Internet Marketing Strategy
There are many challenges businesses of all sizes face when it comes to developing and executing a powerful, ROI-driven internet marketing strategy. One of the biggest hurdles is in developing high-quality, meaningful content. Many businesses simply don’t think they have much to say or a reliable effective way to say it.
TopTenREVIEWS evaluated a plethora of services to determine the top-ranked online marketing services firms. We evaluated: search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click management (PPC), reputation management, social media optimization, link building, press release optimization, paid inclusions, site audit, affiliate marketing, blogging & syndication, video SEO, e-commerce optimization, contextual search advertising, social network advertising, mobile marketing, web design optimization, search copywriting, and local search.
No matter which services are part of your online marketing initiatives, you need to have something to say to attract customers. Content is critical. No matter what business you’re in, if you think about it, you have information that matters to your buyers. You just have to know what that is. Sure, there will always be those using dirty tricks to drive buyers to websites. Unethical practices like keyword stuffing, invisible keywords, and link farms may seem like good ideas to some, but the winners in web traffic and online sales will continue to be those with meaningful content and quality, relevant links.
In the final analysis, it’s simple.
The web as a content channel
Businesses with structured content distribution strategies make the most of these online opportunities. Businesses that distribute their content in a fragmented manner benefit much less. It’s essential to have good content, as well as a structure that will make distribution much easier and consistent.
Many businesses find themselves at a loss for what to communicate to the market. They’re not sure whether to promote the company, sell the latest product, comment on industry trends, or highlight market research data.
Developing a content distribution strategy
The answer may be all of the above. But the first step is to know your audience and what they care about. What will motivate them to click through your website, develop brand loyalty, and make a purchase? They probably care much less about your company’s new address and much more about a special offer that will save them money.
They may be interested in industry trends and tips that can help them run their businesses. That’s the kind of content that will get read and passed along. It’s the kind of content that means sales for you.
You can develop a broad and deep content distribution strategy. If you distribute a press release, link to significant coverage on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media you use. When you find an article that will be of interest to your buyers and prospects, blog about it, with the best, most powerful keywords, of course.
Always be looking for ways to distribute your content and keep it fresh. If your company has an active blog, consider an email marketing campaign with a digest of your latest and greatest blog posts and guest bloggers over the past month.
Taking the next step
Once you have a sound content strategy in place, it may be wise to invest in online advertising. A number of the companies reviewed in online marketing services provide contextual search advertising and social network advertising.