Having a website is meaningless if nobody visits it. That statement is true whether you’re a single person with a blog or a large corporation that has a massive network of websites. Online marketing promotion is how you get your site seen. There are some basic principles that every website owner can use when marketing their site.
1. It’s up to you. You are ultimately responsible for all of the marketing that you do. Even if you hire someone to do it for you, you still have to be aware of what’s going on and give your approval for any marketing that’s being done. If your marketing isn’t getting the results you’re after, then you need to take charge and turn things around. In the other hand, if you are experiencing success, then you can take credit for it. Either way, it’s all up to you.
2. Know your target market. Online marketing promotion can be summed up as selling your products or services to the people who want them. That leads to the question of who wants to buy what you’re offering. The only way to find the answer is to do market research. Who are they? What are their problems? Income? Beliefs? Hobbies? Do they have kids? What do they do for fun? What is their education level? The more you know about your market–about who your ideal customer is–the better you can craft your marketing message to resonate with them.
3. Speak to your market in their language. Once you have a good idea of who your market is, you can start marketing to them. Building rapport is one of the ways you can make a connection with your customers, and you can do that by speaking their language. Use the terms they use, and talk like they talk. However, be careful that you don’t overdo it, otherwise you will come across as being phony and that will only end up being counterproductive.
4. Everything counts. A lot of people, especially those new to business, make the mistake of thinking only certain things they do online count as “marketing. The truth is that everything you do online, and that can be tracked back to your business, counts as marketing; good or bad. Also keep in mind that it’s pretty easy for people to look into your business and find out who runs it. So, every forum post you make, every comment you leave on a blog, every e-mail, every Tweet, every Facebook post, and so on, all paint a picture of you and your business. Think about how any message you write will reflect on your business.
Online marketing promotion takes time to get the hang of, but you can get off to a great start by keeping the above tips in mind. However, none of the tips above will matter unless you take action and follow through on them. When you do, you will see what a positive difference it makes when you stick to a few basic, and proven marketing principles.