How to make the most of the internet in your marketing efforts
If you are not engaging in digital marketing, then you are not doing marketing right. The internet is a valuable, yet inexpensive tool that has changed the face of pretty much all aspects of daily life. We live our lives online and so online is where we find new products and research companies that we have not used before. As a business, you need to take advantage of the consumers dependence on the internet and use it to promote yourself. The first step is knowing about digital experience – this is the accumulation of all the interactions a customer has with your brand online. This applies to anything your company uses such as social media or your website. To properly make use of digital marketing you need to fully understand the digital experience of your consumers and curate all your online activity into improving this experience.
How consumers use the internet
There are many different channels that can lead consumers to your door. When someone is looking for a new product the first thing that most of us do is to search keywords on Google. We then look at a few of the top results, rarely bothering to search through numerous links. Once you have found something that matches what you were looking for you then seek out further information on it, through another Google search or through online reviews or by checking their social media accounts. To drive more traffic to your website you need to rank highly on the list of search results, and once you have more clicks, then you will move even higher in the rankings. This is called SEO or search engine optimisation and is a marketing technique that works on bumping you up the ranks.
Another popular way for consumers to find products is via social media. This could be through searching the app or through recommendations from others or suggested accounts. It is important for every business to have a social media presence in order to draw in these consumers as well as something to back up their website, something that connects with the consumers on a personal level and allows for constant updating.
Online reviews are essential. Most consumers will check online reviews before they even consider parting with their money and having a lot of reviews will give your company credibility. If someone searches for your brand and there are next to no results and no links to social media or contact information then they will likely abandon it, assuming that you are not a reliable or reputable company.
How you can use the internet
Through the aforementioned SEO, you can boost your Google rankings and get more clicks. PPC is another type of search engine marketing in which you will be charged per click on your ad. Be active on social media and create high-quality content that will attract customers. Encourage customers to leave positive reviews, this is a free and effective marketing strategy – it is word of mouth for the digital age.