Online Marketing
Online marketing has some key advantages over more traditional methods, including its flexibility and measurability. Online marketing includes areas such as websites, emails, blogs and social media.
In the early stages of a digital marketing strategy, the aim is to simply get the basics right. The main objective is to build strong communities of engaged individuals, comprising the most productive channels:
- Website
- Email community
- Social community
A company’s website is the foundation for all its digital activity and is typically the first platform on which people engage. Once your website and key functionality is in place, customers must then be able to find it. The first step in achieving traffic flow to your website is through keywords.
A clear keyword strategy that captures what people are searching for is very necessary.
Where the website forms the foundation, email is the key driver of action. People who join an email community have made a conscious effort to be included and this hard-won loyalty should be repaid with an attractive, valuable and engaging stream of content.
A content and conversation plan is the basis for ensuring an appropriate and balanced approach. Too much of any individual item will ultimately degrade the quality of the communication and customers may switch off.
Email is valuable and should aim to illustrate only the key part of the conversation - additional information can be provided on the website.
Appropriate messaging comes down to:
- Single-minded message – don’t clutter emails with too much wording or messages
- Appropriate timing – deliver emails when people are most likely to open and engage
- Correct volume of messaging – emails should be sent in a volume that does not overwhelm or be so far apart the subscriber forgets they have signed up!