Building an Online Promotional Strategy
Having an online promotional strategy is crucial for a company; its potential success or failure can pivot on this single component. Since the process of online strategy encompasses the entire gamut of planning, developing, and implementing how marketing campaigns are conducted, it has become a key factor when it comes to establishing a competitive edge in the digital marketplace. A promotional strategy enables a company to organize and track the numerous elements required to maintain a robust online presence, clarifying the “how” as well as the “who,” “what,” “where,” and “when” of promotional planning. Digital marketer, Carlos Trillo, emphasizes the necessity of a strong plan in order to stand out in a marketing environment that is constantly vying for the attention of consumers, observing that “it is very difficult to convert people into customers without resonating market voices to create emotional connections and arouse interests and demands to your offers,” adding that “you can drive prospects from the awareness stage into the action stage if you do it right. It allows you to create strong brand awareness, generate leads and build a long-term relationship with your target audience.” (https://www.evinex.com).
An initial step for a company to take involves generating increased awareness about what it has to offer, which entails identifying its target audience, and then clearly communicating a focused marketing message to that audience. Subsequently, a company needs to concentrate on generating enhanced levels of interest, a goal that can be realized effectively through content marketing, for example. As well as stimulating interest, a well-executed promotion plan will intensify an audience’s perception of demand for a company’s products or services. This is accomplished most effectively when an emotional bond is forged with potential customers. By conceiving and implementing carefully considered promotional planning, a company can place itself in prime position to drive conversions, through the skillful use of a variety of available online marketing options.
Online Options
In today’s rapidly evolving online environment, a company needs to invest its resources into the channels that are best suited to fulfill its specific objectives. Bearing that in mind, it is more important than ever before to put careful consideration into choosing which techniques to employ. As marketing consultant, William Baker, points out, “Your digital marketing techniques are the actions you use to achieve your goals online. Whether you’re trying to leverage loyalty in your existing audience, connect with new customers, or improve your sales potential, you need digital marketing. The trouble is, digital marketing tools and techniques are constantly changing, which means that you can’t just ‘set and forget’ your strategy.” (https://fabrikbrands.com). Although there are a number of different online options to choose from, several of them have endured the test of time and continue to yield positive outcomes. These include email marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO).
Before the advent of online marketing, mail was a much-utilized channel of promotion; this approach has been largely replaced by email marketing. Although it might be considered an outdated digital technique, it still has distinct benefits. Email marketing enables a company to direct its promotion to existing customers while gaining new ones, through the process of segmenting audiences and creating highly personalized campaigns. Email marketing is a highly effective means of increasing brand awareness, providing information and updates to consumers that are easily accessed when they become ready to make a purchase. One of the most cost-effective strategies available, it carries the potential of earning a company $44 for every $1 it spends. (https://webfx.com). Email platforms, such as MyEmailFx and Google Analytics Dashboard, offer templates and other services a company can use to customize its email promotion endeavors.
Since nearly everything viewed on the internet is content in one form or another, content marketing can be considered the mainstay of online promotion. By educating consumers about its products or services, content marketing enables a company to assume the position of being a leader in its field. When viewers are engaged with appealing content, rather than having advertising spiels imposed on them, they are more likely to form positive connections to a brand. By being presented with original content, through web pages, blog posts, videos, and all manner of other techniques, consumers have the experience of receiving information uniquely meaningful to them. Content marketing can be instrumental in increasing traffic and generating conversions, allowing an optimization of original content in order for search engines to increase a company’s visibility and search results. In addition, content can be shared among bloggers and other influencers to air on different sites, which can also result in higher search engine rankings.
Social media marketing goes a step further than content marketing alone, by using informational and promotional content to directly interact with users on a variety of platforms. The power of social media promotion is continuing to expand its reach; as well as having access to popular platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the like, a company can now use social media to do such things as provide vehicles for video campaigns and all manner of influencer marketing possibilities. When a company shares content on social media platforms, there is always the possibility of it going viral, thus greatly maximizing the original effort put into its creation. It can be said that social media is the modern equivalent of the age-old word-of-mouth method of promoting products and services. People tend to believe what their peers have to say. Since it has been estimated that 70% of shoppers rely on social media for making their purchasing decisions, it is essential for a company to cultivate an active social media presence.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the process of a company improving its website in order for it to rank higher in search engine results for specific keywords and phrases that connect to it. The higher a ranking, the more likely it is that viewers will see it. The goal of SEO is to direct additional traffic to a company from potential customers searching for related products or services. SEO is a compelling online promotional strategy because it has the power of intercepting people at every level the buying funnel. It has been reported that fewer than 10% of consumers advance to the second page of search results, and that more than 30% click on the very first result. (https://webfx.com). This statistic alone demonstrates why SEO is an essential tool; if a company’s offerings are out of sight, they are also out of mind. To end with the words of web strategist, Mateah Kittle: “When you use digital marketing, you get your brand in front of more potential customers, whether through search results, email inboxes, social media platforms, or another outlet. As a result, more people become aware of your brand…Then, when they need the products or services you offer, they’re more likely to remember your brand and make a purchase.” (https://www.webfx.com).
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