Effective advertising for companies

A properly organized advertising campaign will bring you a lot of benefits – its goal, however, is to acquire customers in the first place. The risk of failure is significantly reduced if you put your ad for your company on solid foundations:
– proper preparation of the strategy,
– thoughtful and consistent actions,
– monitoring and analysis of the results.

A successful idea can turn even a small investment into many new customers or numerous orders. Even basic promotion, but consistently and in line with the expectations of the target group, can bring very good results.

What is the most effective advertising for businesses? There is no clear answer to this question. It depends on many factors, including industry, scale of operation or specificity of the target group. One thing is certain – you should always carefully plan all marketing activities, and decisions made in this area should be based on the analysis of the results to date, competition and the business environment. Sounds complicated? Probably because “shooting” with an advertisement is not an easy matter. The good news, however, is that entrepreneurs now have remarkably wide opportunities in this regard.

The cheapest advertising for companies – internet marketing

The concept of internet marketing is extremely broad. In principle, a modern company can base its promotional activities only in this area, ignoring completely “analog” forms of advertising, and at the same time enjoying successes. The cheapest and measurable advertising for companies is also waiting for you on the Internet. Many activities can be carried out completely for free, although the lack of money requires other resources – mainly time, energy and knowledge. Others allow for significant gains with inputs appropriate to the business. Below is an overview of the most popular ways to advertise for businesses on the Internet.

Google My Business and Google Maps

The Google My Business listing is something every entrepreneur should have. It is completely free and it takes a few moments to set up. All you need is a Google account. The business card shows basic information about your company – its name, address and other contact details, opening hours and possibly a short description. It also allows Google users to rate it and leave feedback. It is also associated with the so-called pin in Google Maps – it shows the exact location of the company and allows you to access information about it. What’s more, it appears in the search results on the so-called brand phrases – that is, for example, “locksmith Boston”, “New York clinic” or “Miami furniture store”.

Thanks to the Business Card, your business can be found much easier. However, this is not all, as its functions also allow you to bring your company closer to customers. With the use of Google My Business, you can add descriptions of special offers or news to your listing, as well as respond to user reviews. It is also possible to add photos and videos, including e.g. 360 ° views and virtual walks. Customers expect this type of information more and more often and it is very valuable to them! As a result, interest in the company and trust in its services will increase, which is invaluable. An exhaustive business card is also building the image of a professional company.

Social media

Social media is usually the next step in promoting a company on the Internet. Even the most reluctant people like Facebook. The reasons are simple – this portal is used by the vast majority of Internet users (statistics say even about 80%), its operation is very simple and allows direct interaction with customers. You can also find business partners this way and check what your competitors are doing.

Social media, however, are also many other platforms, and each of them is suitable for “acquiring” a slightly different type of client. It is worth paying attention to them and operating on as many portals as possible corresponding to the profile of your business. These include:
– Instagram – great primarily for the beauty, clothing and lifestyle brands,
– Twitter – for companies looking for B2B customers,
– LinkedIn – also recommended to B2B companies and representatives of specific industries,
– TikTok – for lifestyle, technology, fashion, beauty, toys, gadgets and all products aimed at young people,
– Pinterest – for companies from the lifestyle and beauty industry, online stores, blogs,
– YouTube – primarily for trade and service industry, but not only!

Each of these platforms allows you to run a profile for free. This means that thanks to appropriate, regularly published content, you can create a community around your brand, build a company’s reputation, improve its image and gain greater recognition. Each of them also offers quite wide possibilities of paid advertising, which can bring really good results at a relatively low cost! Importantly, these are tools for companies operating in various industries and on any scale. This is an excellent advertisement for global companies, but also for local ones!

However, it is worth remembering that social media takes a lot of time. If you are going to run the profiles yourself, it can be difficult to reconcile this with business management. Regularity is very important – by stopping the publication of posts, you can very quickly get out of circulation. However, quality is also extremely important – each publication should have interesting and engaging content, in line with the expectations of your target group.

Email Marketing

This is one of the oldest forms of promotion on the Internet, but this type of advertising for companies is still effective. Today, however, mailing is based primarily on newsletters, and not, like until recently, on offers sent to random people.

