TIPS FOR INTERNET MARKETING

Internet marketing is no longer the preserve of dotcom yuppie types; more businesses are realizing the importance of having an online presence. This has been egged on thanks to the proliferation of devices that have given millions of people ready access to the internet - people that you can turn into loyal customers if you use the right internet marketing tips. In this write-up, we'll be giving you a couple of simple tips that you can use to boost your online profile and bring in the big bucks, as well as beat the competition in this relatively new and exciting field.

Determine Your Target Audience:

Internet marketing basically means using online principles to boost the visibility of your brand. Before you even begin to apply these principles, the first tip and rule of thumb would be to determine your target audience. This should be the foundation of your marketing efforts, and will set the pace in terms of the budget and duration of your marketing efforts. Are you looking to attract a younger or mature audience? What age brackets are you targeting? Do you know individuals that you can interview briefly that fit this demographic? This might take a bit of time, but the homework that you do here will give you a clear idea of the direction your internet marketing should take.

Set Goals:

Next, you need to set goals. What do you expect to achieve at the end of this exercise? Are you looking to increase market penetration and brand recognition? Are you looking to stimulate growth by selling more quantities of your product or services? These goals shouldn't be set in stone; they should be tweaked from time to time, depending on the prevailing market conditions and what your competitors are trying out. The results of these goals should be measurable, and one of the ways you can ensure that this is possible online is by using analytic tools such as Google Analytics or Crazy Egg.

Set Your Budget:

Next up, we have the budget setting step. You need to determine how much you want to spend in your marketing efforts. Now, don't get tempted to go shell out large amounts of money to an internet marketing firm; it's possible to create a sound marketing strategy on your own, even with a small budget. This is because some of the online tools that you'll use for your marketing are provided free of charge or at little cost. Platforms like Blogger and Wordpress can be used to create company blogs that will enable you post quality, marketing-oriented posts that will keep your target demographic coming back for information on the kind of products and services you offer. At the same time, don't exclusively use these free services; if you want a domain name that’s catchy, and something that embodies what your company is all about, be prepared to shell out some money for a good and memorable domain name, as well as a secure website hosting service.

Have a Social Media Presence:

Having a social media presence is part and parcel of internet marketing; this is because the people you're looking to attract most likely have one or two active social media accounts. Create a company page that is appealing and seeks to have people like it. Encourage interaction by posting thought-provoking and tongue-in-cheek posts that will leave a mark on the minds of your target market. Put in the hard work that's needed to create and maintain these social media pages. 

Also think about hiring an expert who has past success in converting the social media audience into customers.

Search Engine Optimization:

Search engine optimization, also known as SEO is a means of enabling your website or blog rank higher in the Google search rankings. Most people hardly ever go past the second page in Google's search results, so make sure you understand how SEO works. The main premise of SEO has to do with what we call 'keywords' which are words that are used by the average Joe to look for information on Google. These keywords are usually strung up together and form search terms. You can use the Google keyword tool to look for search terms that are used often by individuals searching for information regarding your product. Weave these terms into your content on your sites and blogs to ensure visibility on Google.

Links:

Linking is an important part of your internet marketing efforts, as it gives your site credibility. This basically means having highlighted or underlined text on your site that leads to other pages within your site. You can also submit your links to reputable sites, which will help you effectively piggyback on the success of these sites when visitors get directed to your site upon clicking these links. The rule of thumb here is to use honest or white hat techniques that won't have your content marketing strategies nullified by Google. Spamming other sites by posting links to your website might have your site blacklisted by Google, making it almost impossible for your target demographic to reach you.

Conclusion:

Internet marketing relies on many strategies, and is something that you'll have to work hard at it if you want to succeed. The most important bit here is to make sure that you engage your target market consistently, and create an environment of trust while slowly building your online reputation. We hope that these basic tips will help give you an idea on where to start in your internet marketing efforts.

Author Bio: Jamie Cody is a writer for centernetworks.com and often writes about technology, business and various products and services like West host.