Here’s the thing, you guys. Every business is different, and the internet marketing strategies that work for one company may not suit the goals of another, and vice versa. (That’s why it can be a real plus to have an experienced online marketing agency on your side, like, say, for example… Zen Media!) So, to help out as many businesses as we can in one fell swoop, we’ve compiled this huge, humongous, gigantic list of 51 different online marketing tactics, so that you can wade through them all and pick and choose which ones would do the most good in your particular situation. Again, not every tip will work in every situation, so choose wisely. Take your company’s internet marketing resources into consideration when planning your online marketing activities, so you are only taking on as much as you can reasonably handle. And keep your business goals in plain sight the whole time, so that each and every tactic you implement will be in their service. Here are 30 tips to help you get started
1. Write a blog. Having fresh content on your business website is a must for SEO purposes – and offering useful information for your customers will establish you as an authority in your field.
2. Make a podcast. Podcasts provide the opportunity to connect with customers using your voice, which can help them feel that they know you better. And if you make them interesting, you’ll get repeat visitors.
3. Write an email newsletter. These are great ways to stay in touch with your audience, while also promoting the latest content on your website. This is the easiest way to keep yourself in front of your customers and visitors.
4. Build a presence on social media. Sign up for every social media channel your market is on, and make your presence known on all of them by posting, sharing content, and interacting with people. People have their preference on the social media channel they use so you’ll need to target them on all the different channels.
5. Create a webinar. Nothing says authority and thought leadership like teaching a class on a topic important in your field.
6. Make a video. A professionally made video can do a lot for your website, and can bring traffic to your site from YouTube, as well. Periscope and Facebook live is another avenue you can expand on.
7. Offer a valuable free download in order to capture email addresses. Providing people with a free white paper or ebook shows off your expertise and gathers email addresses for your email list with one stone!
8. Simplify web forms on your site. Any forms you ask potential customers to fill out, whether it’s providing contact info or a more detailed request, should be as short and simple as possible. If forms look to complex, people will leave your site.
9. Network online with LinkedIn. Set up an account, fill out your profile fully, and jump right in, sharing content with connections and interacting with people in groups.
10. Network online with Google+. This is the new hangout for businesspeople. Build a community of people in your circles, and interact with them frequently.
11. Network online with Twitter. Connect with other businesspeople as well as potential customers by joining conversations as well as starting your own.
12. Post case studies on your site. Ask people or companies your business has worked with if you can write up a case study about how you helped them, and then post those to your site as proof of your good work.
13. Create infographics. These are quickly becoming the most shareable, viral things on the internet – they’re easy to understand, appealing to the eye, and useful.
14. Use keyword research. Research which keywords people are using to find you, and then use them to optimize your website and content.
15. Reach out to influencers. Ask if you can write a guest blog post on an industry website, or if a blogger will review your product on their site.
16. Google your competition. You want to know what they’re doing well and what they’re doing poorly online, so you can jump into any holes they’ve left.
17. Google yourself. You need to know what’s being said about you online – that’s the only way to harness the power of good reviews or drain the power from negative ones.
18. Respond to negative reviews. Don’t ignore, and definitely don’t delete negative comments. Respond calmly, offering to fix the problem.
19. Get citations in your local listings. Make sure that your business is listed on Google Local, Yelp, Yahoo Local, and Bing.
20. Have a strategy. The only way to make online marketing work for you is to create a strategy that aligns with your company’s goals, and then follow through on it. Random activities done without a master plan in mind will not advance your goals.
21. Make sure you have consistent data on all local listings. Your name, address, and phone number should be the same across the board.
22. Join as many associations as possible. The more official industry associations you’re a member of, the more professional you look – and the more links to your site you’ll have from authoritative websites.
23. Use Google Analytics. All the online marketing in the world won’t do you any good unless you can see what’s working and what’s not.
24. Add social icons to your site. Make it easy for people to share your content by putting these icons on every page.
25. Don’t use your personal social media accounts for your business. Unless you know for sure that Aunt Lucy won’t post something embarrassing on your wall, keep your private accounts separate from your public ones.
26. Update social media and your blog regularly. It’s almost worse to have a blog or a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in months, than not to have one at all.
27. Market to your clients, not to Google. The thing is, in spite of the importance of online marketing, in the end, you’re doing it all for your clients. If your activities are great for SEO, but aren’t bringing in customers after years of work, something’s wrong.
28. Put your contact info on every page of your site. The ultimate goal of a website is to convert, so make it easy for customers to get in touch.
29. Make your site mobile-friendly. Everyone uses the internet on their phones. Make sure your site provides a user-friendly experience there.
30. Don’t repost content from someone else. Many blogs are basically just articles found elsewhere, reposted word for word – with credit given to the original source, of course. But if you can take the time to process that information and then make it your own, by giving it your own unique spin, you’ll add value to it.
