November 17, 2015

It’s a New Year! Are your Online Marketing Gimmicks still working?

Article Categories

Michael Jenkins
Michael Jenkins

CEO - Shout Agency
[email protected]

Overview

Change is, as it’s always been, a constant element in the world of business. You need to keep up with the times, or else the competition will ground your efforts into dust. The landscape of online businesses is no exception. In the past, sufficiently-informed entrepreneurs are ready to jump the gun and drive success with a single, prominent marketing strategy that anyone with enough savings can replicate.
True, these winning strategies may change over time, like how Adwords was the thing in 2001 and PR links got all the hype around 2007-2011. All of the sudden, these strategies no longer work because a considerable portion of your market is too busy on social media.
Of course, there is nothing stopping the “netpreneurs” – even the new players – from becoming adaptive to new marketing trends.

But that’s part of the problem.

The online marketplace is becoming more and more saturated, literally every second. With the almost-instant delivery of information, no “recipe” for successful marketing remains secret for long. And as more people discover the ingredients for this recipe, the demand for them goes up; and so do the costs.
Over time, a pattern emerges. Bigger companies become more willing to shell out major cash, or even suffer a temporary loss just so they could gain a customer. It is, of course, a luxury that not everyone can afford. At the end of the day, the little guys are left fighting over the scraps. 

Have an Effective Multi-Channel Marketing System

If you are to remain competitive this year, you need to step up and diversify your digital marketing pursuits. It’s not enough to have one optimal lead generation channel – you need to explore and utilise every possible option.
Take a moment and review the following aspects of your business:

  • Search Engine Optimisation – How are you positioning for SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages)? Are you a high-traffic keyword brawler, or a low-competition scavenger? Do you have enough high-quality backlinks from relevant sites? Are you comfortable with targeting a small group of keywords, or are you implementing a content strategy to take on a larger number of keywords?
  • Advertising Campaigns – Risk management is the name of the game. See if your CPA (Cost per Acquisition) in a particular campaign is justified by your conversion rate. If not, then it’s an endeavor you’re probably better off without.
  • Email Marketing How big is your mailing list? Are you reaching the right people? Does your copywriting garner a decent click-through rate, or are you wasting money for subscribers that do not even read your emails?
  • Money Site Performance – How’s your money site’s dwell time metric? Is your site’s navigation optimised for less bounce rates? Is your content good enough for convincing visitors to buy from you?
  • Social Media Marketing – Lastly, assess your social media presence. Are you sharing content that attracts likes? Review ways on how you can improve your organic reach in popular social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Also be sure to allocate your advertising budget accordingly depending on your reach in each social network.
  • Local SEO- How perfect is your local SEO strategy? Are you using the right geo targeting keywords? Don’t worry, if things are not going well for your local business. We are here to help your online marketing in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Feel free to reach out our experts at Shout Digital.

Reviewing these areas will definitely point you in the right direction. In times like this, you need to be the jack of all trades. Assess what you got and plan your budget accordingly. What area should be improved? What are the adjustments you need to hit your long-term goal?

You are Not Alone

Don’t worry – your online marketing success is not a battle that you have to face alone. As stated earlier, no one keeps secrets anymore, especially if that secret enables people to establish a solid foothold in the online business world.
Here is a simple checklist for remaining competitive in the online marketing landscape:

  • Remember that prime content is still the backbone of online marketing; secure your business’ ability to provide content that’s share-worthy and builds authority
  • Incorporate the latest content trends (videos, infographics, podcasts, etc.)
  • Prioritize the big players of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram)
  • Consider paid search campaigns for brands that your market is looking for
  • Get your content read through email marketing, social media marketing, and ads
  • Develop the SEO of your backend (On-page Optimization)
  • Outreach high-authority websites for a healthy backlink foundation
  • Develop effective website and landing page design
  • Don’t skimp on landing pages; have one for every service

Of course, this checklist merely outlines the makings of a successful online business. Just remember to focus on providing exceptional content and making sure it reaches the right people through email and social media marketing. But most importantly, it is always a good idea to take one step at a time. After all, each of these components leads to another. Eventually, you will have nailed them all. 

 

Book a free 45 minute consultation today.

    Book a free 45 minute consultation today.

    Be smarter than the rest of your team.

    Give us your email address and we promise to send you the best articles on a wide spectrum of digital marketing topics to help your business grow to the next level.
    This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    Be smarter than the rest of your team.

    Give us your email address and we promise to send you the best articles on a wide spectrum of digital marketing topics to help your business grow to the next level.

      Book a free 45 minute consultation today.

        Shout logo in grey

        As Founder and Director of Shout Web Strategy, Michael Jenkins is at the forefront of digital marketing. Since it’s inception in 2009, Shout has built a strong reputation as one of Australia’s leading strategic SEO agencies, assisting online businesses to formulate, implement and track successful marketing strategies. Michael is a respected thought leader and digital strategist, specialising in online strategy, corporate SEO, Google retargeting, email and conversion rate optimisation, and online reputation management. Follow Michael on Google+, connect with him through LinkedIn or visit the Shout Web Strategy website.

        Up next