The retail industry has been transformed by internet marketing and companies like Amazon. Design by LittleFox
So, what is internet marketing? Internet marketing is any marketing activity that goes through a digital channel.
For years, marketing teams of all stripes have reused the same old recipes to communicate about their business, reach their customers, and convince them to spend their money at home. Then, in the 90s, the internet came along, and the number of websites exploded. And the new channels that have emerged since (such as Facebook in 2004 or even Google in 2007) have also opened the way to new possibilities.
In the beginning, the approach in internet marketing was alike as in conventional marketing. We were using new channels:
- Talking about our products on our website.
- Adding banner ads to other well-known websites and online publications (as was already the case with magazine ads).
- Continuing to sell.
Products in the same way we had always done until then. Over time, marketers realized that digital channels offered an entirely different way of interacting with consumers and therefore selling products to them, which required an entirely different approach.
Also, the teams in charge of digital in companies were separated from those working on TV sets or in publishing houses. Nowadays, all marketing actions carried out are linked to digital in one way or another and must be fully integrated into the company’s overall marketing strategy.
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Why is internet marketing important for your business?
You don’t need to hire an expert to know your customers are spending a lot of time (and spending a lot of money!) online. And when we say “a lot,” it is a lot. They google, scroll through their news feeds, post selfies on Instagram, chat with friends on WhatsApp. That means your business and its marketing campaigns need to be there too.
Internet marketing can be more effective than traditional mass marketing because:
You spend your time and money to be present where your customers spend their time and money (and this even allows you to compete with substantial companies because, in internet marketing, you do not need to have a huge budget to do big waves)
You target particular groups because the content can be hyper-personalized
It’s a swift and versatile way to do marketing, and you can increase or decrease the time you spend in it from day to day depending on your needs and your ideas (or, for example, quickly changing your mind. direction if your initial idea doesn’t work out as expected)
How to get started in internet marketing?
To get started in internet marketing (and if you are starting from scratch), you will first need to have the following elements, which may not be the sexiest, but which are nevertheless the most important, namely:
A website optimized for users (easy navigation and clear message), on all devices (all smartphones and all screen sizes), and for all search browsers (thus helping Google and others to find your content)
A presence on social networks can very well be reduced to a simple page on LinkedIn, to begin with, or a Facebook page, or even an Instagram account (or all three!)
An investment in paid advertising (some basic ads on Facebook or Google) to increase the visibility of your business.
If you don’t have those foundations, go back to square one and put those foundations in place first before tackling the sequel. Once you’re ready, you can begin to delve into the latest trends in marketing and design strategies and the different ways to execute them.
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The basics of internet marketing
Why use internet marketing?
The first step before doing anything is always to determine why you are about to do what you will do. What is the primary goal of your business? What are your plans for the year? What are your plans regarding your marketing strategy, and what role will internet marketing service have within this strategy?
Internet marketing can help you reach a larger audience, connect with that audience, make them fans of your brand, and ultimately increase your sales. What are you going to focus your efforts on? And no, you can’t do everything, at least not all at the same time!
Be clear on what you want to get out of your internet marketing before you even jump into Facebook or Instagram and into producing videos or articles.
Who to Target
To reach your ideal customer, you must first know who they are! What do you know about him? What does he like? What are the problems he is encountering? What does he need? Where does he go out?
The answers to these questions will help you create content and choose channels that will allow you to reach the right people at the right time and with a message that speaks to them.
Where to distribute your content online? Once you know what content you’re going to create, you’ll need to figure out where you post it. It’s not as easy as just posting a video or an article on Facebook. Also, posting the same video or article on multiple platforms is not a very effective strategy. Instead, choose where to post your content based on your goals, the type of content, and the platforms your audience spends the most time on.
