Internet advertising – what is it all about?

The Internet is now basically a separate world that functions alongside the real world. Due to its vastness and diversity, it is more and more difficult to exist in it in a completely natural way. That is why Internet advertising is so important, as it allows many companies to mark their presence and gain customers. There are many ways to promote online, and it’s not an easy nut to crack – especially for newbies. Also, specialists in this area must constantly learn, because virtual space is changing very dynamically – what only yesterday was very effective, today can be counterproductive.

There are many advertising channels and methods used on the Internet. The most popular are:
– SEO,
– Google Ads campaigns: sponsored links, product campaigns,
– campaigns in social media (e.g. Facebook, Instagram),
– YouTube video campaigns,
– banner campaigns on Google Display Network,
– re marketing,
– e-mail campaigns,
– influencer marketing,
– publication of sponsored content,
– word of mouth marketing.

Of course, this is not all! New promotion channels are also constantly being created – incl. thanks to new websites or applications being created.

Basics of Internet advertising – settlement models

Internet advertising costs should be considered based on the applicable billing models. There are also a few of these. Most often they are imposed by a specific system and service. When buying an advertisement, the client should assess (or consult it with specialists) which billing model will be the most profitable for him. The most popular forms are:
– CPC – cost per click (or PPC – pay per click) including payment for each click on the advertisement (banner, link, etc.);
– CPM (cost per mile) – settlement for every 1000 ad impressions (regardless of conversion), used most often in the case of image campaigns;
– CPV (cost per view) for payment for each display of an advertisement, used primarily on YouTube and similar websites; payment is valid only when the user watches at least 30 sec. Ads (or all, if shorter);
– CPL (cost per lead) – settlement for each user registration or obtaining contact;
– CPA (cost per action) – settlement for specific actions performed by the user on the website, eg “liking” a post;
– CPS (cost per sale) – settlement based on the number of sales transactions finalized through advertising; characterized by high commissions.

As you can see, there are many different ways to calculate ad bids. For this reason, the price lists of various promotional channels differ significantly, and comparing the profitability of specific campaigns can be difficult, especially for a layman.

What else does the cost of advertising on the Internet depend on?

The method of settlement or the place and time of publication is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cost of online advertising. It is worth remembering that in most cases campaign prices are set individually. Much depends on the selected channels, but also on the target group or area of operation and, of course, the cost of acquiring a customer that a given company can afford. One nail american company might say you can get customers for $ 0.2 and another for $ 1, and in both cases it can be a successful and profitable campaign.

Of course, the necessary advertising expenses will also depend on whether you decide to act alone or choose experts. The second option is of course more expensive, but it is worth remembering that it usually translates into much larger and faster noticeable profits – acting “blindly”, without the necessary knowledge and experience, it is very difficult to allocate the advertising budget to allow for the achievement of the intended goals and getting the max out of a given channel.

Internet advertising – start with positioning

Online advertising often means only paid links, banners and videos, but its real foundation is positioning. It is through SEO activities (search engine optimization – content optimization for search engines) that the brand image is built, and at the same time the traffic on the website is increased, gaining new customers. Search engine optimization requires months or even years of consistency and implementation of carefully designed strategies. This is one of the reasons why it is often overlooked or regarded as the least effective form of advertising. In fact, quite the opposite is true – it is SEO that produces the most distinct and, above all, lasting results. However, you have to wait for the effects. Of course, keep in mind that SEO is not justified in all cases – if you operate in a competitive industry and you do not have the budget enough, you may just waste money – which is why it is so important to consult specialists who will assess which channel has the greatest make sense in terms of budget and industry.

You can carry out SEO activities on your own – there is no shortage of literature or courses on this subject. It is worth knowing, however, that the best results are achieved by professionally prepared and implemented plans. How much does it cost to work with an SEO agency? From several hundred dollars a month to even several or tens of thousands of dollars. As a rule, however, most companies’ SEO budgets are between $ 2,000 and $ 10,000.

Google Ads, the most popular form of advertising on the Internet

When talking about online advertising, many people mean Google Ads campaigns (formerly Google AdWords). This is the most obvious and at the same time quite complex form of promotion, which when properly applied can also be extremely effective. The most common is the so-called sponsored links – these are CPC text ads visible above the search results of specific terms (keywords) or in the lower parts of the page.

