Do you understand the different types of internet marketing strategies and how they can help your business thrive? In any discussion about promoting a business, internet marketing strategies are cited as the most effective and cost-friendly ways to promote a company and generate leads.
Before you can put these strategies to work helping your business, you need to understand what each one involves and what they offer. To help you start marketing your business online, here is a quick guide to the top nine types of internet marketing strategies.
SEO or search engine optimization is the process of adjusting your website to improve its organic, free, or “natural” placement in search results. SEO consists of on-page factors (content, structure, and user-friendliness) and off-page factors (links from other sites, social shares, authority). SEO strategies involve adjusting certain elements on your website so it meets Google’s requirements while making sure your website presents the best overall experience for visitors.
Search engine marketing or SEM is the process of using paid search (Pay Per Click ads) to gain website traffic. In the past, SEM was used as an umbrella term that encompassed SEO and paid search. Over time, as the digital marketing industry evolved, the term SEM stopped being used for both types of internet marketing strategies and has come to typically refer exclusively to paid search activities (according to Search Engine Land).
PPC marketing can be broken down into two main categories: paid search (see above) and paid social marketing. Ads are published on search engines or social platforms, and companies are charged every time their ad is clicked.
Google AdWords is the most popular paid search platform, followed by Bing Ads, which also serves search ads on Yahoo. Search marketing encompasses display, mobile, retargeting/remarketing, and paid social advertising.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social platforms have expanded their ad offerings and made it more difficult to achieve organic views of marketing posts. As a result, paid social is accounting for a higher percentage of most companies’ PPC ad spend budgets. PPC strategies can create a dramatic, short-term boost in visibility and sales.
Moz defines content marketing as the creation and distribution of relevant, valuable content to communicate with customers and achieve your marketing goals. Content marketing strategies focus on communicating with customers, rather than selling, providing content that educates, amuses, or otherwise provides value to customers on a consistent basis in order to attract and retain a specific desired audience.
Content encompasses virtually any information format disseminated online such as blogs, videos, podcasts, infograms, social media posts, and more. High quality content plays a role in all the main types of online marketing strategies, including SEO, PPC, social media marketing, email marketing, etc.
Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote your business and connect with customers. Social media marketing does not necessarily drive sales. Instead, it is often used to increase engagement, build links and bring content to the attention of customers, and create a distinctive “brand”.
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective types of digital marketing strategies. Email is often cited as the “more effective replacement” for direct mail marketing, as you can directly reach a wide network of customers in an instant with newsletters, ads, or reminders through email. Email marketing can be very specifically targeted using demographics and other information to segment lists and achieve the best result.
Influencer marketing is one of the newest types of internet marketing strategies but it is expected to become increasingly popular in 2018. Influencers (individuals with a strong social following) are paid to promote your company’s products or services. When you find influencers who are in line with your company’s values and resonate with your customers, this marketing strategy can be highly effective for some companies.
Affiliate marketing is the process of earning a commission by promoting or advertising other companies’ products or services. Affiliate marketing often consists of promoting a product through a blog or video or featuring ads on your website. You receive a payment for every sale made through your links.
Reputation marketing consists of using press releases, social media, and customer review platforms to develop a positive perception of a company. Online referrals and reviews have become increasingly important in certain industries such as the travel industry. Reputation marketing involves developing a distinctive brand, encouraging customers to post reviews, and responding quickly to resolve customer concerns or complaints on social media and review platforms.
Now that you have a better understanding of the different types of internet marketing strategies, it’s time to put them to work for your company!
