Online marketing means advertising and marketing using the internet to bring in the sale of a product or service. This method can increase direct sales through electronic commerce (e-commerce) or bring in sales leads from a website or email (email). You can choose from a variety of specialized areas of internet marketing, including content marketing, affiliate marketing, email marketing, and using social media.
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Method 1 of 4: Choosing Your Online Strategy
Step 1. Learn the definition of content marketing
Content marketing is a strategy to sell your product or service. This strategy engages you as an expert in your field by creating and sharing content related to what you are selling. Content may include blog posts, videos, online courses, or e-books. The goal is to attract and retain a clearly defined readership who will buy your product or service.
Step 2. Write a blog
If you own a business, consider starting a blog as part of your marketing plan. You can write how-to articles, product reviews, answers to questions, and posts about upcoming events. Blogs provide greater flexibility than other forms of social media such as Facebook or Twitter because you own the content and are not bound by any third party rules or restrictions. Also, if your writing includes keywords or phrases and links to internal or external content, you can improve the search optimization of your website. Blogs bring in sales because you can include product information and links to product pages.
Step 3. Make a video
According to Cisco, video accounted for 64 percent of consumer internet traffic in 2014, and is expected to increase to 80 percent by 2019. Video is very popular because it is engaging and allows people to get information and entertainment that is easy to digest. With so much information easily available, many people want to quickly find out what a video is about and move on to other information. Make creative videos that give customers knowledge about your product. Make the video relevant to your customers. Apart from that, promote your videos on multiple social media channels.
Step 4. Write an electronic book (e-book)
Price Waterhouse Cooper predicts that revenue from e-book sales in the United States will increase from $2.31 billion (approximately 30 trillion rupiah) in 2011 to $8.69 billion (approximately 113 trillion rupiah) in 2018. This figure represents an increase of 276 percent. As the popularity of e-books has increased significantly, consider using this type of medium to connect with your customers. Content marketers create self-published titles on platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and make these books available for free. E-books can help bring in sales leads, provide customers with knowledge about you and your products, build your brand, and offer valuable information to your target readers.
Step 5. Create an infographic
Infographics are visual displays of information. Infographics showcase your content using visual design elements. An infographic can illustrate a point from an article while conveying a standalone message. Infographics are effective because they can quickly convey complex information with attractive and easy-to-understand visuals. Use infographics to convey survey data, explain how your product or service works, or compare products or services.
Step 6. Teach an online course
Teach your special skills in class. You can teach individually or offer them online. Options available for offering your online classes include emailing the material, posting it on your website, or publishing it on an online platform such as Udemy.
- Teaching online courses is a practical and profitable way because you only teach once, and you can use them over and over again to connect with your customers.
- Create a useful course, that meets the needs of your customers and develop a running system to promote that video and attract new subscribers.
Step 7. Host a webinar
Webinars are workshops or seminars delivered via the web. Sites like GoToWebinar allow you to host and record webinars. Webinars are easy to do because you can connect with many people from any part of the world. Also, just like videos and infographics, webinars are visual so they are effective at engaging and reaching your visitors.
Method 2 of 4: Building an Online Brand Presence
Step 1. Understand the basics of building an online or online brand presence
If you own a business, you need a website. The website doesn't have to be great, but it should convey important information to potential customers. That information includes your business contact information, product description, online store, etc.
Use search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure that your website is not on the last page of search engines. To do so, you must have interesting and unique content on your website, use keywords, and post backlinks on other websites
Step 2. Learn the definition of paid advertising
Paid advertising is sometimes also called search engine marketing (SEM) or pay per click (PPC) marketing. These terms may be used interchangeably, and refer to the buying or leasing of traffic through online advertising. While it may be expensive, this strategy is effective because it can be measured and used to target a specific niche within your target market. However, you have to really understand it and develop a successful strategy.
LinkedIn, Google, Facebook, and Twitter offer paid advertising
Step 3. Understand the different sales models
The most frequently used forms of paid advertising are pay per thousand (cost per mille / CPM) and pay per click (cost per click / CPC). CPM ads are banners that you see at the top of a web page. You must pay a flat rate based on the number of ads shown. CPC ads are paid ads that you see on Google's search results page or on the edge of a Facebook page. You pay for every click on your ad.
CPM is pay per 1000 views. This means that your ad will be shown, but not necessarily read or viewed. CPC is much more expensive because the reader has to click on the ad to get to the website
Step 4. Develop an advertising strategy
Use a strategy that will allow you to get the most out of your advertising. You need to know the right time so that your ad reaches your target audience at the right time. In addition, you should use a strategy that targets the location, behavior, or browsing habits of your target audience.
- Day parting allows you to manage how often and when your ads should appear throughout the day.
- Retargeting is a cookie based technology. When a new visitor comes to your site, a cookie will be set in their browser. When they browse the web, cookies display your ad. Keep in mind that unwanted cookies can have a negative impact on sellers.
- Geotargeting (geotargeting) markets ads to customers in specific geographic locations.
- Internet-based targeting finds your customers based on their browsing activity.
- Behavioral targeting finds customers based on their purchase history.
Step 5. Choose an ad network
Use information about your target audience to evaluate different networks and choose the right network for your ad. What works for other businesses may not work for you. Think about how you want to target readers and the visual appearance of your ad.
- Decide if you want to target business-to-business (B2B) or consumer readers. Also, define your target customers based on their demographics or interests.
