To be a successful online brand or to operate a popular, successful website you have to employ good digital marketing methodologies. The problem is that in most cases the competition in the various markets is quite fierce. Whether you operate in a niche or a non-niche marketplace, the problem is still the same. Okay, there is more competition is a non-niche market than in a specialized niche market, but unless you’re fortunate enough to have a monopoly, you will have competition of one degree or another. That means you will inevitably be losing business to them. But with the right marketing methodologies you could be directing this business away from them and straight to your website instead. How? Read on.

Optimizing a variety of digital marketing channels

The use of different marketing channels is as old as the hills. But because a lot people who setup their own online business websites are new to the world of business, they’re not aware of this. In the conventional business world, businesses advertize in the local press, the national press, on billboards, on TV, and on the radio. Some even send flyers out by mail or distribute them at stores and supermarkets. The same should be true of the digital business world. Online businesses can use a variety of channels too. The various digital marketing campaign to choose from include:

• Organic
• Search engine marketing (SEO) including pay per click
• Email marketing
• Affiliate marketing
• Social media marketing
• Display marketing

Financing any sort of business is always tough. We talk about ROI (Return on Investment), and this is a particularly important consideration to be taken into account with any aspect of online business finance. It’s no good throwing money into every marketing channel there is. You have to establish what works best in your marketplace and for your business. But when all is said and done choosing multiple channels is still the key to success.

Grade and invest according to ROI

Although everyone agrees that organic marketing (content marketing) is king, it won’t catch everybody who searches the Web for products. But optimize your website performance with regard to SEO, invest in the right Pay per Click campaigns, throw in a bit of email marketing, and launch an affiliate marketing program, and you sure will catch a heck of a lot more. These are all people who will otherwise be going to your competitor’s websites. Pick out the methodologies that give you the best ROI by category, then grade and invest accordingly.

Getting the most out of your website’s content

Once-upon-a-time it was enough to have a state-of-the-art website with fast response and good navigation. Not anymore. Today more and more online business websites are chock-a-block with great content; content that is engaging and informative. Engaging your visitor is key. It means you’ve gained their interest and that your content is relevant to them. If you want to create a level playing field, or better still go to the head of the field, you’ve got to “out-content” them. According to this infographic on Mashable 61% of consumers prefer websites that display custom written content.

The web-based blog

Another illustration of the power of custom content is websites that incorporate blogs. A few months ago any old blog with a few relevant keywords stuffed into it was considered fine. They were about as engaging and informative as reading an unused tea-bag. It was just a way of peppering a load of keywords about. The Big G (Google of course) latched on to this a few months ago and has changed its algorithms accordingly. The new algorithms behave more like the human reader and have been created to identify and promote original, informative content. Keyword bombing is dead and original creative content comes into its own as reported by Forbes back in May earlier this year. Creating content relative to your client, your clients needs and your website, will keep those clients coming back for more, and spreading the word too.

Personalizing website content

Most online businesses are yet to wake up to the new trend; that of personalized websites. These are websites that are capable of being presented in a specific way to specific audiences depending on their demographic and their preferences. It’s a relatively new technology that has only been around for a year or so. It’s why so many companies are yet to wake up to the possibilities. According to an article published by the Content Marketing Association, 74% of online consumers are frustrated with static websites that just don’t relate to them. It means that there’s a great opportunity for those who get their foot in the personalized website door first. They can steal a march on their competitors. It will however mean incorporating the right CMS package within your website to glean the necessary information, but it’s eminently do-able.

Jumping on the mobile bandwagon

Although the mobile bandwagon is well underway, an awful of companies are yet to invest in this new way of marketing. Some however are doing it, so if you’re still back the other side of the starting gate you need to look to your laurels. Feedback from the mobile industry says that 74% of clients already investing in mobile marketing are budgeting for significantly larger investments in 2015. It’s not only becoming more and more popular, but it’s getting results too, and that’s what counts. According to Forbes back in September this year, 50% of mobile users visited the online store within 1 day of spotting the ad. What’s more, 18% of enquires led to an actual purchase.

Improving your website’s conversion rate

Getting increased traffic to your website is, of course, all important. But if all of those visitors browse around and then simply click off elsewhere, (probably to one of your competitors’ websites), it’s not going to do anything for your sales figures. The fact of the matter is that you must have a Creative design that converts interested visitors into cash buyers. The way to so this is to analyze the way that visitors navigate your website, and then modify its design to funnel shoppers through to the all important order form. It’s got to be done in the right way achat viagra en ligne. It has to be relatively gentle, yet quietly forceful. If you have the technical ability yourself, then tools like Google analytics will give the ammunition you need. Here is a helpful guide that Moz published in the subject of DIY conversion rate optimization back in May this year. Be warned; it’s not for everyone. If you’re not a “techie”, you’ll need to find yourself a good agency to work with.

Be a leader not just another competitor

When all is said and done, one thing is for sure. To optimize your sales and to be a leader in your field, not just a competitor, you need to make the most your online marketing efforts.