Advertising has come a long way since the turn of the 21st century. Businesses had previously relied on conventional channels such as newspapers, television, flyers and radio to reach their target clients. Nowadays we consume information through digital means through servers around the world. The 4th industrial revolution has brought the internet into our lives and brought everyone closer together. We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that is changing the way we live, work, and relate to one another. You can now advertise your product or service to the world from the comfort of your home office.
There is a challenge, however, when trying to advertise using the internet. We are no longer at the turn of the millennium – users are more aware of the technology that surrounds them. They fight back against typical marketing practices. It’s not at all unreasonable. For years they were bothered with irritating and overwhelming attempts at gaining their attention. The focus on mass marketing campaigns to create awareness in the target market and influence potential customers to make purchasing decisions has left them feeling dull. So the idea is to use inbound marketing from outbound marketing.
Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is a marketing methodology that is designed to draw visitors and potential customers in like a magnet. Outbound marketing refers to any kind of marketing where a company initiates the conversation and sends its message out to an audience in the hope of lead generation or customers. Digital marketing makes use of more inbound marketing which facilitates two-way interactive communication between a small business and its customers. This can happen through search engines and social media platforms, emails and content strategies.
Emails
One of the simplest and most obvious methods of digital marketing is email. Emails allow your business to contact a personal address to which you can freely present any sort of personalized content. It hardly gets better than this. Building a database of people that have heard of your business in the past is essential. It’s common knowledge that advertising to someone who has used your services or bought a product from you in the past will be an easier sell than someone new.
A website that offers visitors an opportunity to signup for a newsletter can be hugely beneficial in increasing this database too. Asking visitors to opt-in rather will ensure your audience is interested in your content, increasing your open rate. Emails allow for people to have the option of opening and closing emails whenever they want. This type of advertising is not in your face and can be easy to manage.
Social media
Social media is another option when advertising. Your customers can follow and unfollow you at will, encouraging you to post engaging and meaningful content. It’s also a great way to interact with them, boosting their loyalty and providing you with another chance to personalize their experience by directly messaging them and solving any concerns they might have. Great for brand awareness and competitions to increase your database.
Website
Keeping your website updated with the latest information is an important part of advertising for your business. Many of your future clients will turn to the internet to look up your business. If they arrive at an outdated website with long loading times they will soon move on. Keeping your website updated also impacts your search engine ranking. The goal is to make sure that when someone is looking for your service or product, they find you.
Contact us to find out how Your Business Online can assist you.