As a business owner, one of the things you’re most likely thinking about on a daily basis is how to generate more leads. We’re here to tell you that web marketing is one of the most effective ways for you to advertise your products or services in order to boost your overall sales. It is also a great way to expand your presence where customers are at – online – and, in the long run, boost your revenue.
Web marketing in a nutshell is the process of marketing your business online. It isn’t just one of the best ways to advertise, it is also one of the most cost-effective, with impressive returns on investment (ROI) for well-designed campaigns. There are a number of different strategies that fall under web marketing, all of which help promote your business in different ways.
The best part about advertising online is that it gives you a unique opportunity to only reach people who might not otherwise find your business. It also helps to give you exposure when users have intent to purchase – making it much more likely that these leads will turn into conversions.
What are the Different Web Marketing Options?
- Display Advertising
The two most popular ways to utilize display advertising is through Google and Facebook, both of which have the ability to show your ads on multiple different websites. In fact, Google display ads can display on literally thousands of different sites. The key is to make sure your ads are only displaying on sites where your audience is most likely to be. Display ads help raise brand awareness, drive leads and sales, get you shares/follows on social channels, boost website traffic, and more.
- Social Media Marketing
Social media channels are a great place for businesses to build and engage with their audience. It is also a tactic that requires very little monetary investment to see results. The key is mixing both organic and paid posts on the social channel(s) where your target audience is most active. Keep people informed of news, sales, promotions, tips, tricks, and more, aiming to keep a healthy mix of helpful/informative posts in with your self-promoting ones.
- Content Marketing
Content marketing isn’t just writing blogs – it also includes videos, white papers, ebooks, and more. The important thing to remember when creating content for marketing purposes is to not make it all about your business and your products. It is vital that you mix in things that are informative and helpful. This not only helps cement you as an authority in your field, but also helps to build trust and allow people to build a connection with your business. This means you can both nurture leads and help keep previous customers engaged with your brand.
- Email Marketing
While it may be one of the oldest forms of web marketing, it certainly isn’t outdated by any means. It has one of the highest ROIs of any web marketing tactics. To start, you’ll need a list of subscribers – and there’s no better way to get people to sign up than a CTA on your website. Building your list organically rather than blindly purchasing information greatly increases the chances that people will actually read and engage with your newsletters, and convert into sales down the road.
Your newsletters should be a mix of sales, deals, promotions, new products, valuable content, and more. Segmenting your audience in order to target content to suit demographics, interests, and more can make your newsletters even more effective.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the process of boosting your organic ranking in search results. With over 3.5 billion searches conducted on Google worldwide each day, SEO is a very important component of web marketing. By layering your website with the right keywords (at the right density) you can increase the chances that you will show up on the first page of results when people search for these keywords.
The key to a proper SEO campaign is making sure that you do keyword research. While you might be able to guess at a few that will work, there are likely others that you will not think of – and some might even get you irrelevant clicks that simply waste your budget. It is also important to use long-tail keywords, which are made up of 3 to 4 words, as these are the best way to find the most qualified leads.
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
PPC campaigns are a very effective way to target users when they are ready to make a purchase. In fact, the leads generated from PPC campaigns are 50% more likely to convert than organic leads. PPC ads appear at the top of search results, with a small “Ad” tag on them. Much like SEO, PPC relies on keywords in order to target the most relevant searches.
Both Google and Bing have platforms for you to design your ads and choose your keywords. Because these campaigns are auction-based, you will also have to decide how much you are willing to bid on each keyword. This helps to keep your budget within your desired range, and gives you the option to spend more on better-performing keywords, and less on ones that might not get as much traction. Another big plus of PPC campaigns is that you have access to detailed analytics to track exactly how your ads are performing, which allows you to optimize them in real-time – another great way to control your budget.
The Benefits of Web Marketing
By utilizing web marketing, you can target a specific audience, build brand recognition, cut your advertising costs, and measure and analyze your results. Some web marketing tactics can start showing instant results, while others take time to build, so it is often best to try at least two different campaign types for the best results.
Interested in learning more about how we can help you design effective web marketing campaigns? Contact us today. At Gulf Coast Web, we have over 25 years of experience in managing all types of digital design and marketing campaigns – even for companies outside of our immediate area. Our staff consists of highly-trained digital design advertising professionals who are both passionate about their jobs and excel at what they do. Contact us today to book a consultation with our team. We look forward to outlining exactly how we can help you grow your business with our digital media agency services.