We cannot doubt that marketing strategies are essential in modern day business. What we can doubt, however, is what these terms mean and how we can use them effectively. A lot of business owners, to save face, don’t like to admit that they don’t understand common marketing techniques. Even though it might surprise some of your peers, not admitting it will only set you back further. You won’t be able to use said techniques and the competition will leave you in the dust. Here’s the inconspicuous guide to marketing for everyone who isn’t ready to come clean.
SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimisation. In basic terms, SEO is how you pull in traffic from the web using a collection of links and keywords. Instead of directly marketing your product to potential customers, you use strategic search phrases to lure them to you. The result is that they consentingly click on your website and browse. SEO is not just limited to keywords and links because your site navigation and your site’s content also has an impact. The easier the site is to manage and the better the content, the more users will come back. It is important to remember that all search engines are important, but Google is the undisputed King.
Social Media
Of course, we all know what social media is and how it works. But, do you know it can positively affect your company? No? Let’s take a look then and see what we can find out. Social media like Twitter and Facebook allow you to advertise for free, first and foremost. Advertising and marketing are not cheap, yet you can do it on social media sites at the click of a button without a sign-up fee. With Twitter, you also do it in 140 characters or less. Just as importantly, they allow you to converse and build relationships. Facebook, for example, lets you talk to your customers to see how they feel about certain things and how you can improve. LinkedIn, however, lets you talk to peers in the industry so that you can form a lucrative partnership.
Pay Per Click
Pay per click marketing is where you market other businesses’ brands, and you get paid. How? You get paid for every customer who clicks on the advertisement, or who comes to their site because of your site. Are you keeping up? It is pretty simple stuff, and it is incredibly profitable if you can use your traffic and funnel them to your partner’s site.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is the other side of pay per click marketing. Instead of getting paid, you pay the affiliates for a lead or a sale that they generated. The best way to maximise this technique is to use a site that has masses of traffic. That way, their traffic becomes your traffic. It is like an endless loop that often results in a lot of sales.
E-commerce
In layman’s terms, e-commerce is a transaction conducted electronically over the Internet. Because a lot of people use the Internet to shop, and because websites are 24/7, e-commerce is a massive business. All you have to do is install software that allows a customer to pay securely through your site.