A newsletter can be a very effective form of promotion and the best way to get people to sign up is to offer a discount or gift (e.g. a free e-book). Properly structured and rarely sent e-mails will help maintain interest in the offer and inform about new products. Mailing can also be done for free!

Web page

The company’s own website is a form of advertising on the Internet. This is her business card, which can be much more extensive than the one created in Google My Business. At the same time, the customer has much easier access to practical information on the website than on the Facebook profile, which is also very important.

By having your own address on the Internet, you can promote your business with SEO and content marketing. SEO is different from positioning, so all activities aimed at making your website appear as high as possible in the search results. It is extremely important. Nowadays, most people look for information about the services they need on Google. Only a small percentage of Internet users visit websites from outside the so-called top 10, i.e. the top ten results displayed, so being in it should be a priority for every business. The higher the position, the greater the chances of acquiring new customers.

Content marketing means content marketing. It is promoting your business by publishing texts, photos, infographics, videos, podcasts, interviews, etc. Such activities have two main functions. First, the image – they allow you to get to know the company’s activities, its industry, offer or team. They help in perceiving the company as an expert in their field, thereby increasing customer confidence. This is a value that cannot be overestimated! In addition, they help in positioning, i.e. increase the visibility of the site in search engines. Content answering questions asked by Internet users, containing specific keywords, comprehensive, valuable and original, is promoted by Google algorithms, which makes them appear higher in the results. A company blog is especially helpful with SEO – it should be run by every entrepreneur!

You can set up a website and blog for free, although it’s better to choose a paid but good-sounding domain (address) and server. It is not a big cost. You can “set up” the website and its administration yourself, but it requires knowledge. You can also outsource this task to an external entity. The costs in this case vary greatly, as they depend on the level of development of the website. It is definitely worth the investment though!

Google Ads

Your own website is also the ability to use Google Ads, which will direct you to it. This is a full-fledged, paid advertising for companies. However, it does not necessarily mean high costs. It depends on you what range the promotion will have and to whom the message will go. Thanks to this, you can easily adjust the scale and costs of activities to your capabilities or needs.

What kind of advertisements can I place via Google Ads?

– Text ad is the most used. It involves placing sponsored links above Google search results. Such a link looks almost exactly the same as an organic result. It is a very neutral and effective advertisement – Internet users do not hesitate to click on such links.
– Image advertising allows you to place marketing content on various websites on the Internet. It is enough to prepare the banner and mark where and to whom it should be displayed. This is a great solution for companies that want to appear more widely in the minds of consumers.
– Remarketing looks very similar, but targets internet users who have already visited your website. In this way, you can, for example, remind them of the products they viewed in the store. Such activities can be very effective – especially in the e-commerce industry.
– Product advertising is also targeted at online stores. It allows you to place a specific product from the store along with the price and photo at the very top of the page above the search results. The link takes you straight to the store where the customer can immediately purchase the product they are looking for.

Advertising on Google can be a great tool for acquiring new customers and building brand awareness. This is a great advertisement for local businesses, because when setting the parameters of the advertisement, you can indicate the location of its display with very high accuracy. The costs of marketing activities carried out in this way are affordable, especially compared to the results that can be obtained. Moreover, entrepreneurs appreciate this form of advertising for its quick results, flexibility and a favorable settlement model (Pay Per Click). The effectiveness of actions can be monitored thanks to the available analyzes, which is also a big advantage!

Analog advertising – still effective?

The Internet provides not only very wide advertising opportunities, but also good results with flexible costs. However, conducting marketing activities in it requires a lot of time, commitment and knowledge. Not everyone feels comfortable enough in this space. This is one of the reasons why more traditional forms of advertising are not dying out. Moreover, they are still effective! Radio and TV spots are reserved rather for companies with large budgets and staffs of marketing specialists. It is not easy to run a successful campaign in this way. However, there are also many other forms of promotion that can be carried out on any scale. Below you will find some of the most interesting.

Printed materials

Do good flyers make any sense these days? Absolutely, but advertising the company in this way must be carried out wisely and it will be effective in specific areas. Above all, the leaflet must be well-edited – the content should attract and encourage. It is also worth spending a lot of time on the graphic form – the unattractive one can effectively discourage you from reading the content. The method of distribution is also important. Leaflets delivered to mailboxes are generally more effective than those distributed on the street. The recipient then has time to get to know them. It also makes it possible to better match the content to the target group. For example, if a company provides Internet or cable television, it should deliver its leaflets primarily to the mailboxes of residents of newly built houses and apartments.

