If your business is trying to reach a large target audience, then it’s about time you start shifting your efforts online.
Your business goals don’t have to change, but the way you approach those goals needs to conform to the way people receive information. Once you know what your target audience is looking for, you can provide content that is relevant to their needs. With online content marketing, you’re able to not only satisfy short-term sales goals, but also build and nurture long-term relationships based on mutual respect and benefit. Below are 3 key elements of online content marketing that will be important for your marketing strategy.
Create a business blog. The best way to create an effective blog is to first define your target audience, listen to them, and then communicate solutions that address their pain points in a simple, concise, and relevant way. Keep in mind that a well-written business blog provides value to prospects and existing customers, and it can also drive more web traffic, leads, and sales to your company.- Host webinars. A webinar is a live, interactive online meeting. This is a great way to prove how you are an industry leader, provide informative sessions about problems your clients may be facing and solutions you can provide. Be careful not to turn it into a sales pitch. The other benefit of hosting webinars is that you can increase your marketing email list.
- Get involved in email marketing. We know that it’s been around for a while, but the focus is changing. Many companies are now building sophisticated email marketing campaigns to nurture existing leads down the sales funnel. These campaigns offer a series of highly-coordinated emails that provide relevant content offers at the appropriate stage in the buying cycle.
- Network with social media. A good way to raise brand awareness and start potential customers in your sales funnel is through social media. With social sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, you can announce events, webinars, promotions, and blogs; you can share interesting news; nurture existing customers; and brand yourself to prospects. Social media is a veritable gold mine of information and opportunity and is important to an online content marketing strategy. Tweets are even sometimes considered “micro-blogs.”
- Design a noteworthy website. Ideally, your blog, emails, and social media will all push customers along to your website where they might convert into a customer, but it’s important once you have them there to keep them long enough to complete the buy cycle with a well-designed website. If you don’t have a web designer in your employ, consider hiring a professional. When someone comes to your site it’s like showing them your house. How a company keeps a website is a direct reflection on that company, so make sure it looks professional and is easy to navigate.
Please share with us other elements you would add to online marketing.
Photo courtesy of flickr
