Three ways online marketing can help grow your sales

Written on 22 October, 2013 by Verity Meagher
Categories Email Marketing Marketing Pay Per Click Search Engine Optimisation

Online marketing is a very powerful tool for your business, but knowing where to start can be daunting. If you implement the three core elements below, they will immediately help to increase your sales and put you ahead in the online marketing game.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

SEO is a term used to describe elements of your website and content that are tailored to help search engines like Google and Bing connect users with your site. Real SEO goes far deeper than just assigning keywords to a website. It takes into account everything from the titles and content on your site, internal and external links, ratings of those who link to you, and social media engagement.

Many firms will offer all kinds of SEO optimisation for you – here are the basics:

  • Title & Keywords: The titles of your website – both in the html title tag and the titles of any content – should contain the keywords you’re looking to match your site to. Use of the same keywords throughout the site, especially in well-written content, will make your site much more appealing to the search engines.
  • Content: Content is the best way to influence search engines, as they will scan everything on your site and look at the frequency of keywords and related concepts. Search engines will check whether your pages are laden with keywords to try and rig your rankings, or whether you’re providing genuinely useful content to your audience. Google in particular, is working to make page ranking very highly dependant on your content’s relevance.
  • Links: Links within your own site help your rankings, as do those from other sites. The more influential and popular the sites that link to you, the more weight their links add to your own site, and the higher your ranking will go.
  • Social Media: Search engines now also work hard to include statistics on social media engagement, checking the conversations you’re having with your customers and audience via Facebook, Twitter and more. They’re looking for genuine engagement, not just publicity or product tweets, so implementing a real social media strategy is increasingly important. It’s also the best way to engage with your customers.

Per-Per-Click (PPC)

Pay-per-click advertising can be a powerful way to get the word out. From banner advertisements on popular websites and advertising networks, to systems like Google AdWords – which displays your advertisements alongside relevant searches your potential customers make – PPC systems work to bring your site to as many relevant people as possible.

Programs like AdWords give you comprehensive tools to gain insight into the money you’re spending on your advertisements, who is clicking on them, and where. You can then tailor your campaign accordingly, so it’s worth an initial investment, just to get an idea of how people are participating with your content.

Email Marketing

Email newsletters are one of the best ways to manage and increase your database. Make sure that your audience can easily subscribe on your website, offer an incentive to subscribe, and regularly send useful free content to your subscribers to keep your brand at the front of their minds.

If you have a sizeable subscription base, promoting new products becomes a snap, as you have a loyal following who already see you as an authority thanks to the free content you provide. As your business grows, this list provides repeat customers and also builds the overall value of your business. Look for email marketing programs that will help you manage your email campaigns and database.

If you implement each of these three core elements of online marketing, you’ll find your database and bottom line improving dramatically. Be patient, with sustained effort the numbers will grow and your business will really take off.

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