Prices for advertising in Google Ads are based on auctions. This means that individual companies that want to advertise on the same keyword determine how much they are willing to pay for a click on a sponsored link (maximum CPC bid). On this basis, the positions of links in the search results are determined. The cost of advertising is therefore inextricably linked to competition in a given industry and the advertising budgets of individual companies conducting similar activities. Google provides an approximate rate for placing a link at the top of the page, as well as the competitiveness of a given phrase. Specific? It happens that the CPC will be a few cents. Sometimes it is several dozen dollars. It all depends on the area where you want to promote yourself.

Diversifying the cost of your Ads ads is one of the reasons why running a profitable campaign is not easy. It is best to trust professionals in this matter who will distribute your budget in a way that allows you to obtain optimal results.

How much does online advertising cost – Google product campaigns

Google Ads also offers Product Listing Ads – PLA for online stores. In this case, a specific product and its price appear above the search results instead of a separate link to the page. The costs per click are then noticeably lower – on average they range from tens of cents to several dollars – although their amount also depends on the promoted products and competitiveness in this area. It is also worth remembering that product advertising is quite narrow, so promoting the entire assortment can cost you quite a lot. Therefore, it is recommended to start with individual categories in this regard.

Image advertising on Google Display Network

Google Display Network is a tool that allows you to reach new recipients with your message. Campaigns conducted within this network allow you to place banners, films or multimedia content on websites that meet the criteria specified by the ordering party. In this case, the cost per click is usually a few or several dozen cents. This type of advertising is considered less effective, but it works well, for example, in image and reach campaigns.

Remarketing – Another type of image ad

Remarketing is a more effective and at the same time more popular form of display advertising. It consists in displaying advertising content (usually banners) to people who have previously visited your website or, for example, have visited your store but have not made purchases. Such promotion allows you to remind potential customers about the offer that has already aroused their interest and often allows you to protect yourself from losing them to the competition. Remarketing campaigns are also billed based on clicks. CPC is on average a few dozen cents. Importantly, these types of ads are divided into two types:

– static – the same banner for all recipients,
– dynamic – banner content based on products or categories viewed by a given user.

As part of remarketing activities, you can also reach people with ads who, for example, watched videos from your YouTube channel or visited your website, and then searched for further information on Google. The type of activities carried out can therefore be adapted to very specific needs, which affects the profitability of this solution, as long as it is, of course, wisely implemented.

Ads on social media

Another popular channel for advertising is Facebook. The largest social network in the world offers many paid promotional solutions. The most common choice is promoting posts. Thanks to this, specific content can reach a much wider audience. The promotion of posts generates much greater reach and makes more people reach your Facebook profile, and often also your website. The cost of such ads can be calculated based on the number of impressions (on average a few dollars per 1000) or clicks on a link (on average from 1 to several dollars, not counting very competitive industries).

Facebook also allows you to set targeted ads for gaining new “fans” of a specific profile. In this case, you have to pay from several tens of cents to several dollars for each new liking of the page. Costs vary, among others depending on the target group established.

Similar advertising mechanisms are also offered by Instagram, which belongs to the Facebook empire, but the promotion is slightly cheaper there.

YouTube Ads

YouTube is a very popular advertising channel recently. The huge number of users who use the website every day is certainly noteworthy. This is the best place to post your video content – but remember that it doesn’t have to be long or complicated. Advertisers have the option of using a variety of video ad formats. The most popular are the so-called TrueView In Stream ads displayed before, after or during video playback. These are longer format clips that can be skipped by the user after 5 seconds. Payment is in CPV format, and only applies to impressions of at least 30 seconds of ad (or all of the ad, if longer). The cost in this case is on average a few cents per view.

The so-called Bumper Ads – short, several seconds long ads that cannot be missed. They are billed in the CPM format. Typically, the cost of 1,000 impressions ranges from a few to several dollars. However, there are many more possibilities for advertising on YouTube!

Advertising on the Internet – is it worth it?

As you can easily guess, the best results are achieved by Internet advertising carried out through multiple channels simultaneously with a well-thought-out positioning strategy. Activities can be carried out both on a small scale, which is most often used by local companies, and very widely. Their cost depends largely on the range, but also on the competitiveness in a given industry or target group. So how much does online advertising cost? It depends, of course. A small company can run effective operations for as little as several hundred dollars a month, while large stores or corporations often have advertising budgets of tens of thousands of dollars. Is it worth it? Without a doubt! However, remember that if you want to advertise effectively, it is worth trusting professionals.

