To run an effective online marketing campaign, you need:
1) A sound business model: In the beginning, it is advised that you plan for a year, then, once the business grows, you can plan for 3 years, 5 years and longer.
2) A proper finance model: Most digital marketing companies have poor finance models. Discounts and giving away free products and services are good as long as it makes money and doesn’t bleed the company.
3) An unalloyed USP: A USP – unique selling point is what pulls the customer into your orbit.
For example: in your sector, 11 organisations manufacture or provide a particular service. Why should a customer choose your organization when there are 11 other organizations for them to choose from?
Once you have sorted the above, you are ready to start your business.
In the online business, you need to find out where your customers meet or gather: What platform do they use? Google, Bing, Twitter, Instagram. Based on this information, you can allot a budget for paid advertising.
The following is observed:
- News spreads faster on WhatsApp than on regular channels. If you can create a WhatsApp group for your business, it will help you sell your product or services quicker.
- Social Media channel like Twitter allows you to connect directly to your targeted audience. Facebook, too is a good channel.
- Social Media and Search Engines know intimate details of their customers such as age, birthday, marital status, ethnicity etc.
You can leverage this information in your campaign.
The buyer journey on the internet is complex. Digital marketers need to be able to connect with the right customers throughout the entire process. Different ad formats and placements can help businesses make consumers aware of their product, push them into consideration for that product, and ultimately drive them to purchase it. Two key ad types to consider are search ads (served on search engines like Google, Bing, etc.) and display ads (served throughout the internet on various websites).
The main difference between display and search ads is that search ads are considered “pull” advertising while display ads are considered “push” advertising. So, search ads only appear to consumers actively searching for the required product or service. In search advertising, it is paramount to use the correct keyword.
In contrast, display ads are considered paid placement and can appear anywhere on the web that a user may be navigating. These advertisements are based on several targeting parameters. Search and display advertisements are set up and run using various ad networks, from Google Ads to Amazon DSP, and Criteo.
If your company’s marketing budget is substantial enough to support various ad types, then you can (and should) test both search and display ads in your advertising strategy. But keep in mind that these ads are not interchangeable. Depending on the product or service type, you may have better click and conversion performance with one or the other.
Advantages of Search ads
There are a lot of advantages of search advertising or search engine marketing (SEM). The first of many factors to consider is budget. If the available engine spend of the company is on the smaller side, then SEM may be the best tactic for your business, as it allows more control over who finds your business and at what time.
Another benefit is that businesses can easily cater to a local market via search engine marketing. Many targeting options can be paired with keyword targeting, so you end up with more niche and specific audience segments. Geographic, language, gender, age, and affinity (or interest) targeting are all available segments on Google Ads, for example.
In SEM, the sales cycle is typically short, and you are seeking to capture users close to the point of purchase. That is why the keywords you choose are very important in Search Ads.
Advantages of display ads
Display ads are an effective tactic for any product that is visual in nature. Clothing, cars, beauty, pet care, and more are all excellent candidates for display as the customer offers can be summarized quickly and visually with a single image.
In less visually friendly industries, like SaaS, insurance, education, or many B2B service, the display can still be an effective ad type but with a different approach. In these sectors, short impactful phrases or statements, or some kind of explanatory graphic (like illustrations) is the better way to quickly reach a customer.
If the Call To Action and key message cannot be grasped in under 3 seconds on a display ad, your messaging is ineffective and needs to be revisited.
Another advantage of display advertising is that it provides unique access to niche or luxury buyers and can be deployed during political campaigns.
Another method of marketing online is through emails.
Email marketing is the act of sending a commercial message, typically to a group of people, using email.
There are two types of marketing emails:
Transactional emails
Transactional emails are usually triggered based on a customer’s action with a company.
Direct emails
Direct email involves sending an email solely to communicate a promotional message (for example, a special offer or a product catalogue). Companies usually collect a list of customer or prospect email addresses to send direct promotional messages to, or they rent a list of email addresses from service companies.
No matter what your type of business is, a company needs to have an online presence. For an online business you need to have the patience to see the fruits of effort bloom, that is why it is imperative to have a proper business model.