Increasingly, the world runs on the Internet. This is not surprising given that more and more people work, socialize, play and shop online. This is why it’s increasingly important for any business, large or small, to have a significant online presence: that’s how your customers will find you and learn about your products and services. Internet marketing services use inbound marketing strategies to direct customers to your online sites.
With inbound or content marketing, you can help customers who are already looking for your products and services to find you. Social media marketing gives your business an online presence and most importantly, helps your business rank higher in online searches.
Online searches: helping your customers find you
It all begins with searches. No matter what people are looking for: degree programs, friends, or a new pair of shoes, the first step is to do an Internet search to find out what’s out there. Search Engine Journal reported in 2012 that fully 93% of all Internet experiences begin with an online search using engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. Users are savvy enough to ignore the paid ads that appear on the search page, clicking instead on the authentic (also known as organic) search results.
Searches are not just passive Internet surfing. Consumers know what they’re looking for, and they need information. According to a 2012 Pew Research Center report on Search Engine Use, as many as 86% of consumers said that they learned something new or important through an online search and that using a search engine increased their knowledge.
Email is still a powerful marketing tool
With all the excitement about the new social media, email marketing sometimes gets ignored in a company’s overall marketing strategy. In fact only about 8% of all companies and advertising agencies have a specialized email marketing staff on board. And yet, as Business2Community reported in 2014, email marketing has the highest return on investment (ROI), averaging around $44 per dollar. This is higher than other digital marketing methods, leading SEO, which comes in #2. The lowest ROI is on banner ads.
Appearances do matter, on the Internet
The purpose of all Internet marketing strategies is to direct customers to your site, where they can find all the information they need about your products and services to make an informed decision. Once you have their attention, you have to keep it, and it isn’t easy. The Nielsen Normal Group reports that you only have 10 seconds to make a first impression via your website. That’s the maximum amount of time consumers spend before they decide to leave your site.
The best way to make a good impression is to have a clear, striking website design, with images and graphics that make people want to learn more. Images are very important: online articles with images have 94% more views than articles that have just plain text. The overall design of the website matters, and 46% of people say that their opinion of a company’s credibility is based on the design of the website.
Internet marketing services can help improve your online presence
If you’re a small or medium business, you probably can’t afford a full time online marketing staff. But the good news is that you don’t even need to: you can access specialized Internet marketing services by contacting an expert web design company to handle your social media presence.