At Paraphrase Online, we support over 500 online stores, so it’s not the time to flirt with modesty. We just know what works in a given industry and at a given scale of activity. Google Analytics does not lie. That is why in this post we will focus on what to focus on in online store marketing.

Online store marketing – what budget?

What budget will be ideal to launch effective online store marketing? I probably won’t be surprised by giving a Solomon answer that … it depends.

We have clients who have invested several dozen or even several hundred thousand dollars in their own online stores, but have forgotten that they still need to inform customers and at the beginning they had $ 3,000 or $ 4,000 for advertising. An in-depth investment in the website itself makes sense if it takes into account, for example, the delivery of interesting content at the entrance or seo optimization. However, if the technology and graphics and programming games cost us a lot, and at the same time we have not secured funds for marketing, then we may have a problem with getting the right traffic to even the most beautiful store under the sun.

Many customers are wary of online advertising because awareness of how different advertising systems work is simply low. The most important points that reinforce the belief that this is a real investment, not just an expense, are:

– by advertising your online store, we can accurately measure the effectiveness of each campaign or advertising channel,
– you can choose any time you want to broadcast your ads in response to market changes or specific events,
– you can flexibly manage your budget and seeing that it “works”, spend more money on advertising,
– you can and even need to test new solutions that have sales potential,
– you can easily determine how much it costs you to acquire a customer and optimize the campaign in this respect. Anyway, this is the most interesting piece of the puzzle – many entrepreneurs who apply to Paraphrase Online do not know how much they can actually spend to acquire one customer. For some products it will be hundreds of dollars, and for others it will be cents.

Considering the above, one conclusion emerges immediately. Too small a budget at the beginning will make the test less reliable and you can alienate yourself with a given advertising tool. Let’s say you have an online store with a lot of competition that spends $ 10,000 on advertising only in Google Ads. However, you have $ 500 a month for this environment. This amount will result in insufficient traffic in a given category. Because what if basically acquiring a client in this category costs e.g. $ 250? Too small a sample will make you randomly burn $ 500 at random.

In order to draw the appropriate conclusions, it is necessary to determine at the beginning – preferably in consultation with a specialist in a given field – how much it must be spent for the “trial” to give us the actual size of the potential profit.

When advertising on the internet, the matter is simple – too small a budget for a given area will be a simple waste of money that we still don’t have. Is there such a thing as too big an advertising budget? Yes! At a certain level, with a given targeting of advertisements, it may turn out that we can not spend more on advertising indefinitely because the converting traffic will remain at the current level and the expenses will increase. This will make getting customers just more expensive.

That is why it is so important to balance the investment in advertising and its supervision over the timeline.

Well, what if you have $ 3,000 for advertising, but you know that there are companies in your industry that spend $ 20,000? Then the most reasonable solution is to focus on the advertising channel that best converts for the industry. Sometimes it will be Google Ads text ads, sometimes cooperation with micro influencers or affiliation, and sometimes relying on YT advertising video views. It all depends on the store, target group and your goals as well as several other factors.

So, if you have a limited budget, my advice would be to consult the topic with a specialist or even in a public forum (e.g. groups on Facebook) and find out where to invest in the first place to obtain resources to expand advertising activities.

The more you have an advertising budget, the more holistic advertising you can take and give you the comfort of looking at your business in the long term and, for example, investing in online store positioning (if it makes sense in your industry).

Below are the basic forms of advertising for online stores that work.

Online store positioning

I start from the end. Positioning an online store will bring benefits – depending on the industry in which you operate – after a long time, and therefore many entrepreneurs do not pay attention to the first thing, because they want to quickly monetize their fresh store. Positioning, however, is worth considering because you do not want to operate on the market for 3 or 6 months, but many years. That is why it is worth knowing that positioning an online store is the cheapest method of acquiring potential customers in the long run. So if you have an extra budget for this type of investment, it’s definitely worth it.

What does it mean to position an online store? In the simplest terms, it will make sure that the user searching for a given phrase in the search engine first hits your site. In practice, this means that you must be on the first page of search results and as high as possible. Of course, the trick is to position yourself on phrases that convert, i.e. in the case of an online store they just sell. There is a higher probability that the user who specifies his query – e.g. product – is closer to purchase than the one who enters a search query with a high degree of generality. It is also worth knowing that often attractive phrases are occupied by strong brands and competitors, which means that it is often worth considering long tail positioning, i.e. key words and phrases that are less frequently searched, but at the same time – on an appropriate scale – will bring caloric movement .