The content of the leaflet should clearly indicate the information encouraging to use the services. It can be a discount to be used on the first visit or a gift given with the first purchase. These types of treatments are very effective and will help you measure the effectiveness of that particular channel!

Catalogs are other popular printed materials. Despite the wide availability of information on the Internet, many people still like it very much. Catalogs work best in some specific industries – for example in trade or tourism. It even happens that they are awaited like… Ikea’s catalog.

Outdoor advertising (billboards)

Outdoor advertising is very universal. It can be used in many industries, both on the local and national market. It usually complements campaigns also run through other channels, but it can also be used on its own. Some companies decide to conduct very creative marketing with the use of billboards – e.g. teaser campaigns, which in the first phase do not contain the name of the company or product and are intended to intrigue the recipient.

Billboards allow you to reach a very large number of recipients. The best locations are large intersections in cities, although exposure along some roads may also be profitable. However, remember to change it often. Many people use the same routes every day, so the nearby advertisements can quickly “stick”. A well-constructed, aesthetic and concise billboard may, however, create positive associations with the brand and increase its recognition. In this case, there is also a lower risk of becoming counterproductive than, for example, in the case of TV or radio spots. Outdoor advertising is already embedded in the landscape, especially in cities, and therefore evokes neutral emotions.

Contrary to appearances, a billboard campaign does not have to be expensive. It can also be supplemented by smaller forms of outdoor advertising – e.g. posters at bus stops, banners, light boxes. Generally, however, outdoor advertising is awareness-raising, not sales.

Advert in newspaper

Newspaper advertising is not extinct either! The press is still selling well, and thanks to the presence of many titles, it is easier to choose a publication that is perfect for promoting your business. So it is an advertisement for companies where you can address a specific target. It can be of various forms and sizes. Depending on these parameters, as well as the place of publication, its price varies. A small advertisement in the local press can cost as low as $ 100. On the other hand, the prices of large campaigns carried out in global dailies or monthlies are often counted in millions.

The advertising in the newspaper is supported by, among others its large and frequent exposure. It is also one of the better ways to reach out to people who are not internet users. This channel gives a lot of freedom in terms of form, and at the same time is credible – information published in newspapers is highly trusted by people with a more traditional rhythm of life.

What kind of advertising will be right for your business? You can decide for yourself or consult experts. The experience and commitment of professionals is what you need to be truly effective!

How to start an online store and ensure its success?

Have you been running an online store for a long time, but still collecting too few orders? Or maybe you are just planning to enter the market, but want to be sure that you will start “with a bang”? Regardless of the motivation, it is worth knowing ways to attract more customers to your online store. Good selling is not a matter of luck at all, at least usually. Those who consistently work for their success, while taking care of the consistency and thoughtful nature of their actions, are much more successful. This is all the more important as nowadays there are more and more e-shops, and therefore the competition is growing. Getting started trading online is often a matter of just a few clicks, but success is much more difficult.

Below you will find proven ideas on how to start your online store. Of course, the best results will be achieved by combining at least several promotion methods. Also, don’t forget the basics – no advertisement will help you stand out if your store page is non-functional or you are unable to offer the right level of customer service. Then you can only generate more traffic on it, but it will not translate into the number of transactions. Take care of the construction of the store itself, its appearance and clear layout. Try to display your products in the best possible way (lots of photos, extensive descriptions, etc.). Think about what makes your offer different and focus on promoting this feature.

First: SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is activities focused on website optimization in accordance with the requirements of search engines, especially Google. Thanks to them, your website is displayed higher in the search results, which means that more people find it. Optimization gives long-term results, although it takes a long time to notice them. That is why it is worth taking care of it in the first place – after all, you think about your store in long-term terms, right? Theoretically, this is a free form of advertising – all you need to do is constantly work on optimizing your website to start showing better results. In practice, however, effective actions require knowledge, time and dedication. Therefore, work on SEO usually comes down to employing a specialist in this field or using the services of an agency.

