In a world completely dominated by technology, it’s no wonder that most companies are channeling their marketing budgets toward online advertising. Reaching customers all over the globe via one location—the Internet—allows companies to increase their reach and boost revenue.
What most companies fail to realize about online marketing, though, is that just because a channel was popular a few years ago doesn’t mean it is still relevant today. Many online marketing strategies come and go, which means that if you truly want to use online marketing to your advantage, you need to ensure you’re using options that still resonate with consumers today.
So if online marketing is in your near future, consider using the following online marketing channels that are relevant for 2015.
Targeted Email Lists
Most consumers today can access their email in a matter of seconds. Thanks to mobile technology, customers don’t have to find the time to plop down in front of a computer in order to read what you send. Now, they will get your email no matter where they are. IN order to reach your customers effectively via email, you need to invest in targeted email lists. A targeted list will allow you to reach an audience in a specific area instead of one mass email to everyone in the world. For example, maybe you want to increase your company’s sales in Chicago. Instead of sending a mass email to everyone on your list, you can create a custom email marketing campaign and send it only to those customers located in the Chicago area. By streamlining and customizing your email content, you’ll experience higher open rates and more click-throughs, which is the optimal end result.
SEO
Search engine optimization is still popular, and it’s about time you get on the SEO bandwagon. Search engines like Google and Yahoo are used millions if not billions of times on a daily basis, so it’s very important that you get your company’s website to land high on one of the search engine results pages. Because search engines are constantly changing their algorithms, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what you need to do to in order to boost SEO at any given time; however, there are some constants. Make sure that you always add relevant keywords to your content—i.e., think about the words and phrases your customers would use to find your products/services, and add those to your content. You should also be sure to add contact information, and include links to your website on other sites you have access to.
Social Media
It appears as if social media is here to stay, so you should start using it to reach your customers. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are the most popular social media sites out there, so try and choose one of those to get started. Use these channels to not only share information about your company (such as behind the scenes ideas, promotions, news stories, etc.), but also use it to connect with your customers. Be sure to respond to any posts, messages, or tweets they leave you, especially if it contains negative feedback. Using social media for customer service is a great way to not only help quickly resolve issues, but also a great way to learn more about the people buying your products and services. You can then use this information to create campaigns that will increase your social media following or one that will entice your followers to make a purchase.
Technology gets more and more advanced every day, and it will only continue to create more innovations when it comes to marketing. For now, email marketing, SEO, and social media are still the heavy hitters when it comes to online marketing. Get these in place, and you’ll be able to experience some online marketing success and prepare yourself for the changes the future may hold.