Organic results – that is, those that “naturally” shows Google in the search engine, are characterized by a high degree of credibility with potential customers. A positioned phrase will work for you in the long term, and keeping it in a given position will require care, but not as much as just “pulling” it to the first page of search results.

Google Ads for online store

Google Ads – once Google AdWords – is the Google advertising system and currently the most widely used tool for internet marketing. Many channels, many targeting options, lots of advertising formats and amazing measurability. First of all, it is on Ads that you should direct your attention if you want to start earning quickly.

You can do a lot with Google Ads, so I will discuss areas that will be particularly valuable “at the entrance” and worth exploring.

Google product ads

Online store marketing is in many cases based on Google product ads, i.e. Google Shopping. Enter any product query in Google – e.g. men’s watch – and you will receive on the top or right side photos of product data that are advertised by given online stores and matched to your query and whether you are in a given interest group.

This type of advertising is very effective for three reasons. First of all, we buy often through the eyes. Secondly, we immediately get the price of the product. Thirdly, however, such advertising – if it is well optimized – is well suited to my intentions, i.e. it responds to my needs.

It is difficult to imagine a better product presentation, already at the stage of browsing the search engine by a given user.

Text Ads

Google text ads usually appear above organic results. Since they do not differ from “natural” results in anything but the small inscription “advertisement”, many Google users simply treat them as the result given by the search engine. Behind the text ad – there is also an advertiser. A properly optimized advertisement will download caloric traffic to your website, which will eventually turn into real buyers. Text advertising is usually the best associated tool in the Google Ads family (previously it was even synonymous with the Google AdWords brand). There are also various other names, such as sponsored links.

Youtube

You know YouTube, and this already means something, and even if you treat it purely entertaining, this platform has many more uses. Youtube is the world’s second internet search engine, which serves us not only as a music player, but also to help in many matters – from searching for recipes for cooking, and ending with reviews of cars or paints for painting. Of course, it is also a place where companies build their own content and decide to cooperate with creators. Video advertising works on many senses, but also has the chance to engage the recipient on a completely different emotional level. All this means that ads on Youtube are more and more often used by advertisers and of various scale of operation – starting from millions of budgets and ending with limited campaigns for several thousand dollars.

For reasonable money, you can build a really good reach and number of views of your videos, thus resonating in the perception of potential customers.

Remarketing

Remarketing is a way to reach people who have already been to your online store’s website. The system collects a list of such people, which you can later use in various ways. For example, you can reach people who have abandoned the cart with already added products or dropped off at the payment stage. Proposing a small discount or a reminder of a sad, abandoned basket can make them return to unfinished shopping. You can also apply remarketing extensively – to everyone who just visited your store and at a different time horizon. You can target remarketing banners to people who were 500 days ago, as well as to those who left it yesterday or a few minutes ago.

Remarketing is widely used not only in the Google Ads system but also in social media. In today’s world something is still chasing us and we have a lot of distractions around. We also add products or watch on smartphones, and then forget about them because just … our bus stop has fallen out and must go on. Hundreds of situations distract us from finalizing purchases. Remarketing cleverly and relatively cheaply reminds you of your store and therefore nicely supports online store marketing.

Social Media and online store marketing

Facebook, Instagram, and even LinkedIn, Snapchat or TikTok – all social media platforms are pretty good, and sometimes even the first choice for online store marketing. Each of these portals requires a different approach. However, due to the “proximity” of potential content recipients and the possibility of interacting with them, social media is a valued marketing channel.

Facebook offers the widest group of users and also the best-designed for targeting. As an agency, we have defended ourselves for a long time against the introduction of this type of service, but ultimately customers forced us to do so. And very well. We see that the combined campaigns in the Google and Facebook environment intertwine wonderfully and we have also gained a broad picture of where and how to invest funds for given industries. For example, it may turn out that Facebook remarketing works better for a given store, and Gmail ads work well again for another one. We have on board a team of specialists who have recently been certified in the Facebook Blueprint program, which guarantees our clients top-class care.

Facebook offers various advertising goals as well as formats tailored to your specific needs. Thanks to the installation of Facebook Pixel, there is also an option to measure the effectiveness of our campaigns to the penny and to approach the marketing of the online store on Facebook flexibly in time and budget.

