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Diversify Your Marketing – Online, Social, Offline
All investors know that diversification is vital to a healthy portfolio, but many business owners don’t apply this wisdom to the investments they make in their marketing, especially their digital marketing.
Most people understand digital marketing to be anything like email, social media sites, search engines and localised online directories – if it’s online, it’s digital, right? Well yes, but it can also happen offline!
Offline digital marketing
The adverts you hear and see on radio and TV are examples of digital marketing. They involve and electronic device – like a radio or TV – but it’s not essential for these devices to be connected to the internet.
There’s also enhanced offline marketing, like electronic billboards or using a tablet or touchscreen to order a meal in a restaurant. It’s all marketing because itinvolves brand awareness and a display of everything that’s on offer.
Then, of course, there’s the old-fashioned marketing methods like leafleting and even cold-calling. In local areas, leafleting is very effective at bringing in business, as is telemarketing, believe it or not!
Online digital marketing
This is internet marketing or online advertising and this is where most of your diversification should happen. You need to spread out your efforts here so you’re not too dependent on anyone platform or channel.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is when you optimise your website content with keywords and similar so that your site ranks high and brings in traffic.
Search engine marketing (SEM) is when you buy ad space, like Google AdWords, to bring the traffic to your site.
Content marketing is writing and creating content to use on your online channels (blog, social media platforms, website) to raise awareness of your brand and your services. Your content shouldn’t be “hard sell” material, but it should engage readers and increase loyalty and interest.
Your social media marketing, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on, focuses on developing loyalty and interest by using mainly short-form posts, videos, polls and Tweets to attract attention and shares.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a form of online advertising in which companies pay a small fee to the platform or host each time someone clicks on their advert.
Then there’s affiliate marketing, which is commission-based. The arrangement usually exists between a retailer and an external website which works to generate sales and traffic via referrals.
Email marketing is much more direct and uses targeted, well-written emails to engage and inform the audience, hopefully bringing in some sales as a result.
Not every method will work for you and your business and some will work better than others. It’s a case of knowing what’s effective for you spreading out your efforts between the right platforms and channels so that you’re agile and able to keep things afloat if a particular channel is blocked or goes out of favour.
About the author
PAUL SMITH - For over 20 years I have worked with businesses, enterprises and brands in Australia, NZ, UK and US to drive digital marketing growth using organic and paid traffic strategies. No fluff or BS, just straight-forward return on investment.
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