Will it be email marketing, social media, organic search, or paid search?
You will probably notice that you want to focus on each of these areas, so we explore the pros and cons of each.
Email marketing
Although email marketing can be seen as a bit old fashioned nowadays, it can still be very effective when used correctly. The biggest disadvantage of email marketing is that it can’t generate the initial interest. It only works when you have email addresses in the first place. If you’re starting out, it may be tempting to buy lists for a quick win – but don’t. They rarely provide any positive results.
The key strength of email marketing is building a relationship with a prospective client. As soon as they sign up with their email address, you can send them special offers, discounts and information about your products or service which will hopefully entice them enough to become a customer. Also, once they become a customer, you can send them emails to encourage them for repeat sales!
Social media
Nearly all social media channels give you the opportunity to promote your brand. The first thing you should do is make a decision on which ones suit your business and industry the best. For example, B2B companies tend to prefer LinkedIn and Twitter over Facebook. Whereas beauty brands tend to operate well on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. You can do this by comparing your typical buyer persona with the demographic of each social media network.
Organic search
Organic listings are websites that rank on Google (or other search engines) without being paid for. To rank well, you need to implement search engine optimisation (SEO) across your website. You probably won’t notice anything overnight – SEO efforts typically need a fair while to set in. It can be difficult to rank for competitive terms, so try to think outside of the box.
Paid search
Paid listings enable businesses to pay to reach the top of the search results. It would be advantageous to advertise with Google as they are the biggest player in the market. With a Google AdWords account you can create advertisements based on keywords. When they click on your ads, you can send them to a landing page that will ideally convince them to convert. Paying for ads is a quick way to get your business noticed.
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