Internet Marketing 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Web Marketing, SEO, Social Media, and Mobile Marketing

In today’s customer economy, many companies are focusing on efforts that contribute to high ROI (return on investment). Departments with high overhead and marketing campaigns are being cut back as managers tighten their belts. This emphasis on “low costs, high returns” may mean a shift in focus away from traditional sales and marketing efforts (such as maintaining an army of reps in the field) and toward interactive marketing campaigns. By interactive marketing, I mean the collective group of newer “next generation” techniques, such as search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click or cost-per-click (PPC or CPC, respectively) advertising, email marketing email and newsletters, social media marketing and mobile marketing.

So why is this industry one of the few that is currently experiencing growth? It’s actually simple: When done right, interactive marketing provides some of the lowest cost, highest return. This is generally due to a) the ability to accurately and accurately target the segments that will generate the most revenue and b) the immense amount of data that can be used to track, analyze and refine the campaign(s). . These two factors (combined with the relatively low overhead of running most of these campaigns) explain why the web marketing industry continues to grow.

But for people who have limited experience with these marketing techniques, choosing the right way to reach potential customers can be quite daunting. By forgoing research and strategy, many companies end up choosing tactics that won’t work because they simply don’t fit the company’s goals; in fact, sometimes people forget to even define these goals!

Below is a quick rundown of the biggest names in web, search, and mobile marketing. Many companies apply them together, but the successful ones know what to expect from each campaign. If you’re just plunging into the stormy seas of interactive marketing, read on for a brief overview and some examples of what each technique can accomplish, if applied successfully.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization is a comprehensive technique for moving a website “up” in the search engine results pages for certain queries or phrases. The vast majority of search users never get past the first page of results (usually 10 listings); For example, if Coca-Cola appears on the fourth page of results for the search “best soda” it would obviously limit its reach and visibility to potential customers. SEO work involves, among many other things, making a site both user-friendly and “search engine friendly.” With precaution! Some companies or individuals offering SEO services often make guarantees or promises that seem too good to be true – choose wisely.

Ideal for:

• Companies looking for high visibility and credibility in the minds of potential customers
• Companies trying to gain long-term visibility, especially in a highly competitive market
• Companies interested in being seen as an authoritative source in their field or industry
• It can be implemented both nationally and regionally.

2. Pay per click/cost per click (PPC or
CPC
)

Pay-per-click advertising (also called “PPC” or “CPC” for cost-per-click) is based on sponsored links to your site that typically appear alongside “natural” or “organic” search results on search engines like Google . and Yahoo. These links can consist of a few lines of text or can include images and even videos. Companies bid on the search queries they would like their ads to appear on, and are charged each time a user clicks the ad and lands on their site; hence the name “pay per click”. However, this relatively simple bidding system can become very costly when inexperienced advertisers bid on the wrong keywords or don’t craft their ads correctly.

Ideal for: 

• Quickly gain visibility near the top of search engine results pages.
• Seasonal products or time sensitive campaigns where SEO may not be effective
• Like SEO, you can target customers nationwide, down to an individual city
• Often used in conjunction with SEO services to extend reach

3. Email Marketing, Email Newsletter Marketing

Email marketing and optional email newsletters boast some of the highest purchase rates among online shoppers. When customers make a purchase or visit your site and sign up for your business newsletter, you immediately have a very interested segment of potential customers. By leveraging graphic-rich messaging, dynamic content, and advanced targeting tools, newsletters can deliver the right content to the right people. The best email management tools boast extremely high delivery rates and provide great power and flexibility while remaining extremely easy to use.

Ideal for: 

• Businesses that want to attract customers and encourage repeat purchases
• Keep the “top of mind” in potential customers
• Companies that want brand consistency and close contact with subscribers
• Low cost, high performance, but building a list of subscribers can take time, especially if there are no incentives to sign up.

4. Social Media / Social Media Marketing

First, some numbers:

1. MySpace has more than 200 million users, more than the population of Russia or Brazil
2. It’s not just for college kids: Facebook’s fastest growing demographic today is the 35-55 age group.
3. An incredible 120,000 blogs are created per day.

As everyone knows, community-driven sites like YouTube, Twitter and Digg have become very popular lately – these user-centric sites, and many others, are called “social networks” or “social networks” and have been become an important part of maintaining a strong and cohesive brand identity on the Internet. Many businesses tend to hire a person to create a Facebook page or LinkedIn account, but few understand the strategy or techniques behind a successful social media campaign.

Most users of social networking sites are very internet savvy and can spot a sales pitch a mile away and, thanks to the open, community-based format on most sites, will allow you to already everyone else know what you think about it. . Because of the personal aspect of social sites (it’s YOUR profile, YOUR friends and colleagues, and they’ve probably spent time and effort developing both), many users will be annoyed by what they see as a company trying to “profit”. on something that is so close to them. This is why so many businesses fail to build a popular and successful social media presence: they lack the entertaining content, the one-on-one conversational element, or they generally put too much pressure on people to buy. It’s not a used car lot, folks!

While it may take a while to see an impact on the bottom line, many businesses know that their current customers and millions of prospects use these sites; This is an invaluable and inexpensive link to market research and customer feedback.

Ideal for: 

• Companies looking to build and/or maintain their reputation on the Internet
• Help customers to go from being simply users of your product to advocates (the brand is internalized, it becomes part of their lifestyle and personality)
• Maintain direct contact with current customers: This connection to the market provides research, ideas, opportunities and challenges.
• Attract new customers and followers of the brand.
• Companies willing to invest time to become part of a community by offering interesting, exciting, or usable content.

5. Mobile marketing, SMS/text messages

As the two worlds of desktop computing and mobile devices converge, businesses are taking advantage of consumers’ “need it now” use of cell phones and smartphones. SMS or text messaging campaigns can alert subscribers to deals or special offers, or provide reminders, news, or other information sent directly to cell phones. Similar to social media marketing, companies can create a brand identity with contests and games, or collect market data by letting subscribers vote for their favorite products. A strategic approach to this effort—encompassing mobile site design, minisite design, mobile-friendly PPC advertising, and SMS campaign management—can ensure your customer base receives the right information and message.

Ideal for: 

• Attract customers by using content that is easy to understand, informative, or entertaining
• Keep in touch with interested subscribers through an SMS or text campaign
• Promote ease of use to encourage shopping (IE, a grocery store that offers a mobile site where users can shop, choose items, and then pick them up at the store)
• Businesses that want to promote brand awareness, credibility, and a close connection with customers.

6. Shopping Comparison Engines / Online Shopping Malls

This is usually a form of pay-per-click, but it’s unique enough to warrant its own number. Sites like pricegrabber.com, nextag.com, or Yahoo! Shopping is often referred to as shopping engines, online malls, or price comparison sites. Typically, these sites are not retailers, but rather aggregators, meaning they accept product listings from multiple retailers and direct visitors to those specific sites, usually by charging the retailers on a pay-per-click model. Different shopping engines target different product segments and demographics, so choosing the right ones can be difficult. Also, most sites require retailers to submit their product listings via a specialized template file, and of course, each site requires a different format! Search engine optimization tactics can also come into play here, so that your products rank well in each site’s internal search results.

Ideal for: 

• Established online retailers looking to expand their reach through a new point of sale
• Expand visibility by using an existing site with a demographically similar customer base, and already trusted by multiple repeat visitors
• Getting highly qualified traffic through product listings in extremely specific categories

This should provide a broad-level overview of the different options available for newer technology-focused marketing efforts. And remember: first decide your goals, THEN implement the strategy!