Optimizing a website according to SEO principles includes many factors. It can be divided into two groups. On-site activities are carried out directly on the website and rely on its appropriate preparation – in accordance with the requirements of the search engine algorithms. This means adapting the entire structure of the website and its content. The most important on-site activities include:
– supplementing missing content – mainly product descriptions,
– elimination of duplicate content ,
– content saturation with key phrases,
– appropriate selection of the content structure – length, headings, paragraphs, attributes,
– supplementing meta data,
 – the use of internal linking,
– adapting the website to display on different devices (responsiveness),
– code optimization and ordering.

All these factors affect the visibility of the website, although there are of course many more of them. In addition, off-site activities, consisting primarily of building a database of links leading to the website, help in positioning. When carrying out all activities related to positioning, remember to use only good practices. This is important, and the updates of the algorithms have already cut traffic on pages that were building separate areas too aggressively – e.g. link profile.

Second: Google Ads

Systematic and continuous activities within SEO will allow you to climb up in the search results systematically – as long as they are carried out correctly. However, if you operate in a competitive industry, it is very possible that you will never make it to the top. There is, however, a shortcut. Thanks to Google Ads, and specifically sponsored links in the search engine, your website can appear at the very top of the list of search results. Experience shows that such advertising can be very effective if used correctly. This is a very simple answer to the question of how to start an online store quickly and efficiently.

Google Ads is in fact a very extensive tool available for both small and large companies and used successfully by them. Payments are made only for clicking on an advertisement, which is a very favorable settlement model from the entrepreneur’s point of view. However, this requires very precise configuration of the settings. Proper selection of parameters can bring large profits at low costs. Sponsored links are unobtrusive and the average user is not associated with bothersome advertising, and the ability to precisely define criteria for who the sponsored content is to be displayed affects the effectiveness of this solution.

Google Ads is also the possibility of using the so-called image advertising. It is very effective if you don’t know how to start an online store that no one knows. It is a method that works best in increasing brand recognition and building its image. It consists in displaying your store’s banners on various websites that provide Google with advertising space. You can decide for yourself on which pages your ad will appear, which will increase its effectiveness.

Remarketing advertising looks very similar. This is a great tool for those stores that have a significant amount of so-called abandoned carts (the customer adds products to the cart but does not complete the transaction) or experience other types of conversion problems. Your store banners are then displayed to customers who have already visited it. You can decide that the displayed content should be dynamic, i.e. tailored to a specific user. Then he will see the items he has previously viewed and possibly other related articles. Such advertising can be very effective!

Third: social media

Presence in social media is nowadays a duty of every company – especially an online store. Profiles on popular websites work like constant advertising. The possibilities of their use are very wide. Through regular, interesting posts you can systematically increase your audience and influence their engagement. By also engaging in replying to comments, you help potential customers to feel and strengthen the bond with your brand. It is a unique way of two-way communication with recipients. So you can also get feedback on your actions – find out what you like and what you don’t. In this way, you can also receive a ready-made hint on how to start your online store.

In addition, the most popular social networking sites allow the use of paid ads that allow you to reach a much wider audience. This is primarily about Facebook or Instagram, which offer advertisers a wide range of opportunities and often also satisfying results. However, it is worth using the advertising potential of all platforms on which you operate.

Speaking of which – when it comes to activities in social media, it is not worth limiting yourself. Most companies run Facebook, but they don’t try to appear on other platforms. This is a big mistake because this is where your customers are often! Social media is a way to reach them directly – especially if your target is a younger clientele. Check what YouTube can offer you (you also launch YT campaigns via the Google Ads panel), TikTok or Pinterest – it is very possible that thanks to your activity in these portals you will gain more customers.

Regularity, diligence and matching content to the potential recipient are the most important rules of operation in social media. You need to know who you are “broadcasting” to, show interest and be original. Posts thrown out of duty, ill-considered and simply boring, will certainly not bring the expected results, and may even work the opposite of what you would like.

Fourth: company blog

A company blog is the most important tool for content marketing, i.e. content marketing. It is considered one of the most important and effective methods to stand out on the web. Content marketing has a lot to do with SEO – by publishing high-quality content saturated with the right keywords, you can significantly improve your site’s position on Google. At the same time, it can attract and interest the client. So it is a great method for anyone who wants to know how to start an online store.