Summary

Consider the examples above and choose which method will be best for you.

Marketing – the “invention” of the 20th century?

The concept of marketing appeared relatively recently, as it was around the time of World War II, in the USA. However, the fact that it was only then called this phenomenon does not mean that marketing itself was not born until the mid-twentieth century. Because the first ads can already be found in excavations straight from ancient Greece or Rome. After all, competition in the world of selling products and services has never slept. However, it must be admitted that it was the 20th century – not to mention the current times – that was the time when the market developed extremely dynamically. We operate in a consumer-oriented society with extensive needs and open to new products and services. The number of brands, products and solutions is growing not only from year to year, but also by the minute. And if so, the activities themselves that are to encourage the customer to choose product X, not Y, are evolving.

Modern marketing – the one we know today – therefore differs from previous attempts at promotion by one detail that is of colossal importance. It has the form of organized strategic activities, subordinated to a specific goal. Although there is a lot of room for creativity in it, there is no chance and chaos. Then, the likelihood of budget overflows is highest.

What is marketing?

The question of what marketing is is more difficult than you might think. Not at all because there is no definition of this term. On the contrary. Over the past few decades, a whole lot of them have appeared, as well as disputes about what marketing is and what is not. For example: are PR activities part of marketing or a completely separate plot? And … does it matter?

If we define marketing as all activities that support the sale of products and influence customer decisions – not necessarily. Because this group of activities includes almost everything – from designing the brand logo to activities in social media or price reduction.

One thing is certain: marketing focuses on the needs of consumers and satisfying their needs through a specific offer of products or services. By acting in this direction, the company increases the likelihood that the customer will choose its offer, rather than the competition – because it will be better suited to his expectations.

Is marketing the same as advertising?

It cannot be denied that both concepts are closely related. However, they are not the same. Advertising is part of marketing strategies. These are specific messages aimed at promotion, which are sent to recipients. But marketing itself covers a much broader scope of activities – those that have, among others:

– inform the customer about the existence of a given problem / topic or its exposure,
– inform about the existence of a specific brand / product and maintain this awareness in the long term,
– arouse interest and encourage interaction (which at the beginning does not have to be a purchase),
– help “push” the customer towards conversion – understood not only as buying a product, but also, e.g. leaving contact details or starting communication with the brand,
– build a positive brand image based on a specific set of values,
– build and maintain communication with the target group of potential customers – also to research their needs on an ongoing basis and to better match the offered products,
– build long-term relationships and brand attachment – so that the customer returns to it many times.

The very description of these marketing goals shows that advertising alone is only a fraction (very important!) Of this area of functioning in the business environment.

Is marketing the same as sales?

The sale transaction is the last stage to which marketing activities always lead. So that’s the result of marketing. However, marketing alone does not focus on closing sales, i.e. negotiating the target terms of the contract with the customer. The marketing funnel leads the customer from interest in solving a problem or response to needs, through interest in a product or service, to inducing the need for a specific solution. Activities in its area are also carried out after the sale – so as to maintain communication with the client and make him come back again. So let’s keep these differences in mind and look at marketing as a separate element of market communication – the most diverse and crucial for business efficiency in the business world.

The 7P concept, i.e. the elements that make up marketing

To understand even better what aspects marketing covers, you can refer to one of the concepts of marketing mix, i.e. a network of related elements that affect the market environment of an enterprise.

In the first version, created in 1960, E Jerome McCarthy talked about 4P, and thus about the success of the company’s strategy is influenced by:

– product – its quality, design, packaging, brand and fit to customer needs,
– price – the demand for it also depends on how much the product costs. But this does not mean that the pricing policy must be guided towards the maximum reduction in rates;
– place – a market where products go,
– promotion – and this includes, among others, advertising and PR activities or merchandising.

Currently, the literature also adds further aspects to this list, such as:

– people – it’s both about the customer service staff and the customer himself,
– process – the way in which customer service goes from interest in the offer to after-sales service,
– physical evidence – all “tangible” elements of the company’s image that affect its perception, e.g. the brand’s logo, its website, visual identification system or the appearance of its headquarters.

There are also another “P“, e.g. “pleasure“, i.e. the pleasure of using services, so important in today’s consumer market. So, as you can see, issues related to defining marketing are a river topic. One thing is certain: if you take any action with a view to ultimately increase sales – this is part of marketing. Since marketing includes such a large group of diverse activities, you can guess that there are also various divisions and classifications. It all depends, of course, on what criteria of division will be adopted.

