Online marketing is defined as ‘a set of methodologies, tools and techniques that are used to promote products and services via the Internet‘. Due to the presence of more channels and marketing mechanisms available online, there is a wider range of options than with traditional marketing.

So online marketing is the practice of leveraging all the different web-based channels to spread a message regarding a brand, range of products or services. Methods and techniques that are used include social media, email, search engine optimisation, display advertising, amongst others.

The Internet has been a widespread adoption for not only different business purposes but also for a plethora of reasons behind personal use, which has caused many new channels for the purpose of marketing engagement and advertising to pop up including the ones we mentioned above. Apart from all this, online marketing incorporates both benefits and challenges which makes the most of primary digital mediums to engage, attract, and then proceeds to convert to virtual visitors to customers.

Traditional marketing includes media such as poster, print, radio and television advertising. The effectiveness of advertising campaigns is difficult to track, and such advertising comes at a high cost.

Now you have the power to create a website and build up an endless number of customer acquisition campaigns at a very low cost.

Are you planning to start your own business? Or do you wish to upgrade and improve your existing business? The success of any business is determined by internet marketing which can enhance your brand visibility and boost sales and traffic.

• Your business earns better visibility

  Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is at the heart of online marketing. It enables your brand, products, and services to be found easily on different online channels that potential customers inhabit. Routinely people investigate the options that appear first on their screens. When your brand gains visibility, customers can discover your brand more easily starting a chain reaction of visiting your website, interacting with it, and proceeding to purchase your products and services.

• Not only will your target audience find it easy to discover your brand, products, and services but it will change the entire way your company is viewed or perceived by those who come across it.
  
  Your business will be ranked higher on the pages of search engine results and be at a par with other respected industry authorities. Your business’s credibility will increase proportionally with online marketing. Simply put – online marketing is the first step that you will take towards becoming a highly respected go-to provider and industry authority.

• Increase in website traffic

  Online marketing is a powerful tool for steering higher quality traffic towards a website. Practices that businesses and brands include local search engine optimisation, paid advertising, marketing or advertising on social media. Finely targeted marketing narrows down the focus and helps attract the right kind of customer.

• Increase visits to the stores

  Online marketing helps boost sales to grow your business and create long term customer loyalty, and in turn, spread awareness of your business to those they communicate with.

Though, you might think you have a basic understanding of what digital marketing is, it is often seen the lack of knowledge on the subject limits the opportunity and scope that online marketing is capable of offering. That is when it is time to nail online marketing with easily accessible tools, brands feel stuck or dumbfounded. Here, are the various kinds of tools that can be used with online marketing.

Social Media Marketing (SMM)

This is one of the most popular types of digital marketing which helps marketers to project their brand image in a very powerful way. With a multitude of channels on offer, brands are certain to find their target audience on at least one of them. Channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn to name just a few.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

SEO is the process of optimising a web page to ensure it is easy for search engines such as Google to find. If a web page is easy to find, search engines will rank you higher and in turn, you will receive targeted traffic to your website. SEO has played a crucial part in online marketing from the very beginning.

Learn how to rank higher in Google here

Email Marketing

Another important digital marketing tool is email. It acts as a bridge between related sales and your business channel. Although in some cases it may not be as powerful as other tools, it still stands out as the fastest, most personal form of communication.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

A key strategy that can rapidly boost a company’s reach. By creating your own ad copy and paying search engines to appear above other organic results, you can be sure to get large amounts of traffic to your website in a short amount of time.

Pay-per-click Advertising (PPC)

This is the fastest way to drive a targeted audience to your related services and web pages. This relates to SEM, as with SEM you only pay when a user clicks on your ad. But, apart from search engines, there are many other PPC models that are used in other mediums and websites

Retargeting

Retargeting is a very powerful method of targeting users who have previously interacted with your website. After a user arrives on your website or visits specific pages. You have the ability to target the same user on third party websites and search engines.

Remarketing

Often confused with retargeting and both are often referred to like the other. While they both share the same goals there are some differences.

The easiest example for remarketing is perhaps cart abandonment. If, for example a user drops off during the purchase stage. Providing they have already input their email address. We can remarket the user by sending an email shortly after they leave the website, and entice them to return and complete their purchase.

Content Marketing

Content Marketing helps to share relevant and valuable free content and involves written, downloadable, visually exciting, engaging online media content. It is a unique way of not only attracting targeted audience but converting them into future customers.

Content marketing is one of the most important factors that goes into developing a good SEO strategy. The old saying for SEOs is “Content is King“. And that is because when people search for something on a search engine, more often than not, they are looking for content of some sort.

Good Content Delivers Good Traffic

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Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing involves someone else selling your products and services for you. Many brands make huge amounts of sales through this method. And unlike PPC or other forms of paid marketing, you only pay a commission for completed sales.

In a nutshell…

This is online marketing in a nutshell. There is, of course, a lot more to it, but hopefully, this article has given you a basic understanding. If you have any questions, please get in touch, or leave a comment below.