What is it about? Content marketing is based on publishing valuable, useful, interesting and original content (the form is also important). It is true that it is not only about texts (you can also publish, for example, videos, infographics, podcasts and many others), but a company blog is one of the simplest forms of content marketing. All you need to do is think about what your customers are interested in or remember what questions they ask about your offer the most and turn this information into blog articles. It is worth ensuring that they are as substantive and comprehensive as possible. Put yourself in the role of an expert and it will help you build a positive image of the store. Write more about your products, their functions, ways of use, key features, and maybe even how and what they are made of. Thanks to this, you will arouse much more interest and trust.

A company blog can be run independently, although most companies decide to hire professionals – a content marketing agency, SEO agency or copywriter. A specialist can use the information you provide to him that will help create unique content. At the same time, however, it will ensure that the whole thing has an optimal form and style, is linguistically correct and presented in an attractive way. It will also take care of the use of keywords in accordance with SEO requirements.

Fifth: email marketing

E-mail marketing is now often relegated to the background, although not so long ago it was the main form of advertising for entrepreneurs who wondered how to start an online store. Today it is rather a supplement, but it is still not worth giving up. By building your own database of e-mail contacts, you become independent from the operation of social networking sites (e.g. in the event of a failure, hacker attack or other factors that will prevent you from using your account), and you also gain an additional channel of communication with customers. It is worth encouraging you to subscribe to the newsletter, e.g. by offering a small discount on the order. You can remind by e-mail about promotions or sales, inform about new products and any changes taking place in the store. Thanks to mailing, you do not let your customers forget about your store and motivate them to visit your website.

Importantly, the cost of email marketing is low. The preparation of the content and graphic design of the message can be commissioned to specialists or prepared by yourself. Tools for sending messages are inexpensive – there is even a lack of functional free programs on the market if the recipient base is not large.

How to run modern, effective e-mail marketing? First, don’t forget about form. Make it inviting, attractive and consistent with the image of your store. Use CTA (Call to Action) to encourage going to the site. Second, think about personalization. Let the customer choose what kind of information he wants to receive, what product groups he is interested in, etc. It greatly increases the effectiveness of the messages sent!

Sixth: discounts, promotions, loyalty program

How to start an online store in terms of the number of purchases and visits to the website? One thing is certain – nothing motivates you to buy more than a price reduction. Sometimes it’s hard to break to offer a promotion in a store that is barely spinning, but believe – it’s worth it. Promotions should be frequent and varied. It is best if they appear at least once a month and you incorporate them in some way in your business model. There are plenty of ideas for effective actions of this type!

You can, for example, every week, on a selected day of the week (or on a weekend, for example), lower the prices of products belonging to a specific department or group. The promotion will be even more effective if the discounts are tailored to the needs of users and related to current events. There are also stores where promotions are valid daily and their scope changes once a week. Example? An internet drugstore that runs weekly promotions on four selected cosmetic brands. The alternative to discounts are promotions such as “two for the price of one” or “buy the product and get the other half price” or “free delivery”. These types of treatments are very effective in encouraging shopping, and they encourage you to visit the store more often or subscribe to the newsletter.

In addition to regular or cyclical promotions, you can also use discount codes as a thank you for loyalty – e.g. a 10% discount on the next purchase for everyone who subscribes to the newsletter and makes purchases for a certain amount. Another method is cashback – e.g. 10% of the order value stored in the customer’s account, which can be used as a discount on subsequent purchases. Such discounts should have an appropriately selected expiry date so that they can be used safely.

Online stores also eagerly use other forms of loyalty programs. For example, you can promise your customers a gift with the fifth order or create a points system that can be exchanged for discounts or rewards. The well-known clothing chain H&M thus encourages you to sign up for the Customer Club. People participating in the program, after spending a certain amount, receive a discount coupon of 10%. Collecting a certain number of points during the year gives Premium status, and in it some privileges – e.g. early access to sales, limited contests and a guarantee of free deliveries and returns of each order.

