While it would be unwise to pump your entire marketing budget into advertising alone, you should consider how the internet and other forms of media can be to help grow your business and get your name out there. Refer to these prominent categories of modern marketing for ideas on how you can begin your campaigns.
1. SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
SEM covers two subcategories; SEO (search engine ) and PPC (pay-per-click). SEO is improving your page ranking on search engines like Google and Bing. Many people will not bother to browse through multiple pages of search results, often opting to click on only the top few results, so if you want traffic flow to your website, SEO is essential. You can hire someone for SEO easily and at a low cost. PPC is a type of search engine advertising in which you are typically charged each time someone clicks on your ad (depending on how you set the campaigns up).
2. SMM (Social Media Marketing)
Social media use is essential to stay relevant in the modern world, with more and more people using Facebook and Instagram as their main connection to the wider world. However, if you decide to go for a more “professional” approach you can utilize social media sites like LinkedIn to reach an entirely new pool of potential clients.
3. Content Marketing
Content marketing is about producing or posting content that serves a purpose to your customers through blog posts, videos, or images. This could be informative content about your business or news updates about the industry.
4. Email Marketing
Using an existing mailing list you have accumulated from previous or potential customers, you can send out information regarding sales, special discounts, new content or products. It is important not to hound the recipients or “spam” them with too many emails as they may end up unsubscribing.
5. Influencer/Affiliate Marketing
This involves using those in positions of “power” over your potential customer base, often social media influencers or industry experts. While many will accept upfront payment to promote your products or services, it might also be necessary to provide them with a cut of all the sales that come from their audience. (This can be tracked through a special link to your website, or a unique discount code offered to their followers.)
The concept of viral marketing is to create content that is worth sharing and engaging with. Viral videos or images will indirectly promote your product or service and will hopefully be shared across multiple social media sites, reaching a wider audience and drawing in new customers.
7. Radio Advertising
Radio is not just about radio waves anymore. Most people now listen to radio stations online, meaning it falls under the umbrella of digital advertising. It is as simple as paying a station to air an ad targeted for their particular location.
8. Television Advertising
Like radio, television is now predominantly accessed online. You no longer have to pay huge costs for a prime-time TV spot, and it is much cheaper to utilise advertising on streaming or on demand services.
