If you decide to look for a web developer to build you a website, you are very likely to read plenty about how having a site will, in an instant, make you visible to hoards of clients looking for what you have to offer.
And although this is obviously very far from the truth, it’s still a common misconception that businesses fall for time and time again – they are lured in by the idea that having a website will suddenly establish a strong presence online. In reality, a website is actually just one small step towards success, and there are plenty more that need to be carefully planned and implemented to reach online marketing goals.
So what are the most important steps to consistently secure new clients online?
Given that the internet is obviously a vast and ever-growing market, the most important thing that a business must do, before anything else can be accomplished, is figure out exactly what products and services it has to offer, and who their ideal customer is.
This holds true for offline marketing efforts as well, but online, where such a fierce competition for each profitable market exists, you must be able to maximise your efforts in finding the perfect niche and a unique selling position which will give you an edge over your competition.
This might be your extensive experience, exceptional customer service, unique bonuses or even a better guarantee – these are just a few suggestions and there are plenty more that might apply to your specific business. The only point of difference not recommended (in the long term) is to compete on price. This holds especially true when it comes to marketing online; while special offers are always welcome, the reason someone chooses you shouldn’t ultimately be your price. Doing business online by focusing on rock-bottom pricing can quickly force you to bottom out on what you can charge.
But even when you know why your offer is unique, how do you actually reach people who need what you’re providing?
The great thing about doing business and selling online is that 1) there are so many different ways to reach a potential customer and 2) the playing field is levelled. This means that with smart marketing, and good planning, a one-man business can successfully carve out a space in the market, even when there are corporations fighting for the same clientele.
Even with the wide variety of lead generation methods available online, almost all of them fall into a few main categories, all of which are important and should be utilised:
1. Organic Traffic
This is the most natural and commonly known method of attracting new customers. It covers search engine optimisation, video marketing and a few other techniques.
The basic premise is that with a well optimised website that has other relevant sites linking back to it, Google and other search engines will naturally rank a website for certain relevant keywords. This way, if everything is set up correctly, a completely free lead generation method can be created, bringing in new customers every day who are simply searching online for a particular product or service.
Of course, initially, it can be very difficult to make a website rank highly; in fact, it can take months or even years of work, depending on the market. Also, it’s very risky to rely on organic traffic to sustain a business, because search engines change their algorithms constantly and your site can suffer a big blow to the rankings on any of them.
2. Paid Traffic
These include everything from Pay-Per-Click campaigns, banner adverts or any other form of paid advertising that helps to attract targeted customers. These methods are generally the quickest ways to attract new customers online, although that does not mean that it’s easy – actually it’s far from it.
Even with paid methods, you have to do a lot of work in researching keywords, optimising each part of the sales funnel and split-testing, to ensure everything is set-up as perfectly as possible.
Remember, you are paying a certain average sum of money for each and every lead that clicks through to your site, so you simply have to make sure to do everything that’s in your power to ensure that the lead is is actually looking for what you’re offering and that your offer is persuasive.
3. Social Media and Content Syndication
These are the product of the so-called Web 2.0, which is the term used to define dynamic websites like social media or blogs that are constantly being updated and are interactive.
Many savvy marketers have taken advantages of both of these realms and monetized them – right now it’s of paramount importance for any business to have a strong social media presence and have a blog with plenty of useful information. All of this helps you create more trusting relationship with clients, enables you to better understand client needs through interaction, and allows you to build connections with other businesses, spreading your content around the web and reaching markets that you couldn’t before.
In an age where competition is as tough as ever, organic traffic, paid traffic, social media and content marketing are tools that can help a business separate itself in the market and gain a crucial advantage, which in the end might mean the difference between success and failure.