I am addressing the issue of loyalty programs as if out of duty. Personally, I do not believe in their operation. They are usually used by customers who would use our services anyway. In addition, we have to invest in their promotion in anyway, the advertising budget, so the question of whether it is not better to target new customers remains open. Probably the reasonableness of a given loyalty program depends on many factors, so you have to test a given solution yourself. There are no ready answers.

Seventh: cross-selling and up-selling

If you are not offering your customers similar or complementary products related to what they are watching or selecting, you are making a serious mistake. Cross-selling and up-selling are very simple techniques that allow you to significantly increase your sales. The customer added sports shoes to the cart? Offer him socks made of breathable yarn. Are you buying a smartphone? He should see a window with the recommended accessories – e.g. a protective case, wireless headphones or a power bank. This type of play is called cross-selling.

Up-selling may also work for some online stores, although it is more often used in services. The customer chose a smartphone with 128 GB memory? Ask if he really would prefer the richer version of 256 GB, selecting for example “pay only … dollars” or, for example, “choose a higher variant and get a 10% discount”. Simple? Oh yes, but also extremely effective.

Eighth: analysis

You can implement all of the above methods and still not achieve the desired success. Therefore, try never to act blindly. Constantly analyzing your own actions, as well as watching what the competition is doing, is an extremely important component of success. You won’t correct anything if you don’t measure it first. With analytics, you can instantly see what’s working and what’s not – and then adapt your steps accordingly. Follow the above advice and you will quickly forget about difficult times and you will no longer search for information on how to start your online store!

Advertising on the Internet has many names

Banal statement? Perhaps. Nevertheless, many people equate online promotion primarily with paid banners and sponsored links. It is impossible to hide: they are a very important part of on-line communication. Measurable, effective, with fair settlements. Nevertheless, the possibilities offered by the Internet are much, much more.

Think for a second: how do you use the internet? On the one hand, you are looking for information in it (including those helpful in shopping). On the other hand, you contact your friends and acquaintances and share information about yourself with them on social media. On the next one: you draw a handful of entertainment. On-line games, streaming services, YouTube … can be exchanged like this endlessly. Behind the enormous possibilities offered by the internet, there is also a very wide range of marketing tools that you can use. One thing is certain: they all have the same ultimate goal – to motivate and encourage the consumer to make a purchase decision.

That is why, when writing about advertising, we will take into account both direct promotion strategies and those that fit into the so-called inbound marketing.

Internet advertising – what are the most important types of advertising?

Before we move on to the rules of selecting advertising tools or creating a campaign, let’s answer one more important question: what forms of promotion can you use? There are many of them. Get to know the key ones.

PPC / PPV advertising

Pay-per-click and pay-per-view are the two most popular systems for the settlement of classic online advertisements. These are those that are direct promotional messages and are displayed to users in a typical context. So it is mainly about:
– advertising banners – appearing mainly on websites, e.g. information or industry portals,
– Google Ads text ads – displayed to Google users over the so-called with organic results.

It is worth knowing that a very modern and effective form of PPC or PPV advertising is contextual advertising, especially displayed as part of remarketing. What is going on? That the content appearing in the form of advertisements is related to the interests and activity of each recipient.

Today it is possible – all thanks to cookies, which you are asked to accept after entering each page. Special algorithms process them when any ad site that works with this ad system is accessed. As a result, the user is shown banners referring to the content of previously visited pages.

For example, if you have recently browsed the Wi-Fi router offer, banners of this type will appear more often, which may eventually push you to make a purchase.

It is worth knowing that Google Ads / AdWords ads are billed in the system per click or per pageview – which means that you pay only for certain effects.

The advantages of PPC advertising are:
– easy accessibility,
– relatively low cost,
– simplicity of preparation,
– the possibility of detailed monitoring of the results.

Ads on social media

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn – these are social networking sites that are used by millions or even BILLIONS of users around the world every day. For many people, they are a source of information, contact with loved ones, but also with brands they value and like.

It is worth knowing that in social media you can conduct advertising activity in many ways – not only by creating a company profile. Yes, it is the primary source of communication. Nevertheless, such a fanpage will largely play a PR role, and therefore it will be:

– built brand awareness,
– encouraged interaction / leaving a lead,
– it allows your current and potential customers to stay up to date with your offer.

