What You Ought to Know About Internet Marketing

The term “internet marketing” can be confusing, but doesn’t have to be. The stereotypical internet marketer is a snake-oil salesman who uses the internet to prey on unsuspecting consumers, and who presents a mediocre product as a cure-all.

However, that is not what internet marketing has to be. Any method of reaching out to potential customers is internet marketing. The core of internet marketing, like all marketing, is understanding the desires and needs of your target market, and showing that audience that your product will meet those demands.

Here are a few ways to understand how to approach internet marketing for the best results.

Internet marketing needs focus

You cannot market to everyone. Find out exactly who your ideal customer is, and then find out exactly where those people are online. You can run multiple ad campaigns to target different customer groups, but don’t run one generalized campaign expecting to get everyone in one shot. The more specific and unique the message in your advertising is, the more it will impact the audience it is targeting.

Start defining your approach now. What is your message? What is the goal of your marketing campaign? Which keywords will your audience be using to find your site? With a marketing campaign outline, you can make sure that

Internet marketing takes time

Writing two or three or ten articles does not constitute article marketing. Creating a Facebook page or Twitter profile is not social media marketing. Adding random keywords to your site will not increase your SEO overnight.

You need to be patient with your internet marketing efforts, instead of jumping on every marketing bandwagon. Decide a specific technique to focus on. Concentrate only on attracting targeted users – how many followers you have on Twitter or how high your site ranks on search engines are not as important as attracting visitors and making sales.

Internet marketing requires quality

If you try to take shortcuts, your internet marketing will fail. As Gary Vaynerchuk wrote in The Thank You Economy, “You cannot underestimate the sharpness of people’s BS radars – they can spot a soulless, bureaucratic tactic a million miles away.”

Don’t just find a generic, free website template. Instead, make sure your web design is pleasing to the eyes. Don’t spin the same version of an article dozens of times. Instead, research issues directly related to your target market, and then present your findings in a new and interesting way.

Internet marketing targets humans

Meet your market where they are. Use real English to communicate with people. Deliver on your promises. Don’t be afraid of humor or sarcasm, especially if you are targeting a specific niche or a fun-loving market.

Establish your authority and trustworthiness. Include photos of your company’s leaders or team, and help your visitors understand better what your company does. Don’t forget to include testimonials and examples of real people who have gotten real results with your products or services.

Internet marketing sells when it should, and not when it shouldn’t

There are a lot of good places to sell online. If you have a great product for your customers, a lengthy sales page can help people understand what you are offering and decide if it is the right solution for them.

However, there are also wrong places to sell. If you are giving away information for free, make sure there are no strings attached, and no hidden sales messages. General information blog posts and FAQ pages are the places to inform your customers.

Internet marketing is measurable

Like any other endeavor online, your marketing efforts should be motivated by concrete goals, and you should measure your progress regularly to revise those goals or add new ones. Establish ways to measure the impact of your marketing efforts from day one, and understand how your analytics work. Take stock of what works and what doesn’t, and be willing to follow the voice of your market, not just what’s trendy.

Now that you can see how good internet marketing can help you reach your target market. Have a high standard of quality, the patience to see a campaign through, and the flexibility to answer the demands of your customers.

Have any internet marketing strategies worked well for you?