The days of traditional advertising are at an end. No longer is the triple approach of radio, print, and TV the juggernaut that it once was. It used to be that you could cover each of these venues and be sure that you would reach your target audience, but this has changed radically. The new playing field is all about the Internet. Many individuals today are hooked into the Internet whether through the use of their PCs, laptops, mobile devices, or other such device. That’s why many savvy businesses are starting to see the benefit of online marketing.
They will work to establish a PPC or SEO campaign, a strong Twitter presence, a Facebook Fanpage, or some other form of social media campaign. The truth is though that when it comes in increasing online marketing potential, an integrated approach is just what you need. Of course, this raises the question; how do you integrate the various social media and other Internet based options? Read On!
Many people worry about making sure that their site is user-friendly and offers top notch Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is what will help bring users to your site; usability will help keep them there. Your site should make the most of using high quality and pertinent keywords. You should also make sure the each and every one of your pages and services or products are indexed by both Yahoo and Google. This will help people find you.
Next you will want to concentrate on branding yourself or your business through the use of social media. A Fanpage on Facebook, a Twitter profile, and a blog are all important parts of this integration. The idea is to help create your “brand” and to help build an initial community tied to your products, services, and company. There are several ways you can start this process such as:
Offer people an incentive to follow you on Twitter or fan you through Facebook. This could be anything like a discount on a service or purchase, a free How-To guide, or some other such relatively cheap but meaningful giveaway. Start sending out Tweets. While some should be targeted toward your products or services, make sure to keep things personal as well. Many people will quit following the Tweets of those they feel are impersonal or just promoting businesses all the time
You should watch for individuals asking questions on Twitter that are tied to your industry, and then @ reply to them. Make sure to write blog posts tied to your industry (how to select doodads, how doodads can make your home better, etc) as well as posts reviewing the products or services you offer. You should even consider doing video reviews as many people look for these as an alternative to a written review.
Still want to rely on paid advertising to a degree? This can be done if handled properly. Your paid advertisements on other websites should drive your intended audience back to your website where they can then be converted. Remember, without a properly optimized site, you will simply be throwing away money on your paid advertisements.
Online marketing should never be looked at in a piecemeal fashion. It should be a holistically driven approach that takes advantage of all the tools available. Here at Posse Social Media we understand this holistic approach and will work to integrate each aspect into an online marketing and social media campaign that will both drive traffic to your site AND help convert it.