How to Compile a Winning Online Marketing Strategy

Are you at the top of your game or at a complete loss?

The internet started gaining popularity in the 1990’s. Since then it has evolved into a prime platform for business and marketing. Your ability to compete there impacts your business.

How would you rate your skills?

You may think people are randomly posting on social media but actually, strategy is key. As with every other part of business online marketing requires a framework.

Here are a few tips to help you compile a winning online marketing strategy no matter your current skill level.

Start trumping your competitors today.

1.What is Your Goal?

As with any other part of your business in online marketing you need to know where you’re going.

Your goal is not to make the most posts or offer large amounts of information. Each piece you place online must be strategic. Without this goal in mind you won’t get accurate feedback or interaction.

An online marketing strategy can benefit various aspects of your business. What do you need done next:

-Showcasing a new product

-Improving sales figures

-Letting people know of a new outlet

-Telling clients about a community project

Each of these require unique messages to a specific group of people. Some are directed at current customers while others are about drawing new ones.

2.Determine Your Audience

A winning online marketing strategy talks to the correct audience.

Randomly designed messages don’t speak to your clients’ needs.

If you want your product or service to be bought people must realize its worth. It’s only worth something if it adds value to someone’s life.

You will know what people find valuable if you have a clear idea of your audience. What type of person normally purchases your products? Characteristics include:

-Age

-Gender

-Geographical area

-Interests

-Lifestyle

-Level of education

-Needs

You can also discover if there’s a market you haven’t tapped into.

You can garner this information through many channels. You probably think market research is boring and difficult. Thanks to online tools it’s becoming easier by the day.

Here are a few creative ideas to get you started:

-Send out email questionnaires. Offer a prize as motivation so more people will reply.

-Add reviews and questionnaires to your website. The information people offer will give you an idea what type of person most often looks for your products.

-Use Facebook questionnaires.

-Read case studies. The internet is rife with information that can enrich your perception about your target audience.

Now you know what the characteristics of your audience are. The next step is to tell your audience you have what they’re looking for.

3.Where is Your Audience?

Talk with your audiences where they’re the most active.

You can’t make assumptions.

Modern technology changed the game regarding where you can engage with your audience. Grandparents become adept at using social media. Their reasons may differ from their grandchildren’s but you can’t ignore their presence.

Market research and analytic will help you know which platforms your audience prefers.

Make sure you use all possible marketing avenues and methods:

-Branding: You can be active on many platforms but the ads must relate to each other. People must get used to your logo and brand.

-Email: Some people don’t use social media but still check their emails daily. Are you talking with them too?

-Content Marketing: You can be a valuable source of information to those who need expert insight. Create E-books and literature to become a respected role player in the market.

-Social Media: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are popular platforms. People use it for interaction but your ads can attract them to your store or website.

-Website: Some people prefer searching online for a website than going out to stores. Make sure your website can be found through search engines.

4.Talk to Your Audience

Now that you know what to say and where to place it you can deliver the message.

But the work doesn’t stop there.

Online marketing channels allow for interaction. This is partly why people love using these platforms.

You must engage with your audience if you want your marketing to succeed:

-When people comment on a Facebook post make sure they get a reply. This will showcase excellent customer service skills. When you compile your strategy you must allocate people to work at it. When people receive an answer they feel more committed to you and your brand. During online conversations they may tag other friends. You want this to happen because it benefits your campaign.

-When people enquire via your website make sure you reply fast. It only takes a moment for them to navigate to your competitors’ sites. If they find their answers there they may forget about you. Once again you have to allocate staff to take care of this function.

5.Test Your Tactics

The only way you know whether your marketing strategy is successful is by testing it. Luckily you have many tools at your disposal:

-You can use Google Analytic to see how your website is rated. You can see how many visitors you had and which pages attract the most attention. This tells you what pages need more work.

-Social media marketing software helps you schedule and test your activities. You can see what type of posts had the most interaction. You can also see what times your audience are online the most.

Use this information to compile an even better online marketing strategy in future.

6.Did You Reach Your Goal?

When will you feel happy about a marketing strategy? The day you launch your website or an ad will give you a sense of exhilaration.

We’re not chasing exhilaration. We want to achieve our goal. That is success. Success is not plastering information all over the internet.

Did you reach more people? Did you sell more products than before?

Measure your results against your original goal. Your online marketing strategy must benefit the rest of your business too. Make changes if necessary.

7.Evaluate and Evolve

You compete against an evolving market. Competitors will steal clients away from you when they use a new tactic or offer a sale.

A changing client base is inevitable and so is evolving technology.

This means you’ll never fully grasp online marketing. There will always be more and better ways to advertise.

Do yourself a favor and stay informed.

This knowledge and the information obtained during a test phase (see #5) must be applied to develop your next online marketing strategy.

See a marketing campaign as one step in a process. The next one must always be better than the last.