However, jumping in head-first can often be a recipe for disaster and many over-eager companies have fallen foul of common mistakes with their first forays into the field. In this article, we’ll examine some of the best ways for you to ensure you’re following best practice from the get-go and help you to avoid probable pitfalls.
- 1. Forget about ‘instant’ online marketing success
There is no silver bullet when it comes to successful online marketing and while success may be relatively quick when compared to traditional marketing, it’s by no means instant.
That’s not to say that you won’t see a quick return on your efforts, but it’s not a case of simply being in it to win it. As with all marketing, you’ll need to target your resources effectively and obey the prime edict of the field – being where your customers are.
On the other hand, the relative speed with which the online world operates can often be intimidating to newcomers and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by trying to keep up.
Before you get started, you’ll want to set out a comprehensive plan and make clear what goals you’re trying to achieve. Similarly, planning how much time you want to spend on each area will help prevent online activities becoming a drain upon your resources.
- 2. Get involved
If you’re looking for quick success in the field of online marketing, you don’t want to simply splurge your brand all over the internet. In the initial stages, it’s well doing some research into where you can best deploy your efforts.
A good starting point is to check out the competition and find out what things they do well, what things they do badly and what things they’re not doing at all. Once you’ve got this information, you’ll be able to tailor it to your needs and begin an effective roll-out.
Naturally, you’ll want to choose the channels that best cater to your target demographic – be they major ones like Twitter and Linkedin or those closer to home, such as email or blogging. It pays to think about your ideal customer and their experience when considering which platforms to invest in.
- 3. Content
Whatever channels you opt for, you’ll want to provide content that stands out from the crowd. In this field, it’s a good idea to play to your strengths. Don’t be afraid to outsource your needs wherever possible, although you’ll want to review content to ensure that your branding is consistent across all platforms.
In the field of B2B, high quality blogs and linkbuilding articles can often be a great option, although traditional SEO (search engine optimisation) campaigns can also be of use.
- 4. Social
Increasingly, many B2B marketers are getting turned on to the benefits of social, which can be a cost-effective way of quickly getting your message across. However, it can be fairly resource-intensive activity, which can pose a problem for businesses at the smaller end of the scale in particular.
A good starting point is simply to monitor social channels and see what your prospective customers are talking about. Then, once you’re confident you can add something to the conversation it might be time to dip your toe in.
Social is a genie that can’t be put back in a bottle, however, so make sure you have the time and resources to tackle it effectively. A half-hearted effort in this area is likely to garner a similarly tepid response.
- 5. Communicate Effectively
Putting your message out there is no good if it’s not being seen by the people who matter. Timing and relevancy are key concerns and your efforts will require constant honing.
You’ll want to avoid bland corporate-speak wherever possible and add a spark of personality to your online marketing efforts. A good option in this area is to support your online activities with offline campaigns. By marrying the two, you can enhance involvement and cover all the bases among your target demographic.
- 6. Test, test, test
It’s hard to over-emphasise how useful testing is when it comes to online marketing. There are numerous analytical tools available (often available for free) that can help you find out more about your target audience and what they respond to.
By using these, you’ll be able to switch up various aspects of your campaigns and see what affect this has on their effectiveness. One good area to investigate is timing, which can have a surprisingly profound effect on engagement.
While these tips are no guarantee that you’ll meet with success in your online marketing, they’ll definitely help to you on the right path. The true test of effectiveness is how you operate over time. So don’t be afraid to chop, change and even abandon some methods, should they prove fruitless.
This article was brought to you by Custard Media, a bespoke online marketing agency, offering a comprehensive mix of traditional, digital and search engine marketing campaigns.
