Online marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing methods for 2 reasons, and here are 13 steps to ensure your success:

1 – the cost is far below that of traditional advertising, above-the-line marketing and

2 – Online marketing is completely measurable.

Although not the be-all and end-all of any marketing campaign, online marketing has the potential to become a very fruitful aspect of your overall marketing mix.

In case you are not familiar with the concept of the marketing mix, the marketing mix is defined as the following:

“a combination of factors that can be controlled by a company to influence consumers to purchase its products. These include Product, Price, Place and Promotion”

Keep in mind that this blog post is about increasing the exposure of your brand, product, service or company, and so the focus of this is the promotional aspect of the marketing mix, presuming that the other 3 parts of the marketing mix are in place.

Marketing Strategy before Tactic

We strongly believe that marketing success is derived from a well-thought-out, comprehensive strategic approach. It is a commonly known quote from Author San Zu, writer of “The Art of War”, that tactic without strategy is the noise before the defeat, and strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.

So, in order to have the best chance of a successful online marketing campaign, planning and strategizing is key. I know that this sounds very involved and rather hectic, but I can assure you it is easier than you think. At the same time, getting this right will help you increase sales and build better profits for you and your business. You will agree that putting in the time and effort is well worth the financial reward.

Outline of an Online Marketing Strategy

Here is the outline of the online marketing strategy that, if implemented correctly, ensures a greater chance go your campaign being noticed by leads and your target audience of potential customers.

Online Marketing Step 1:

Identify what you want to promote.

This may sound obvious, but too many companies try to be everything to all and for the most part, this usually confuses your audience and dilutes the effectiveness of your online marketing campaign.

Select one product or service for one campaign. It may be the case that you want to promote your overall brand; this is fine, too as long as the campaign is clear to your potential leads.

Online Marketing Step 2:

Identify the ideal client for this particular product, service or brand promotion.

Aiming your promotional efforts at a specific client type, your ideal client, is essential for the success of the online marketing campaign.

Finding your ideal client is not rocket science, but it is essential to a successful and profitable return on your online marketing investment.

Online Marketing Step 3:

Identify your clients’ problems

Identify the 1 or 2 most pressing problems that your clients face. You may be able to help clients within your niche with all aspects of their needs, but engaging them in the fast-paced online world, it is better to address their most pressing needs as this will resonate with them and help encourage them to take swift action.

A good example of focusing on one or two pain points is my business Market Magnet Consulting.

• Yes, we can help people increase leads without wasting money on advertising,
• Yes, we can help streamline systems within the business,
• Yes, we can help set up your marketing automation,
• Yes, we can help with Sales strategy, Marketing strategy, online strategy and so on, but we also know that generating fresh, highly-qualified leads are at the top of the list of pain points for our clients.

Fresh highly-qualified leads are always our core focus, and if needed, we up-sell our other services.

Online Marketing Step 4:

Identify your solution to their problem

Your product or service on offer should be a solution to their most pressing problems. Knowing how you are able to help them will set you up for step 5.

Online Marketing Step 5:

Educate your client

Educating your client about your ability to eliminate their pain point is what makes the difference between your offer and the offer your competitors present to your ideal clients. Deliver as much information to your client so that they can make an informed purchase decision when choosing who to buy from. Educating them will help them choose you over your competition. Later in the blog, I will show you how you can educate your clients.

Online Marketing Step 6:

Ongoing engagement (Marketing Automation)

Once your clients have responded to your marketing campaign and you have had the chance to start the education process, the next most essential part is ongoing client engagement and ongoing client education. The way this is achieved by using an Online Marketing Automation System.

There are many Online Marketing Automation Systems to choose from, and the price variation is pretty extreme. I caution you on the choice of the system as the price usually rules out South African businesses, and I think that these prices are often unjustified.

We use a variety of Marketing Automation systems based on your needs and budget. As always, I prefer cheaper systems as often the larger, more expensive marketing automation systems are not fully utilized, and therefore, the costs for extra functionality are not worthwhile.

