If you’re old enough to remember a time before the internet, you’ll recognize how quickly things change. To give you an idea, Google was founded in 1998, less than 20 years ago. Facebook was founded in 2004 and Twitter in 2006. And they now seem part of our everyday lives. It’s all about digital online marketing strategies and their perfections.
Trends come and go, and change happens overnight in the digital world. However, certain techniques and strategies stand the test of time. If you’re looking to market your business, follow our simple tips.
Be Clear On Your Target Audience:
First things first. Be absolutely clear on your target audience. Even big budget businesses narrow down their audience groups. Find out exactly who you’re marketing to, where they are, and what they’re looking for. If you have multiple audiences, consider setting up marketing personas.
Ask yourself the following questions about your audience:
Who are they?
Are they male or female?
What is their age?
What is their job?
Where are they based?
What are their hobbies?
What blogs do they read?
What is their disposable income?
These are just a few questions that may help build up a picture of your target market. The answers to these questions can tell you a lot about the people you are trying to reach. A simple way to learn more about your current customers is to set up an online survey. This can be promoted through your social media channels, blogs, and email marketing. Offer an incentive for customers to complete the survey.
Ensure that all campaigns are tailored carefully to your target market.
Quick Wins:
It takes a while to build up a natural or organic online presence. In the meantime, there are several things you can do for some quick wins.
For example, you could set up a Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign. Or, if you’re marketing an app, you could carry out some mobile application marketing. Ads can be set up quickly and are targeted to your audience. Many businesses offer a CPA (Cost Per Action) service so you will only be paying when someone completes an action. E.g. a click or form submit.
Social Media:
Make the most of social media and use it to your advantage. Going back to your target audience, find out which channels they use the most. Though most social media platforms are free of charge, they still require a lot of resources. So make sure you’re channeling resources in an effective way. And don’t just target the usual suspects like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Consider other channels such as Instagram and Snapchat.
When creating and sharing content, be fun and engaging. Don’t just fire off promotional messages. Take time to get to know your audience. Answer their questions and enter into conversations. Get creative with hashtags.
When beginning any marketing campaign, always start with your purpose and audience. What is it you want to achieve? Who are you aiming at? Throughout the process return to these two questions. Use marketing channels that are relevant to your audience. Find out as much about them as possible. Use your resources effectively and prioritize. These principles are relevant for traditional marketing and new digital trends.
