Online marketing - where to start?

The importance of well-conducted internet marketing is increasing in the era of universal access to the Internet. Companies are not limited to just creating websites. They are also present on social media, run blogs related to their activities, and invest in paid advertising or outsource marketing activities to agencies. All of this is done to reach users who are interested in the company's product or service.

What is internet marketing?

Internet marketing (also known as e-marketing) refers to promotional activities conducted online. It differs from traditional marketing, for example, by the possibility of personalizing the message by targeting advertisements to a specific target group. Moreover, internet marketing allows for precise measurement of campaign results. Advertising online is also associated with lower costs compared to traditional media.

Types of internet marketing

The internet offers many opportunities for promoting your business. It is worth taking advantage of them. Among the most popular activities are SEO (search engine optimization), which involves improving search engine rankings. Content marketing is also popular, which involves publishing valuable content. We must not forget about social media marketing. You have probably heard the statement: "If you're not on Facebook, you don't exist." Another noteworthy activity is email marketing. It may seem like an outdated form, but it is still effective if done correctly. Paid advertising is also part of internet marketing, so it is worth exploring the secrets of the Google Ads advertising system.

Where to start?

The foundation of marketing is being where your potential customers are. Therefore, not every online store or service company uses all types of marketing. Before taking action in internet marketing, określ target="_blank" rel="noopener">identify your target audience. Also, consider how to reach new customers quickly. Competitive analysis can help you with this. See what your key competitors are doing and what communication channels they are using. Remember that many customers check a company's credibility by visiting its website and checking reviews on Google. Do your online presence and reviews look professional?

Social media marketing

Almost everyone spends a lot of time on social media. Successful companies know that they can find their customers there. Therefore, one of the popular activities is being present on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. Of course, your company doesn't have to be everywhere. At the beginning, you can focus on one channel and gradually expand to others. It all depends on the industry you operate in and the time you can dedicate to managing your company's social media profiles. Creating an account is not enough. You need to share valuable content with your audience regularly (e.g., blog posts, videos, interesting facts). Provide value to users and show them that it's worth visiting your profiles because they will always find the information they need. This way, you can build an engaged community.

Google Ads and Facebook Ads campaigns

You can also run paid advertising campaigns online. Google Ads allows you to set up and manage ads targeted at potential customers. These ads can increase traffic to your website or online store. Google Ads campaigns appear to users in search results when they enter relevant keywords and on websites that are part of the Google AdSense network.

Facebook Ads, on the other hand, is a system that allows you to create ads and display them on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network. The Ads Manager provides the ability to create campaigns targeted at specific audience groups, which increases the effectiveness of your actions. You have several formats to choose from in this tool (e.g., images, videos, carousels), so you can test and see which one delivers the best results.

Content marketing and SEO optimization

Content marketing involves reaching your audience through valuable content. This content should be interesting and engaging. Content marketing includes not only text (blogs, social media posts, emails, e-books, newsletters) but also images, infographics, and various forms of video (live streams, webinars, podcasts). Creating diverse content attracts attention and increases user engagement. This, in turn, leads to more website traffic and ultimately, more sales. When creating a content strategy, use storytelling, that creates a higher level of communication with the customer, allowing you to build trust in your company.

Content marketing also has an impact on website SEO, so your actions should be aligned with your SEO strategy. Analyze your target audience in terms of the keywords they use in search engines, and then create interesting content that incorporates those keywords. However, remember to update your information, as this is important for SEO. While some content may remain relevant for a long time, in many cases, you will need to ensure its freshness. Updates may include introducing new keywords or refreshing statistical data.

When talking about online marketing activities related to content publishing, we cannot forget about Direct Answer, which is a direct response to a search query. It appears in the so-called position zero - above all other search results. Direct Answer contains a text snippet that Google considers the best answer to the query. These are often questions starting with: how..., how much..., where..., when..., who..., what is..., etc. It may seem like an ideal situation, but position zero poses a risk of decreased website traffic. If the information in the snippet fully answers the user's question, they are unlikely to visit your website. It's risky... Therefore, you should check whether Direct Answer has a positive impact on website traffic or the opposite. You can easily check this in Google Analytics. If you want to opt-out of having snippets with answers, you can use the tag nosnippet tag.

How to monitor marketing activities?

Activities carried out in online marketing should be monitored. Whether they relate to a specific product, building a company's online presence, or generating website traffic. Monitoring should be part of your marketing strategy. You can check the effectiveness of individual actions, among others, in the aforementioned Google Analytics. Monitoring also allows you to understand your customers' profiles and how they perceive your brand. This will help you quickly eliminate obstacles in the customer's purchasing journey.

Summary

As you can see, internet marketing involves many activities. The choice of appropriate communication channels should depend on the characteristics of your target audience and the products and services offered by your company. If you are just starting to promote your brand online, it may seem overwhelming or not suitable for you. However, remember that practice makes perfect. If you don't feel confident and don't want to make mistakes, you can always outsource tasks to a marketing agency. The choice is yours.

Finally, I have a few useful links for you:

1. monitoring activities and online reputation
   Google Analytics
   Brand24
   Rating Captain
   
   
2. creating paid campaigns
   Google Ads
   Facebook for Business
   
   
3. planning and creating social media posts
   Creator Studio
   Canva