Online Marketing Step 7:

Know where your clients spend their time online

Choosing the platforms to run your promotions is key to successful online marketing campaigning. There are the obvious choices, Facebook, Google, Youtube and LinkedIn however, knowing where your clients spend their time will greatly enhance the response of the right clientele and your ideal target market. Go back to your ideal client profile and based on their need and demographic profile you will know which platforms will become the most profitable for your product and service.

Here is a clue to the usages of online marketing platforms:

1. Facebook – Predominantly user-end, consumer type of users
2. Google – User-initiated search and used by both businesses and consumers looking for specific services or products.
3. LinkedIn – Predominantly business interactions and business-based connections.
4. Youtube – User-initiated search and used by both businesses and consumers, usually looking to learn something.

5. Online Marketing Step 8:

   Decide on your online marketing budget

   Done correctly, Online marketing is profitable; however, making mistakes is easier than getting it right the first time.

   Assigning the right budgets to the right platform and promotional parts of campaigning is essential to success. Many companies tie you into a set marketing budget, however, setting limits on budgets to platforms at specific times with a period of testing will ensure your results are favourable and used wisely.

   Build your online marketing infrastructure.

   Online Marketing Step 9:

   The Digital parts of the online marketing infrastructure.

   So yes, there are a lot of digital elements to get in place and the parts of the online marketing infrastructure include:

   1-The campaign-specific landing page

   The campaign-specific landing page is a webpage with only one no other function. This function is to get the client or lead to sign up to receive the lead magnet by filling in a form that enables you to collect their essential details, namely:

   • name,
   • email and
   • possibly a telephone number

   2-The Marketing Automation

   Setting up the marketing automation is no more complex than writing a series of captivating emails that sell the client on taking the next action. This may be to:

   • Respond by email or
   • Call for extra help or
   • Download a PDF or
   • Watch an informational video or
   • A number of other options are available that your ideal client will find appealing.

   3-The Lead Magnet

   Designing a comprehensive lead magnet is key to the education process of the client. The lead magnet is usually comprised of a PDF or Video download but comes in many forms. These could be:

6. A resource list
7. 1. A quick-start guide
   2. A Cheatsheet
   3. A video Answer
   4. Checklist
   5. Email scripts
   6. A mini-course and so on…

4-The Advertising Account Adverts

By knowing who your customers are and where they spend their time online you would have chosen your

marketing platforms. Setting up advertising accounts on these platforms is pretty straightforward. Log into each platform with your primary work email address and follow the instructions. You will at some point be asked to enter your credit card details so that these platforms will be able to accept payment for the advertising.

Deciding on your marketing budget needs to be done wisely. Don’t throw all your eggs in the same basket. Use multiple platforms with variations of the adverts promoting the same product or service. This will help the budgets reach further and ensure accurate measurement of each advert and campaign.

Online Marketing Step 10:

Set up your Marketing Automation System

Once you have chosen your preferred Marketing Automation Platform it is time to get the email copy written. Remember that each part has to have a specific objective in order to lead the client to the next action. Each next action is another step within your sales cycle, bringing them closer and closer to engaging directly with you or one of your salespeople.

Online Marketing Step 11:

Start your campaign

Once you are ready and all the above components are in place, take a deep breath and start the campaign.

Online Marketing Step 12:

Measure your results

Online marketing is the most accurate in terms of measurement. Constant analysis of your data will help you make better decisions with future online marketing that will become more and more profitable.

Online Marketing Step 13:

Follow Up

The most important aspect of any marketing campaign is to follow up on the leads you have generated. These may be digital follow-ups that will migrate to physical follow-ups that will help you close more sales.

In conclusion:

I know that this seems like a lot of info and many steps to get through and yes it is. If you are looking for help putting this together,

• Designing campaigns,
• Designing lead magnets,
• Setting up marketing automation

Or the management of your marketing process please feel free to contact us. We will arrange a free, no-obligation assessment of your marketing potential and advise you from there.

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