Yes, strictly advertising content can also appear on it – for example, encouraging people to take advantage of a specific promotion or presenting new products. However, in order for them to reach a sufficiently large number of users, they must be properly promoted. This is the purpose of advertising systems on social networks.

For example, on Facebook you can use e.g. with:
– paid post promotion – so that it is displayed also to people who did not like your page, and at the same time meet the criteria of your target group created according to strict assumptions.
– banner ads – both in the main part of the website and in a dozen or so other, secondary locations

Ads can direct both to your fan page and directly to the website, e.g. to specific products.

The advantages of advertising in social media are:
– the ability to reach a very wide audience,
– the possibility of taking full control over the budget (you control the limits),
– possibility of precise profiling of target groups of messages,
– the ability to adjust the specificity of the advertisement to the purpose of the promotional campaign.

Content marketing

Is content marketing also a form of advertising? Yes, although the promotional message is more subtle and less direct than in the above-described promotion methods. Tools that also function as advertising are mainly internal and external articles, as well as guides, trendbooks or – recently popular podcasts.

If at this moment you think of advertising articles from years ago – those that constituted a “laurel” for the company – you know that modern content marketing has nothing to do with them. Brand information is skillfully woven into expert text that has practical value for the user. Thanks to this, the text is a fairly effective form of direct promotion, and at the same time supports SEO activities.

Video advertising

Contrary to appearances, television or cinema is not the only place where they can be displayed. For their publication, you can use:

– Internet portals that provide such technical possibilities – many of them, especially informational ones, publish their own video materials, so there is an opportunity to place their own advertising message in them,
– YouTube service – ads are displayed here both before the actual recording starts and during it.

The video advertising system was also proposed by Facebook. Importantly, these commercials differ in formula from standard videos prepared for television. On the one hand, short formats of a few seconds are desirable. On the other hand, especially on YouTube, you can afford longer content. If they catch the user’s attention, it can last for several minutes.

Email Marketing

This is another form of communication that belongs more to the inbound format than outbound. Although it may seem ineffective, in fact … it works very well, and at different stages of the customer’s journey towards finalizing the transaction. For that to be the case:

– gain a group of customers interested in the newsletter (and thus obtain valuable leads),
– prepare interesting content, prompting you to take specific, desired actions.

A properly created e-mail message may encourage, for example, to read the content on a company blog, but also directly to purchase, if it informs about a short-term sale or the introduction of a new collection of products.

Of course, this is not the end of promotional tools that can be used on the Internet. There are many more.

Does internet advertising have to take all of the above forms?

Simply put: no. Above, we have presented the most important forms of presenting advertising messages on the web. However, you as an advertiser don’t have to use all of them. On the contrary: it is worth choosing those that suit the specifics of your business. So what?

Think: Will an e-shop that sells pet food need more contextual advertising on LinkedIn, or a promotion on Facebook or through sponsored links? And what will be useful for a company that implements firmware? She can make more profits by reaching for ads on LinkedIn or by using content marketing on industry websites.

So we go back to the basic rule: advertise where your target group is.

How to choose advertising channels on the Internet?

Before you start thinking about having an online ad published, you have a long way to go. You should and even have to go through it if you don’t want to risk financial losses. Although online promotion is relatively cheaper than that on television or on outdoor media, it still carries considerable costs if you operate in a competitive industry. And if so, you need to be well prepared for it. How?

A. Define the purpose for which you want to promote
The ultimate one is obvious: maximizing your sales. However, for the conversion to take place, the consumer has to go through many steps along the way. What do you care most about right now? On building brand awareness? Arousing consumer curiosity? Achieving a quick sales effect, or maybe long-term results?
Each of the answers to the above questions is good. Each of them also entails the necessity to take other actions.

B. Define your target audience
In a word: answer the question to whom you are targeting your products and services. It is not just about a few-sentence definition. Comprehensive personas are prepared in modern marketing. It is about:

– specifying representatives of all target groups of people interested in your products – for example, the aforementioned food may be bought by both a student – owner of a domestic cat, and a wealthy businessman who looks after purebred dogs,
– precise definition of their features – both their character and needs as well as the problems they struggle with,
– giving them a “face”.

The more accurate the visualization, the easier it is to translate theoretical assumptions into specific promotional messages.

