5 Failproof Online Marketing Strategies

In today's world, if you want to succeed as a business owner, simply knowing the ins and outs of your industry isn't enough. To get your brand noticed and to build your empire, you must retain a firm understanding of marketing — specifically, online marketing.

Most entrepreneurs enter the business world because they excel in a certain trade or maintain a particular skillset. And unless you went into business as an advertising expert, the thought of marketing your product or service will most likely seem like an undesired chore. Although there is a negative connotation associated with marketing, gone are the days of cold-calling and knocking on doors. The digital age has allowed business owners to market to millions of consumers worldwide, all while sitting behind a computer screen.

We've composed a list of five failproof online marketing tips for your business's success:

• 1. Create a blog

  You've heard it before: content is king. But why exactly is that? Firstly, maintaining a blog delivers the image that you are an industry expert. As long as the information you are blogging is relevant, helpful, and accurate, it is an excellent way to build credibility with your prospects. Secondly, consistently producing fresh content is critical for search engine optimization. According to a survey conducted by Hubspot, companies that blog more than 11 times per month received 4x as many leads as companies that only blog 4-5 times per month.

• 2. Use social media

  Social media isn't only an outlet for friends and family members to stay connected; it's also a great way for businesses to market their services to BILLIONS of people, worldwide. From the early years when everyone was friends with Tom from Myspace to today where you can tweet, snap, post, and swipe within a matter of seconds, the marketing opportunities within the world of social media are infinite. A study conducted by SocialTimes states that the number of users per social media platform is as follows:

  Facebook: 1.59 billion
  Instagram: 400 million
  Twitter: 320 million
  Snapchat: Close to 100 million
  Google+: 300 million
  Pinterest: 100 million

  With billions of users ready, willing, and eager to "share" and "retweet" noteworthy content, the social media world is, quite literally, at your fingertips.

• 3. Hire a social media influencer

  Kim Kardashian, Kayla Itsines, Zach King. These three people, although they lead completely different lives, all have one thing in common. They are all followed by millions of social media users; millions of social media users who value and respect their opinion. Social media influencing is a real thing, and it provides companies with real results. Let's take the popular supplement company, Shredz, for example. Although there are hundreds of weight loss products on the market, Shredz took over by storm due to their ingenious marketing approach: they hired social media superstars to market FOR them, taking them from a small startup to a multi-million dollar brand in just over ten months.

• 4. Offer free stuff

  Okay, we know this seems like an expensive waste of inventory. After all, "free" does not provide an attractive return on investment, and you didn't go into business to give "stuff" away; you went into business to capitalize on your products and services. But believe it or not, offering "freebies" is an indirect approach to selling MORE. Allow us to explain.

  Offering free products and services to your prospects usually sparks the feeling of obligation to return the favor. Whether that is by purchasing MORE or simply spreading the word to their friends and family, the only thing you have to lose by giving away freebies is the potential for gaining more business.

  There are a few different ways you can advertise your giveaways. Although they may cost a bit of cash upfront, some of the most popular approaches to this strategy include advertising in the form of a banner ad on a popular blog, through your social media influencer (should you hire one), or via an email marketing campaign to your subscribers.

• 5. Facebook for Business

  Although this would typically fall under the "social media" category, Facebook for business is very unique and therefore deserves its own spotlight. Facebook has spent years cultivating and perfecting its B2C marketing platform. They've engineered a system that allows business owners to target their ads not only based on demographic data (location, age, gender) but also by using their follower's social connections and "liked" pages. And given that they currently have over 1 billion active users, this platform easily makes them one of the most effective and accessible advertising outlets available to business owners.

Bottom Line: Buyer behavior isn't what it was twenty years ago. Times have changed, and people prefer being "sold" to from behind the screen rather than in person. You'll notice that all of the strategies mentioned above have one thing in common: they do just that. They "sell" to your audience without ever having to pick up the phone or knock on a door.

Sources:
Hubspot's "The Ultimate List of Marketing Statistics"
Adweek: "Here's How Many People Are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Other Big Social Networks"