Marketing your business online is, in many ways, similar to promoting it offline. There are many different tactics clamoring for your advertising dollar and it can be hard to figure out which methods will work for you. We have listed several below, arranged by the potential risk/reward.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
While many online methods mimic offline counterparts, most companies make their Internet marketing debut in this channel that is fairly unique to the Internet. Most often, PPC is an auction-based method of paying for an ad on search engine results pages. Paying for clicks on popular words and phrases can provide you with a list of priority terms to focus your search engine optimization efforts on.
Unfortunately, PPC is often misunderstood by business owners looking for a silver bullet to their online success. In smaller, niche markets, managing a pay-per-click account can likely be done as part of an existing employee’s overall duties. However, in more competitive markets, hiring a full-time professional or well-respected agency that can manage the campaign to an efficiency level you are comfortable with is probably a good move.
Display Advertising
Similar to billboards, display advertising is the practice of placing banner ads on other web properties that call attention to your brand and drive people to your web site. Often purchased at a certain CPM (cost per thousand impressions) or CPA (cost per action), display advertising offers the ability to reach potential customers while they are casually surfing the web.
It is important to note that the use of “retargeting” display ads may result in concerns expressed about customer privacy. Such feedback should be acknowledged, recorded and used to balance those campaigns appropriately.
Sponsored Blog Posts
Whether yours is a young company or one with a long-standing offline reputation, paying someone with an existing blog to write about your company or a specific product is a good way to get your name out there. These are the celebrity endorsements of the Internet.
Finding popular bloggers, with an audience similar to that of your company, who are willing to write about you will depend on several factors: amount and type of incentive offered, type of write-up requested, and the amount of bias that is expected.
Contests
Sweepstakes and giveaways are popular online and off. A well-executed contest can garner a huge amount of short-term attention. Developing a retention strategy during your contest planning will help extend the value of the campaign long after the prizes have been awarded.
Allow for preparation and promotion costs when determining the resources needed to develop a contest. You should also research the legal requirements/limitations of any applicable state(s) you are governed by and any site(s) you are hoping to utilize for the operation / promotion of your contest before you begin.
Social Media
Word-of-Mouth advertising on steroids and caffeine, social media offers a unique ability for online success that few other channels can, though navigating the social media space is not to be taken lightly. Depending on the goals you hope to achieve through your use of social media, a varying amount of planning, training and legal advice may be required before getting started and throughout the life of the campaign.