Traditional and internet marketing

Marketing, especially online, is a very broad category of activity. Which one will you choose? It depends, among others from the industry in which you operate, as well as your target group or promotional goals. However, it is worth looking at the most popular types.

SEO marketing
These are all activities related to website positioning. The absolute foundation of communication with clients in the 21st century. Why? You will answer for yourself if you think for a moment where you are looking for e.g. information about good restaurants in the area or proven ski equipment. Modern consumers direct their first steps to the Internet search engine and most often click on the first few results on the list. And if so – the position your website achieves in SERPs (search results) determines how effectively you reach customers.

Content marketing
It’s so-called content marketing, and therefore all activities related to “textual” communication with the recipient. This broad category includes content published on your website (and not only, but also because of SEO), external image articles, as well as product descriptions and much more. The better and richer the content you create, the greater the market potential of your brand.

Social Media Marketing
So all activities related to market communication carried out in social media – e.g. on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn. Warning! It is not only about paid advertising, but above all about adding interesting posts, as well as building a community and communication with its members.

Video marketing
Contrary to appearances, this is not the same as TV commercials. The content of video materials that are posted for marketing purposes can be completely different. Popular are, for example, thematic guides with product placement, cooperation with vloggers or purely image-based clips.

Remarketing
These are automated activities that aim to display to the consumer ads related to what he has previously searched on the web. For example, a person who has visited a website of an online store with clothing displays his ads when he visits other websites. Remarketing is one of the most interesting solutions especially in the context of abandoned shopping carts.

Word of mouth marketing
Based on product and service recommendations – these are now more and more often authentic opinions obtained from customers.

It is also worth mentioning on mobile marketing – activities aimed at interacting with smartphone users (including, among others, sending SMSs with information about promotions!), and above all about inbound marketing, i.e. ‘inbound’ marketing, which is aimed at waking up interest of the recipient – so that he himself actively searches for content related to a particular brand, as well as offers. Strategies based on it are considered to be the most effective.

This, of course, does not exhaust the list of marketing varieties. But it will never end, because new ways of reaching the customer are constantly emerging – along with the evolution of the market itself, technology and social needs. Keep this in mind when planning your marketing strategy – to be effective, it must be adapted to current trends.

Effective Marketing

Marketing is an extremely broad concept that covers all activities related to communication with the customer, ultimately aimed at selling products. Due to the fact that it is such a vast area, it is sometimes difficult to find yourself in a sea of available opportunities. So what to do to focus on success and step by step increase your business potential?

A good marketing strategy is an absolute foundation

There is a lot of room for improvisation in life – for example, when you prepare a new dish according to the recipe, but you depart from the instructions and act “your own way”. Remember, however, that doing so carries the risk of failure – your dinner may end up in the basket. And while it will be a rather small loss, you invest capital in marketing activities, and not a small amount. You will pay a lot for unsuccessful decisions – especially since your competition is awake.

Therefore, thinking about effective marketing, you can not leave anything to chance. Research shows that marketers who plan their activities and set clear goals are almost 400% more effective. And this means that before you move on to planning specific campaigns, you need to take a few steps back and master key issues.

Define what you offer to the market

We start from the basics, straight from a business plan, but there is no other way to success. If you have already done your homework and defined exactly what your brand brings – go to the next section. What if not:

– start by listing the current range of services or products you offer,
– list their strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats – that is, make a classic SWOT analysis,
– analyze your business environment and see what competition offers. It is important how many competitors you have and how they work to attract customers,
– specify who you direct your products to

Creating one, collective group of target customers is not enough – especially when your products are targeted at a wide range. Therefore, go a step further: outline the persona of individual types of customers. It’s about clarifying who each potential customer is. It is important that you:

– named each person and (best) assigned a picture to it (visualization will help in planning),
– defined demographic information about her – i.e. age, gender, place of residence, but also professional status and level of wealth or interest,
– clarified what each person is interested in, their problems and needs, as well as where you can meet different types of clients.

Develop a short and long term marketing strategy

Before you start refining what and where you will publish – specify what results you expect. This applies to both a short, e.g. several-month perspective, and to a long-term perspective. Make sure your goals comply with SMART rules, including measurable, realistic to achieve, specific, important for the organization and defined in time. For example, you can assume that you will improve your sales results by 5% over the next six months. Effective marketing – to call it that after all, it must be measured.

