No matter what kind of business or industry you are in, you are bound to be in a position where you are surrounded by technology. Even if you are not the most technologically savvy person, using the internet is something that you have surely done for personal or business (or both) reasons. Everyone, including you, have seen and experienced how useful and helpful the online world can be.
Now, imagine the possibilities and opportunities if your business becomes a part of that online world. Web marketing has been used by the biggest companies and businesses and has continuously evolved to be crucial for all kinds and sizes of businesses across the globe. We know it can be daunting, but don’t worry! We’ve got your back.
In this article, we will be taking you through the basics of web marketing , guide you through the different web marketing types, and how you can maximize their effectiveness.
What is Web Marketing?
Web marketing is a kind of marketing strategy that makes use of the internet. It is sometimes called online marketing, internet marketing, or e-marketing. No matter the terminology, the answer to what is web marketing is simple and quite literal - using the web to market your business products and/or services. With today’s technology, it shouldn’t be surprising that there are different web marketing types (which we would talk about some later) that a business can apply and use.
Let’s focus on the core benefits of web marketing and why you should use them in your business. While these 3Cs do not fully encompass all that web marketing has to offer, it pretty much sums up the best things that web marketing can do for you and your business:
- Cost-effective. You will have to cash out no matter what web marketing types you use. But believe us when we say, it will be worth every penny.
- Convenience. All web marketing types involve using the computer and the internet. Thus, it gives you access to all kinds of tools and information that you can use for all your business and marketing endeavors.
- Calculable. Most of the web marketing tips and tricks involve online platforms that have built-in analytics which can help you monitor the performance of your business and web marketing strategies.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
How to Use Web Marketing?
Now that you know the answer to “What is web marketing?” and you are properly motivated by the benefits of web marketing, we can move on to how you can use it to its best potential. There are different web marketing types that you can utilize. Understanding each and knowing how to maximize them for your advantage should go hand-in-hand to ensure your success in the business.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Search engines are what people use when they want to look something up from the internet. Common examples are Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Ecosia, etc. This is one of the web marketing types that are widely used because there is great success in ranking high in the search results. You see, if your business website becomes one of the highly searchable websites on these search engines, that search engines recognize your value and brings it up to the top of the search results.
To make that happen, you have to employ different search engine optimization techniques on your website, which are more or less the best kinds of web marketing tips too.
For instance, you have to make sure that you have good quality and original content that are highly relevant to your target audience. You also need to maximize the use of descriptions and meta-descriptions - especially for videos. Don’t be afraid to spread your wings and spread word about your website to other channels. Lastly, your website should always be running properly and quickly. These are just some techniques on how to use web marketing through SEO.
- Social Media Marketing
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
The different social media platforms always take center stage when we’re talking about the internet or using web marketing. After SEO techniques, your social media presence should always be a priority. Majority of consumers - no matter the kind of business or target audience you have - are truly immersed in these different social media platforms.
And here is the best advice: be on social media. While there is so much you can do with a website or with other online platforms, having a social media presence is vital in today’s time because, as we’ve mentioned, there is a vast number of people that use them. Create your account and start posting, or sharing, or retweeting. You have to know what social media platforms are most used by your target audience so you can focus more of your energy on that. Understand what kind of content they appreciate most and interact with them as much as you can.
- Pay-per-click Advertising
There will always be a lot of advertising costs involved in businesses. But because of the internet, most businesses can do very well with their web marketing without cashing out some money - or only cashing out a minor amount. However, with pay-per-click advertising, you are literally paying out money for every customer that comes to your website through advertisements. While this can be very costly, it is one of the most beneficial and effective web marketing types because it helps you to spread the word about your website and business.
When you use pay-per-click advertising, search engines like Google display your website first in the search results. This is an inorganic way to rank not only high, but potentially first on the search engine results. You have to note that this involves bidding for that spot and competing with other businesses who are also willing to pay.
Here’s a pro tip: Set a budget, define your bidding strategy, and make sure that your landing pages are optimized for the terms and keywords you aim to be known for. Be smart, creative, and strategic in how you word your advertisement headline and description.
- Blogging
Image taken from Strikingly Blog
Writers from all over the world have been deeply immersed in the wonder, freedom, and ease of having their own blog. And whether you are one of them or not, you should know that blogging is one of the most powerful web marketing types today. People appreciate information and they want to be as knowledgeable as they can be. Most customers are much more satisfied when particular businesses go out of their way to give them what they want in the form of written content.
You can create your own blogging website or just add a blogging section to your main website (which Strikingly can easily help you do!) When you write a blog, don’t forget to use keywords, be conversational, and make sure you exhibit the kind of personality and values your business represents. Whether you choose to go with topics that are highly related to your business or products (which is recommended) or you wander off a little bit to cover other topics, make sure that you don’t alienate your audience - write like a human being conversing with another human being.
- Influencer Marketing
This is one of the web marketing types that is only gaining traction and popularity in recent years. Because of the stellar success of the different social media platforms, which virtually everyone has access to, the power of influencers was birthed. When you want to employ a person to influence your target audience, you get a celebrity to do it for you. But today, influencers come from the population of common people i.e non-celebrities.
Don’t be baffled by the idea because these influencers are not much different to small-time business owners. The only difference is that the influencers’ business is web marketing, usually in the form of social media marketing. With thousands of followers, one post from them promoting your business or product can bring in a lot of revenue and further publicity. When you go down this route, you have to find an influencer that fits the profile of your target audience and making them your friend. Don’t just settle a deal with them, it’ll be better to build a relationship. Influencers hold a lot of power, and finding the right one for your business might very well boost your sales through the roof.
- Affiliate Marketing
Image taken from Strikingly Product
Last but not the least on our list of web marketing types (with hints of web marketing tips) is affiliate marketing. Most successful businesses today have their own affiliate program, just like Strikingly. This web marketing type is one that also involves more costs than other web marketing types. Affiliate marketing involves partnering with other individuals and paying them for every customer that they bring to you. The beauty of affiliate marketing is that you are essentially hiring marketing agents and passing some of the burden of web marketing to them. You are putting yourself in a position where you can focus more of your efforts and energy on other aspects of your business and just wait for your affiliates to bring customers to you.
Side note: Of course, you can still use other web marketing types alongside what your affiliate is doing. You have to ensure though that your affiliate is the right one for your business, and can help you with your affiliate marketing strategies. Lastly, be sure to optimize your platforms and landing pages so anyone who lands on your website can easily take action.
There are probably other web marketing types that we have not yet mentioned, but this list pretty much covers all the best and most commonly-used ones. Each of these web marketing types, after all, bring something particularly unique to your business or any other business for that matter. And while we dished out some pretty cool web marketing tips, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and explore other creative ideas that you might think of. Remember that at the end of the day, you know your business best and we can only assist you in bringing your business to success.
The important thing is that now, you know that if you’re not using web marketing for your business yet, then you’re definitely missing out on a lot of opportunities and benefits. Sign up with Strikingly now and elevate your business by executing the best web marketing techniques.
