Internet Marketing, also known as Online or Digital Marketing, encompasses all marketing efforts that use the internet. It includes various channels and tactics to connect with your audience, promote your brand and drive sales. Understanding the basics of Online Marketing and implementing effective digital strategies may help you amplify the growth of your business. Here’s a quick guide to Internet Marketing.

Getting Started With Internet Marketing

Build a Professional Website

Your website is where many of your potential customers will visit you first. Make sure it’s mobile-friendly, easy to navigate and provides valuable information about your products or services. Work with an experienced website designer like POP THE PIXEL to help you setup and develop your website correctly. Pro tips:

• Domain & Hosting: Choose a memorable domain name and reliable hosting provider. We recommend securing a domain name that is easy to remember and as close to your business name as possible. Many of our clients choose GoDaddy for domain registration, website security and WordPress hosting service.
• Web Design: Make sure your website is user-friendly, mobile-responsive and visually appealing. Develop web page designs that will be used as templates for primary and secondary web pages. Consistency throughout the design helps to improve the user experience.
• Website Content: Provide clear, valuable information about your products or services. Don’t make it hard for your potential customers to understand what it is that you sell or offer. They’ll be more likely to contact you if you offer what it is they’re shopping for.
• Call-to-Action (CTA): Guide visitors to take desired actions like making a purchase or signing up. Offer an array of contact options using contact forms, pop-ups and hyperlinks.

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Optimize for Search Engines (SEO)

Optimizing for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) involves a multifaceted approach focusing on improving your website’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s not a one-time task but an ongoing process. Pro tips:

• Keyword Research: Don’t just guess. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz Keyword Explorer to find terms people are actually searching for related to your business. Focus on long-tail keywords (more specific phrases) as they often have less competition and higher conversion potential.
• On-page Optimization: On-page optimization refers to all the measures you take directly within your website to improve its ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s about making your website more search engine friendly by optimizing individual web pages.
• Off-page Optimization: Off-page optimization refers to all the activities you perform outside of your website to improve its search engine rankings. It focuses on building your website’s authority and reputation on the web, essentially telling search engines that your site is valuable and trustworthy.
• Technical SEO: Technical SEO focuses on improving the technical aspects of your website to help search engine crawlers effectively crawl, index and understand your site’s content. It’s about ensuring your website is easily accessible and understandable by search engine bots.

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Create Quality Content

We know we sound like a parrot, but we’ll say again that content is king. Whether it’s blog posts, videos or social media posts, providing value in your website content builds trust and encourages engagement. Pro tips:

• Content Calendar: Plan and schedule your content creation to maintain a consistent publishing schedule. Potential customers as well as search engines are more likely to visit your website if it’s updated regularly.
• Content Repurposing: Repurpose existing content into different formats (e.g., blog posts into infographics) to reach a wider audience. Craft long-form content as a blog post and then use that same draft to create short-form content for other online channels.
• Content Promotion: Promote your content through various channels to drive traffic and engagement. Share blog posts on your social media and link back to your website. Add updates or products to your Google Business Profile.
• User Experience (UX): Focus on creating a positive user experience on your website. Develop a web design with easy navigation, clear calls to action and an engaging design to help guide visitors through your site.

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Leverage Social Media Platforms

Engage with your audience where they spend time. Strategically use social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and others) to promote your brand. Leveraging social media platforms to amplify brand recognition involves more than just posting content. It requires planning, engagement and optimization to maximize your reach and impact. Pro tips:

• Choose Your Platforms: Focus on platforms relevant to your audience. Repurpose long-from website content into short-form for your target audience on each individual social media platform.
• Consistent Posting: Share valuable content regularly. Create relevant content that is keyword-targeted and develop a content calendar to schedule posts or automate the process.
• Engagement: Respond to comments, messages and foster community. If you receive notifications, reply to your followers and show them that you are active and engaged.
• Paid Social Ads: Use targeted advertising to reach specific demographics. Unlike organic posts, which are shared freely and rely on natural engagement, paid social ads are sponsored messages designed to reach specific audiences and achieve particular marketing goals.

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Utilize Email Marketing

Build and nurture your email list. Email Marketing helps you send targeted emails to a list of subscribers to share updates, discounts or other valuable information. The goal of any email marketing campaign is to convert subscribers into paying customers. Pro tips:

• Lead Magnets: Offer freebies or discounts to encourage sign-ups. People love free stuff, a good deal and other value incentives. Adding in some perks is a great way to get more eyes on your products or services and start conversations about your business.
• Newsletters: Share updates, offers and valuable content. If your subscribers are loyal to your brand then they’re more likely to remain on your email list. Offer a variety of content ranging from new products or services to sales and promotions to help keep subscribers engaged.
• Automation: Set up automated email sequences for onboarding and nurturing leads. Once you have a new subscriber, it’s important to keep them interested in your products or services. Create automated email campaigns that keep subscribers in the know or eager to remain informed about special updates, sales and promotions.

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Use Paid Advertising (PPC)

PPC campaigns can generate traffic and leads almost instantly after launch, unlike SEO which can take months to see results. If it’s in the budget, this could be a good investment for your business. But don’t sleep on SEO, as it’s fundamental component to your digital strategy. Consider including both in your Internet Marketing Strategy if you can. Pro tips:

• Google Ads: Target users searching for your products or services. Google Ads works through an auction-based system that displays ads to users based on their search queries, browsing behavior and other targeting criteria.
• Social Media Ads: Reach specific audiences on your social channels. Social media ads work by allowing businesses to promote their content, products or services to targeted audiences on social media platforms.
• Monitor & Optimize: Track performance and adjust bids and creatives accordingly. Monitoring and optimizing PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaigns are essential steps to ensure your advertising efforts are effective, efficient and delivering a good return on investment (ROI).

Analyze and Improve

Use analytics tools to measure your efforts. Improving online marketing efforts using analytics tools involves collecting, analyzing and acting on data to make informed decisions that enhance your campaigns’ effectiveness. Pro tips:

• Google Analytics: Track website traffic and user behavior. Google Analytics is a free web analytics service offered by Google that helps website owners and marketers understand how visitors interact with their website or app.
• Social Media Insights: Monitor engagement and reach. Social media insights are data and analytics provided by social media platforms that reveal how your content and campaigns are performing.
• Conversion Tracking: Measure how visitors convert into customers. Conversion tracking is a process used to measure and analyze when a user completes a desired action on your website or app. This action could be making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter or filling out a contact form.

Conclusion

Marketing your business online is a necessary for improving search rankings, expanding reach, generating more quality leads and ultimately driving sales. Implementing these basics while working with an experienced website designer on your digital marketing strategy can set a strong foundation for your business website. If you’re looking for some help with Internet Marketing in Philadelphia, contact us online or call 323-848-4465 for a free consultation and estimate.