Just
a few years back, being found on the web was much simpler when search
engines didn’t run the show. However, with the emergence of players
like Google, the search game took a dramatic turn. Today, being at
the top of these search engines is vital for your business to be
noticed by people.
There
surely are other effective ways that can boost your online presence.
If you don’t expect overnight success and are willing to put in the
right effort, you will see positive results sooner or later.
Following are some of the most effective online marketing methods.
Blogging
A
well-maintained blog in your niche builds your authority. It helps
you attract more customers and also gain attention from media and
other business owners. Google also favors a quality blog that is
regularly updated with relevant and valuable content
Use
platforms like Medium and Quora
Create
a high-quality and high-value article on your website. Then write
another one on Medium or Quora and provide a link with primary or
relevant keywords to the original article. This helps attract
audiences by cashing in on the authority of these platforms and
boosts your site’s Google rankings too.
Use
LinkedIn groups
Make
sure that you add some value to the ongoing discussions on LinkedIn
groups before putting in links for your website. You can message
people outside your connections to widen your scope. Remaining active
and visible enough to command the attention of relevant people is the
key.
Facebook
ads and landing pages
Facebook
ads is a great way to target audiences based on their interest,
location, age, marital status, etc. and send them to
strategically-targeted landing or “squeeze” pages. It takes time
and some experimentation but once you find strategies that bring
results, you can keep scaling for more.
Use
Instagram
You
can use the enormous followings of other power users and influencers
on Instagram to leverage your own online visibility. Though it’s
not free, selecting the right Instagram influencer will help you a
large number of audiences in your niche.
YouTube
video tutorials
Create
valuable YouTube video tutorials. You can use screen-sharing or show
real-life examples to teach people about almost anything. Make sure
that the videos are high-quality. And put a backlink to your website
in the description.
Email
marketing
To
get people’s emails, provide something of value for free – like a
free report or ebook. Then you can use an email marketing system like
Aweber, Constant Contact, Get Response or Mailchimp, etc. to build a
relationship with these people before you sending them deals and
offers.
Use
Yelp and Trust Pilot
You
can use online review sites like Yelp and Trust Pilot to build up
trust with potential customers. These sites help consumers make an
informed decision about buying products or services from a company.
People have access to past customer reviews to assess the credibility
of these businesses.
Rich
snippets, AMP and FBIA
Rich
snippets, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) and Facebook Instant
Articles (FBIA) are excellent tools for online marketing. Rich
snippets are applicable to articles through AMP specification, local
businesses, TV, music, movies, videos, recipes, reviews, etc. You
can use WordPress plugins for them. Using these tools will boost your
visibility on SERPs and Facebook newsfeeds.
Partner
with popular bloggers in your niche
Find
popular bloggers in your niche and propose to offer something of
value to their blog. Guest blogging is a great way to do this. You
will need to take the initiative and reach out to them, but once you
get your foot in the door, you will have a great way to market your
own business through them.
Contribute
to forums in your industry
Join
forums in your niche industry. Build trust by making genuine efforts
to help by sharing your knowledge. Only then add your website link to
your signature. Soon people will notice you and want to know more
about you. Never spam links. It will only backfire.
Offer
something free
Giving
away a free trial version of your product or offering free
consultation are great ways to attract more people. Make sure to get
their contact details to keep in touch with them.
Use
business listing sites
List
your business on Yahoo Local or Google Local if you target local
customers or offer location specific services. Share information
about your location, business hours and contact details with Google
Maps appearances on them.
Optimize
your site for search engines
On-page
and Off-page SEO is important. Some important factors
include content quality,
usability, mobile responsiveness, speed, Meta description, link
profile and so on.
Co-sponsor
an award or contest
Find
a like-minded company, group or professional in your field using
social networking sites like Facebook or LinkedIn and co-sponsor an
award or giveaway to grab favorable public attention.
Use
public speaking
Use
your authority status to offer talks at professional conferences and
webinars. This will help selling your products or services, will
further build your authority and add a feather to your portfolio or
resume as a professional speaker.
Use
press releases
Though
press releases won’t give instant media coverage, they are a great
way to share news about important company events which can be used
for media coverage later using adequate PR channels.
Create
a branded email signature
Create
a branded email signature with links and special accomplishments of
your company. Create a catchy tagline and add social media links with
links to important marketing or news features.
Use
the 80-20 rule
Focus
efforts on those 20 percent activities that bring 80 percent results.
Increase your communication and offer additional discounts to clients
that are more ‘promising’.
Use
photo sharing sites
Post
photos on sites like Flickr, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, etc. using
proper hashtags and descriptions and follow others using the same
hashtags. Keep up your engagement by commenting, liking and sharing
other’s posts. Keep posting with patience and diligence and you
will reap the rewards.
Conclusion:
These
are some of the most effective ways to market your business online.
Some of them will produce results in matter of weeks while some may
take months or even years. However, if you keep working on them
persistently, they will help you improve your brand’s visibility,
popularity and authority online.
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