Adjust the strategy of achieving business goals to the needs of target customers

For example, if you want to increase sales in e-commerce channels, and your recipients are, for example, women aged 35-50, you need to think about where they are online and offline and what they expect. All marketing activities – from typical banner ads to ATL campaigns – must be designed to appeal to their expectations and engage in action.

Specify campaign budget

There is no such thing as an unlimited advertising budget. And this means that you need to reasonably distribute funds allocated for promotion. So how? It all depends on the specifics of your industry and the goals of the campaign. However, online communication is playing an increasingly important role (if not crucial). Importantly, if you invest money well into online promotion, e.g. inbound marketing strategies, you’ll enjoy high ROI (return on investment). The assumed budget is one of the main points to which we will refer effective marketing.

Plan a schedule for specific activities

Therefore, specify what elements your campaign will cover, where and to what extent it will be conducted and when. At this point, you are ready to move from planning to action.

And the most important: do not forget that a very important element of effective marketing activities is their constant monitoring and audit. Without control over what results the campaign brings on a regular basis and how it had a general impact on sales results or acquiring leads – you will not know what to improve and how. It is also important to:

– each marketing campaign was coherent – both “internally”, so that the presented messages are not mutually exclusive, and in the context of the overall image of your brand,
– focus on accompanying the customer with the purchase rather than intrusive sales – suggest and share knowledge instead of deciding for the recipient.

Effective marketing strategies, or what?

The basics are behind us. And now it’s time to look at what currently works best in marketing strategies. Remember: the advertising and customer communication market is changing dynamically. Therefore, you also need to constantly change your actions, adapting to current trends and requirements. So what should you bet on now?

Smart SEO

Where do you usually look for information about products and services today? The answer is simple: on the Internet. The best friend when shopping is Uncle Google. And if so, it is important that your offer is visible in the search results – and high. Therefore, SEO and positioning activities are an essential element of a modern and effective marketing strategy. But remember: Google’s algorithm is constantly changing and today only promotes valuable and credible content. Therefore, make sure that you entrust to specialists who know what they are doing.

Content marketing

Good, valuable content just makes Google like you more simply. That is why content marketing is the present and future of the promotion. It’s about creating engaging and valuable content – especially for your website, as well as for other communication channels, e.g. on social media. The more useful and engaging content you avoid, the easier it will be for you:

– strengthen SEO activities (provided that you optimize the texts in terms of your strategy, e.g. by enriching them with headlines and keywords),
– arouse customer interest and trust – the more information you give them, the better image you will create. And this will ultimately translate into financial results.

Acquisition of sales leads

The process of convincing a customer to buy from you, not from competitors, is … a process. Sometimes it takes a long time, and months pass from the moment when the consumer hears about your brand or product to complete the transaction. The secret to success in the long term is therefore to accompany the customer at every stage of the marketing funnel and subtly remind you of the solutions offered.

The basis, however, is obtaining sales leads, and thus basic data (e.g. name and email address) – so that you can send potential clients various types of messages that will become an impulse for them to act.

How to get leads? There are many ways. Various types of landing page types work well, but not only.

Remarketing and effective marketing

It is also an important element related to the acquisition of leads. What is the point In a nutshell, it’s about using marketing automation tools to display ads to customers who have already expressed an interest in the offer. For example: a person has already visited your online store and even put some things in the basket, but eventually changed their mind. The way to get her back is to show her ads related to your offer – e.g. on social media and on the following pages that she will visit. Such delicate but repetitive “reminders” can work wonders and become an impulse to buy.

Mailing and effective marketing

Although most of the emails you send to customers as part of your mailing campaigns will remain … unread if you prepare and direct them well – you have the chance to increase your turnover. This is possible when you combine mailing with remarketing elements and direct good messages to the right people. For example, an accidentally sent message with general content and a non-intriguing subject will rather go to the trash. But if a potential customer a day after he visited your store, he receives a message with a discount about a few percent on the products he saw – the effectiveness of the message will be much higher. Of course, these are just a few examples of strategies that should be included in a modern marketing campaign – so that it is effective.

But remember: Your success depends primarily on precise and sound planning. The better you understand their needs and the more accurately you plan your campaign – the more satisfying its effects will be.