C. Determine the budget for the campaign
Yes, it cannot be done 100% precisely, but you need to know in advance how much money you can spend on advertising on the Internet. This will allow you to diversify your resources and control your budget.

Advertising on the Internet: on its own or with the support of a digital agency?

In theory, you can plan and implement online advertising yourself – various tools are available at your fingertips. However, in practice, the correct configuration of a campaign – so that it brings the desired results – requires in-depth knowledge and broad skills. It is not a formula at all, but … a hard reality. The point is to spend your money as efficiently as possible. In the era of growing competition, it is more and more difficult not to simply burn through the budget for ineffective activities. The care of an agency or a freelancer will save you time and, paradoxically, your budget – many times it turns out that optimization brings much greater savings than the commission for service.

Therefore, if you want to know how to use the potential of online advertising in order to achieve maximum business goals, contact the experts.

There are many marketing strategies that apply to e-commerce. In this article we will look at three of them.

1. Content Marketing

Content marketing is loosely defined as promoting brand awareness by producing and distributing all high-quality content (blogs, videos, infographics, etc.) that will be useful to your customers. It is a long-term strategy based on building strong relationships with clients by regularly providing them with valuable content that meets their needs. Many online marketers mainly focus on having the best product descriptions. They are of course extremely important, but in the current world of internet marketing you need to go even further. Fortunately, there are many ways you can provide valuable content to your customers. One of the most popular is running a blog. Most e-commerce platforms have features that allow you to quickly integrate your blog. Of course, its assumption is not everything. It is necessary to prepare valuable content for it. So what to write about it?

Ask sample questions like:
– What problems does my product solve?
– What questions do customers often ask me?
– What topic related to my products may be interesting for customers?

Write down all your ideas.

Once you have a list of ideas for your blog, it’s time to implement them! Of course, creating them takes time. Some salespeople even do this themselves, using their in-depth knowledge of the industry they operate in. Others, in turn, outsource this task to copywriters. Regardless of what approach you take, you should always remember to keep high quality texts. It is not enough that the article will be simply long – it is necessary to include such information that will actually help readers.

Publish your articles on the blog and share them on social media. Then, customers can really do the rest. If the article is really great, your customers will start to popularize it themselves, sharing it through social media. Regular blog entries can also help you in SEO. This is because Google rewards sites that contain useful and regularly published content.

2. Marketing by command

One of the most effective (though underrated) marketing strategies in e-commerce is reference marketing. The reason is simple – we are all social creatures and we want to share our experiences with family and friends. This is very favorable behavior – we help each other (here in the context of buying) to avoid bad quality products and recommend proven ones.

It also means that regardless of whether you like it or not, people will share their opinions about you. How can you use it to your advantage? This is where marketing by command comes into play.

Recommendation marketing occurs when you consciously influence the process of how customers share information about you. This can be done by using a loyalty program, where customers benefit from the recommendations of your products.

You can create your own referral program from scratch, although there are also specially tailored applications.

No matter which solution you choose, there are two factors you should keep in mind

First of all, only incentives. This is the main reason why customers will share information about you. In the end, the recommendation program will give referrals something in return. The reward itself will depend on what you sell. If you sell something that people often need, give a discount coupon for your next shopping trip. However, if you sell a product that most people buy rarely, but then spend a lot of money (e.g. a desktop computer), offer a cash prize or voucher.

Secondly, you should actively mention your program. Promote him as much as you can. Treat it as a product that you introduce to the market. Share it on social networks and send it to your email list. Invite all your existing clients to join him.

3. Email marketing

You can run your newsletter in a number of ways. To reach your audience as effectively as possible, provide them with useful content. Make emails as personal as possible. Open yourself to what your store is doing and mention any events you have participated in. Notify of course about products and promotions.

To get the most benefit, use analytical tools. One of them is Google Analytics. This free solution will help you analyze the effectiveness of your email campaigns.

There are also more advanced (usually paid) tools, thanks to which you can also track the behavior of people who visited the target page after clicking the link in the email received. You’ll get even more data on what elements you can optimize.

Summary

You don’t have to completely rebuild your store to increase conversions and gain new customers. There is also no need to implement them all at once. Choose one strategy, but apply it as best you can. The results will definitely appear over time.