About |
Online Marketing Consultant Adam Jacobs’ 5 Tips for marketing your business...and Avoiding the Pitfalls
There is no time like the present to start improving your social media marketing for your business. There is no perfect social media campaign but you can put your best foot forward.
Online Marketing Consultant Adam Jacobs, host of “The Online Atom podcast” www.onlineatom.com (available on iTunes, Android and Blackberry), has interviewed many business owners and entrepreneurs to find out what forms of online marketing they have done that actually works. The most important thing he discovered was that there are firm rules and some rules that can be broken when it comes to marketing your business successfully online. He said that the businesses that were consistent in the process had the most success online. "Many business owners are frustrated that they receive poor results in their online marketing, and this is because besides knowing what to do and what not to do they are not measuring their success.” Having interviewed top entrepreneurs, markets and business owners Adam says they theme that all success online takes is a “need to improve constantly and a desire to know where their money is going.”
The biggest problems? "That's a tough one," says Jacobs. “I think it’s a clear misunderstanding of what can and can’t be done online, if people ran a coupon in the local paper they blame the advertising messaging if it is unsuccessful, online we can clearly determine what works and does not work. I’ve seen companies spend half a million dollars on a website and not know what they are going to do with it, no strategy, no idea.”
To help business owners, Jacobs has used the information he got from interviewing businesses owners as well as his experience as an online marketing consultant to come up with these 5 tips:
1. Know your market.
Your marketing strategy will never be successful if you do not have a clearly defined audience. Before you spend a dime on marketing, figure out your target market first. There’s no need to pay top dollar to hire a fancy market research firm. If you know your product, you should be able to figure out your market yourself. For example, who will be most interested in your product? Men or women? What is their age group? What are your customer’s interests? What is their likely financial situation?
Once you have a thorough profile of your customer, determining how and where to reach them is much easier. This step may take awhile, and that’s OK. If you start marketing before you have a clear customer profile though, you will likely be wasting your dollars in places that will never reach your customer. Just because Pinterest is growing rapidly, doesn’t mean your audience is the one making it grow.
2. Set and reset goals.
Determine what you are looking to gain from online marketing. Increased awareness? Increased revenue? You will probably have multiple goals, but keep track of what they are so you can measure your success. When you reach your initial goals, set new goals so your company can continue to improve.
3. Set a budget.
Now that you know who your target market is and have set goals, plan your budget accordingly. The good thing about online marketing is that you can be successful even when on a tight budget. A lot of platforms are available at no charge. However, sticking solely with free forms of online marketing might not be the best strategy for your company. Carefully determine what outlets are most necessary for your product and be willing to spend some money to get results.
4. Ask for feedback
Add a button that says: "Can't find what you are looking for? Email us your question." You are not your customer, and there is no way you can know what they are experiencing. Let them tell you what they want.
5. Social media.
Don’t just sign up for these services and then forget about them. Start being active on social media. These sites should be used to promote your blog posts and communicate with customers. However, most people don’t follow companies on social media unless the company gives them a reason to. So, of course, give them a reason!
Jacobs’ Podcast “Online Atom,” at www.onlineatom.com covers everything it takes to plan an online media strategy that will be remembered. Its full of practical advice - from social media to paid online advertising.
Adam Jacobs is available for interviews and comments at adam@onlineatom.com or contactable via phone on +61 433191798
Media Contact:
Adam Jacobs
Address: 5/1 Alfriston St., Elwood, 3184, Victoria, Australia
Website: www.onlineatom.com
E-mail: adam@onlineatom.com
Phone Number: +61 433191798