Online marketing: the colourful umbrella

Online marketing is now an activity that most companies consider essential for growth. It's a huge umbrella term that includes terms such as website, content marketing, video marketing, email marketing, SEO, social media marketing and PPC. Marketing in the digital space, or at least some elements of it, has become part of the everyday life of businesses, which is why it's important to have a clear understanding of what the term means! In this blog post, we will find out!

According to statistics, the digital advertising and marketing market was worth $350 billion in 2020 and is forecast to reach a low of $787 billion globally by 2026. The annual growth rate is forecast at 9%. At the enterprise level, the growth is also very impressive with digital marketing spend increasing by 14% between 2020 and 2021.

Ever since the internet became part of our everyday lives, online marketing has been on the rise. The first banner ad appeared in Wired on October 27, 1994, and was an ad for AT&T. Today, the banner ad market exceeds $160 billion. While it is almost impossible to estimate the number of banner ads because of the changing timeframes, the value of the spend gives a sense of scale.

The world of online marketing

Making it in the online world is no easy task. Competition is fiercer than ever, and businesses are working hard to put together strategies to capture consumers' attention and build a lasting relationship with them. In today's business environment, it has become vital to follow and implement an effective online marketing strategy.

Digital marketing is about how a business can create and continuously grow its online presence. When managed by capable hands, it can change the way businesses do business, bring in customers, increase brand awareness and drive sales of products and services.

In this article, we present 10 effective online marketing tips that can help your business stand out from the crowd and achieve greater business success. We'll talk about knowing your target audience, the importance of content strategy, the key role of SEO and much more. Stay tuned for the best tips!

10 tips for online marketing

Tip 1: Get to know your target audience!

The success of online marketing often depends on knowing your target audience. It is not enough to simply know who you want to target with your services or products. To be truly successful, you need to understand them: what motivates them, what hinders them, what attracts their attention and what they don't care about - so that we can reach them more effectively.

Demographic information - such as age, gender, education, occupation or geographic location - is essential, but not sufficient on its own. Psychography, i.e. grouping consumers according to psychological and demographic variables, is more useful. What should be considered here? For example, understanding the audience's behaviour, interests, values and lifestyle. If we take these factors into account, our messages will be much more effective.

It's also worth mentioning the customer journey, which is necessary to develop the communication process. This will help us understand the steps our customers go through before they finally make a buying decision. Knowing the customer journey enables us to find customers at the right time, in the right place and with the right message.

Tip 2: Focus on your content strategy!

One of the most important factors in online marketing is quality content with value. Well-written, strategic content not only attracts readers, but also builds long-term loyalty.

But it's not enough to produce content, you also need to distribute it to reach your audience. You need to be proactive in sharing content, using all available channels such as social media, newsletters, blogging.

Without a content strategy, online marketing is just a weightless tool floating in the void. But with a well-constructed, well-thought-out strategy, it becomes a driving force that helps your business grow.

Tip 3: Focus on SEO!

In the digital age, search engine optimisation (SEO) is an online marketing tool that can have a spectacular impact on the traffic to your website. It's important to stress that it's not a quick fix, but it does offer stable and cost-effective results in the long term. 

Google's algorithms are constantly evolving and changing, so your SEO strategy needs to keep pace with these changes. Essentially, the selection of relevant keywords, accurate metadata authorization and quality content are central to optimization. However, never forget that Google puts the user experience first!

Tip 4: Harness the power of social media!

Social media is a digital space that creates a level playing field: smaller businesses can compete with the big fish through a well-designed and effective strategy. 

The first step is to define your target audience precisely, and then build on this knowledge to choose a platform that best suits your target audience, product or service. Interaction with customers is key to increasing brand awareness, so it makes sense to share content that encourages engagement. 

It is important to be regular, consistent and always focus on the customer experience. The effectiveness of your social media marketing strategy should be reviewed regularly: analysing the results and refining your strategy is essential for long-term success.

Tip 5: Don't forget email marketing!

With email marketing, you can deliver personalised messages to your customers, straight to their inbox. 

It allows you to engage directly with your target audience and, importantly, it's transparent and measurable, so you can accurately track email readership and clicks.

Tip 6: Run PPC ads!

Pay-per-click PPC advertising  generates fast traffic and returns. Not only are they an excellent way to reach your target audience, but they also bring immediate results. It is important to constantly refine your PPC advertising campaign. From keyword selection to ad formats to bid strategy, every element can be carefully considered and tested to improve PPC performance.

Tip 7: Mobile optimisation is a must!

The modern man turns to his mobile phone when he needs information. That's why it's important that your business website is mobile-optimised. This means not only that the site looks good on a smaller screen, but also that it is easy to navigate and loads quickly. Easy-to-use, personalised and attractive mobile sites improve conversion rates, contributing to the online success of your business.

Tip 8: Follow the analytics!

Analytics and reporting are crucial: they allow you to gain insight into the performance of your marketing campaigns, to determine which strategies are working and which need to be refined. We can use these analyses to make much more accurate business decisions.

Tip 9: Try video marketing!

In the digital world, video marketing has become an essential tool for brands. A really well designed and executed video can create an emotional connection that text content simply cannot. Live video, whether on Facebook, Instagram or other platforms, can be a great tool for creating instant interactions. So don't miss out on the huge potential of video marketing!

Tip 10: Influencer marketing

There is huge potential in influencer marketing. Working with influencers who share the same values and style, and who fit your brand, can create significant value, whether it's building product awareness or reaching a wider audience. It's crucial that the influencers you choose develop a genuine connection with their followers, as this will have the expected impact.

Meraki Marketing is a digital marketing agency covering the entire field of online marketing. Our services include website development, strategy development, content marketing, SEO and video marketing. We can help you navigate the world of online marketing and make the most of the tools at your disposal!

Click here to meet our team!