the brick and mortar structure. You can cater to clients around the clock and without worrying about opening or closing timings.
- Customer Behavior – Today, most of your customers are online and use a computer or mobile devices for searches. With around 3 billion people in the world having Internet access, it is high time that your business goes online, too. There is a rise in customer spending money online and Internet Marketing is the only way to tap this customer base.
- Visibility – Internet Marketing helps to bring high visibility to your business. This, in turn, helps in building brand and generating trust in your brand. Once you establish your business online, you make your business visible to a bigger population. It also allows your current and prospective users in connecting and engaging with your businesses.
- Cost Effective – Though there is a common myth among business owners that Internet Marketing requires high advertising budgets, that’s not the case. Internet Marketing is a highly cost effective form of marketing. In fact, the cost involved in Internet Marketing is lower than traditional marketing or maintaining a physical marketing team. You can plan your marketing strategies according to your budget.
The prime objective of any marketing campaign is analyzing its Return on Investment (ROI). This concept is equally applicable for Internet Marketing campaigns, too. There are several methods and forms of digital marketing. Few are free, the rest require an investment. It’s important that you measure the ROI to check the success or failure of the campaigns rather than just looking at the initial out of pocket expense. By tracking the ROI of different campaigns, you will be able to analyze what approach is yielding the best results. Are your customers responding to the Facebook ads? Have you generated qualified leads? Are you getting calls but none of the leads are converting? These questions will help you calculate the ROI of your marketing efforts. By tracking ROI, you will also be able to take steps to improve conversion of visitors coming on your website.
Every business needs to regularly track their Internet Marketing ROI and modify their marketing campaigns accordingly. Marketing campaigns do not come with a standard success formula. Every business is unique in terms of its products, approach towards customers and marketing needs. So, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy that is applicable to all businesses. Marketing is more about trial and error of different methods as you are unsure which one will work out the best for your customers. The objective of any marketing activity is generating leads that in turn will boost business growth.
In this digital world, you have most likely come across terms like “viral,” “hit,” “followers” and more. From videos to images and from content to emails, the question is to find ways to engage your customers and build a relationship with them.
Internet Marketing is the buzzword of today! Make sure your business does not lag behind on this evolving trend!
Contact j4o Consulting today for your Internet Marketing needs and let us show you how you can increase your sales!
source
http://j4oconsulting.com/the-importance-of-internet-marketing/
