What are the best online marketing channels? There isn’t a straightforward answer to this question. Every business is different. But, there are certain channels that tend to be more cost-effective and provide higher conversion rates.
If you are looking for a way to stretch your online marketing budget, then explore the most cost effective online marketing channels.
Here’s a quick overview of the online marketing channels that’ll be covered:
- Email marketing
- Pay-per-click advertising
- Social media advertising
- Blogging
Email Marketing
For some reason, many entrepreneurs believe that email marketing is outdated or ineffective. This is simply not true. Email marketing remains the most cost-effective way to increase conversion rates and boost sales.
Compared to all other online marketing channels, email marketing offers the lowest cost per lead. While social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, have millions of users, everyone has an email address.
As long as you’re smart about your email marketing strategy, you will get positive results.
Make sure that your emails encourage your subscribers to take action. This could include visiting your website or purchasing a product or service. You should also create a sense of urgency in your emails.
Also, don’t ever purchase an email list. You should always build your own list using opt-in forms and other methods.
PPC Advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is another marketing channel that is thought of as being past its prime. Again, this isn’t true. PPC is affordable and effective. You just need to optimize your PPC campaign.
Before you put together your PPC campaign, you need to perform thorough keyword research. The key to an effective PPC campaign is choosing the right keywords. Use the Google AdWords Keyword Planner to research keywords and find phrases with low competition and medium search volume.
Along with keyword research, you need to have a title and description that grabs attention. You have limited space available. Your title and description used in your PPC advertisement shouldn’t be vague. It should be clear and direct.
By having a clear message in your PPC ad, you’ll naturally notice higher conversion rates. Focus on a specific demographic and speak directly to the customer.
Social Media Advertising
While email marketing and PPC advertising have been around since the beginning of online marketing, social media marketing is relatively new by comparison. There are two methods of using social media as a part of your online marketing strategy – regular activity and advertising.
First, you should be active on social media. Create a schedule for sending out new posts or tweets. This helps you build your subscriber or follower base.
Along with regular activity, you should include social media advertising in your marketing strategy. This could include Facebook Ads, promoted Tweets on Twitter, and advertisements on LinkedIn.
As with PPC advertising, you’ll need to optimize these advertisements to increase conversion rates. Again, use Google AdWords Keyword Planner Tool to find the most effective keywords. Focus on a niche category.
Blogging
Here’s one more online marketing channel to include in your overall strategy – blogging. Blogging is extremely cost effective. You likely already have a website. You just need to start adding regular blog posts.
Blog posts can be shared on social media, linked to from advertisements, and are incredibly beneficial from an SEO standpoint. Blog about topics relevant to your products or services.
You should also create a schedule for your blog posts. With a regular schedule, visitors will know when to come back for more posts. This increases repeat traffic and allows you to develop a loyal group of followers while also establishing yourself as a voice of authority in your niche market.
As you start developing and refining your online marketing strategy, consider using the marketing channels described above. Along with these tips, don’t forget to check out my simple lead generation system. Click here to learn more about my done-for-you system.