- Consider the user experience of your ad. Depending on the network you choose, customers may see your ad based on the keywords they searched for, the products they purchased, their interests, or the title of the fish.
- Choose an ad format that is visually appealing but fits your brand and clearly conveys your business.
Method 3 of 4: Connecting with Customers Using Email Marketing
Step 1. Learn the definition of email marketing (email)
Email marketing is sending messages about your business to a group of people via email. This marketing allows you to promote your business and stay connected with your customers. You can submit ads, business requests, or solicit sales or donations. This is an inexpensive and efficient way to reach large customers. You can also group your email list to send different types of emails to different subscribers.
Step 2. Use automation
Use automation technology to send thousands of emails to subscribers on your marketing list. The software can segment your list and send targeted and scheduled emails to your subscribers. This way makes your customers feel that you are contacting them personally. Email automation software companies include Mail Chimp, Infusion Soft, Marketo, Hub Spot, and Eloqua.
Step 3. Obey the laws governing SPAM
Study the CAN-SPAM Act of the Federal Trade Commission. These rules detail the requirements for commercial email, give subscribers the option to unsubscribe from or receive emails from you, and provide severe penalties for violations. This rule applies to all commercial email, including bulk email (bulk email), commercial to individual messages, business to business (B2B) commercial messages, and emails sent to customers.
- The person or business sending the message must be clearly identifiable.
- Subjects must not cheat.
- You must indicate that your message is an advertisement.
- Your message must include a valid physical address, which provides customers with your location information.
- You must offer an unsubscribe mechanism that can be used within 10 working days.
- In fact, if you hire another company to manage your email marketing, it is your responsibility to comply with the law.
Step 4. Measure engagement and conversion rates
Count the number of times your email has been opened by customers. Also, count the number of visits to your site that come from each email campaign. Know how often opening emails can lead to sales. Determine the total revenue generated by each email campaign. Use this information to design your next email campaign.
Method 4 of 4: Generate Sales with Affiliate Marketing
Step 1. Learn the definition of affiliate marketing
With affiliate marketing, you agree to promote related products on your blog or website with affiliate link buttons. When a visitor to your blog or website clicks on that affiliate link button, they are redirected to the seller's website. If they make a purchase, you earn a commission. Commissions for a single sale can range from $1 (Rp130.000) to $10,000 (Rp130.000.000, 00). The amount you earn depends on the type of product you are promoting.
Step 2. Understand the basics of how affiliate marketing works
Many online retailers that sell products or services also offer affiliate programs. If you decide to join the affiliate program of a company, you will get a tracker link to post on your blog. When a visitor clicks on the link, the link will store a cookie in their browser for a certain period, for example 60 days. If a visitor purchases a product from the seller's site within that time period, you earn a commission on the sale.
- Most companies provide you with a ready made text link, banner or button. You just need to copy the code and place it on your website to start referring customers to the seller.
- Customers can delete their browser cookies at any time. This means that your affiliate link will not be used.
Step 3. Understand the reasons why affiliate marketing is profitable
Affiliate marketing is inexpensive. Not only is it free when you sign up for the affiliate program, but you also don't have to take care of storing or shipping products or providing customer service. In addition, affiliate marketing is a source of passive income. You can make money even when you are not working at your computer. Lastly, you can work from home.
Step 4. Compare affiliate marketing to other types of blog monetization
Other blog monetization ways include selling ad space to sponsors or signing up for an ad placement service like AdSense. With these programs, you get paid every time a customer clicks on an ad displayed on your web page.
- Many people who make a lot of money through advertising have hundreds if not thousands of websites. They write quality content with search engine optimization (SEO) that brings traffic to their sites.
- You get paid a few cents per click. You have to attract thousands of visitors to your site every day in order to make a few dollars a day. If you attract that many visitors, you can make more money through affiliate marketing.
Step 5. Choose products that are relevant to your visitors
Think about the traffic that will visit your blog. If you blog about sewing, it might not make sense to have affiliate links to weight lifting equipment. Chances are, your readers won't be interested in the product. This means they are less likely to click on that affiliate link, let alone buy a product through that link.
Ask yourself if you would use the product and whether the majority of your readers would benefit from the product. If it is, it might be a good product for affiliate links
Step 6. Promote physical products
Physical products are goods that customers can buy. Physical product commissions typically range from 4 percent to 10 percent. Choose an affiliate program that sets cookies that don't expire for 60 to 90 days. This extends the period of time you can earn commissions.
- To find an affiliate program for the product you want to promote, do an internet search for "product-name affiliate program" or "product-name affiliate program". For example, search for “green coffee affiliate program”.
- Or, if you are looking for a product with a specific target market (niche), you can search for “your-target-market affiliate program”, “your-niche affiliate program”, “your-niche affiliate program, or “your-target-market-affiliate programs". For example, search for "web design affiliate program".
Step 7. Promote information products
Information products are created by blog writers or other writers to teach something. For example, information products can be courses or electronic books (e-books). To search for these affiliate programs, you usually need to contact the author or blog writer directly. Commissions for information products typically range from 30 percent to 50 percent.
The commission is much higher because the seller does not have to pay for production and shipping costs
Step 8. Promote the service
Think about the services you use and which your readers are likely to use. For example, a parenting blog writer might promote child care services or tutoring. By promoting a service, you can earn recurring commissions as visitors to your blog may purchase the service over and over again. Commissions for service affiliate programs typically range from 15 percent to 30 percent. Some service affiliate programs may pay larger commissions, depending on the type of service.
