How To Build Brand Awareness Through Internet Marketing

Are you looking for some effective (yet free) ways to grow your business online? There are many channels (like social media, search engines, blogging, etc.) when it comes to building brand awareness and marketing your products and services on the Internet.

 

Naturally, you might be wondering where you should start or what channels you should use to achieve the best results, right?

 

Sadly, there is no one answer because it varies from business to business.

 

But fret not.

 

Neil Patel created a handy infographic that proposes some tips on how to build brand awareness for your company through internet marketing.

 

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eCommerce Marketing Advice from Top Industry Experts [INFOGRAPHIC]

Check out this infographic loaded with tips and tricks on how to identify your niche, build your product, create content that your customers love and utilize social media to grow your eCommerce business.

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Marketing Automation Best Practices: Advanced Level

The last in a three-part series, this post details marketing automation best practices for those with an advanced knowledge of the subject area.

Disclaimer: This article is not for the beginner; it is specifically written for those who have already been using marketing automation for some time, and are very proficient. The techniques I will be going over will not work unless you have a solid foundation in your marketing acumen.

If you are at the advanced level, some of the main items you may struggle with are taking advantage of advanced marketing techniques, and combining them with your data from your marketing automation tool. These techniques include account-based marketing, retargeting, and social media interactions. Here are some of the best practices for marketing automation when working with advanced campaigns.

Marketing Automation Best Practices for Account-Based Marketing

Account-based marketing and marketing automation are a key combination for many businesses selling B2B. The key here is not to look at these solutions as separate tools, but as a combination approach. Consider these best practices for your account-based marketing programs using your marketing automation tool.

Where Is Content Marketing Headed in 2014? [INFOGRAPHIC]

As the year 2013 comes to an end, marketing experts and internet professionals are taking a look forward to what the marketing terrain will be like in the year 2014, especially in the area of content marketing.

2013 has experienced a lot of innovative changes as far as marketing is concerned. There were a whole lot of new tools and conventions to deal with. But in all of these content marketing stood out! Today, content marketing is not just a buzz word but something that every business now takes as a MUST.

For example, in a recent survey conducted by MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute, it was revealed that 93% B2B organizations now use content-based tactics for their marketing campaigns while 73% indicated they now produce more content than the previous year!

These are not mean figures. They are definitely an indication of what to expect in content marketing trends for 2014. The following infographic from Uberflip gives a concise view of what the trends will be like in content marketing in 2014.

So, whether you are a B2B or B2C business and you are among those who intent drive out-standing results for your content marketing spend in  2014 then you need to study this infographic very carefully because you will definitely get something from it!

Enjoy!

So, how are you preparing to make good use of what the experts say about the content marketing in 2014?

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5 Content Marketing Myths That Need to Die

In 2013 content marketing has finally progressed from a buzzword to a legitimate mainstream marketing strategy, and we can expect more such validation in 2014. If you're a brand thinking about investing in content marketing, don't fall for any of these content marketing misconceptions.

Myth 1: Content Marketing is Easy (Compared to Other Forms of Promotion)

Content marketing relies on the Know-Like-Trust factor, and as anyone who's ever been in any kind of relationship will attest, building trust is never easy. It takes a lifetime to build and a moment's carelessness to destroy.

While consumer relationships with brands may not always be this intense, building trust is usually an incremental process. Each piece of content you create adds another layer to the KLT pyramid.

In fact, advertising is much easier in the sense that campaigns are created, run their duration, and results are measured. In content marketing, though, you're essentially creating a lifetime campaign for however long your business will function and as such there's no end date, although there are plenty of milestones for measurement.

Trust, once lost, is much harder and painstaking to regain. Just ask British Petroleum.

On the flip side, content marketing proves again and again that companies who provide transparency and authenticity, both crucial factors for trust-building, may find a more forgiving consumer base when things go awry. Just ask Buffer.

No, content marketing isn't easy, but it is ever-so-rewarding!

Myth 2: Content Marketing Doesn't Take Much Time

"Lack of time" is cited as the top challenge facing B2B marketers, according to the 2014 B2B Content Marketing Trends report. And it's true. Let's briefly go through some of the processes involved in content marketing.

• Content strategy development: This could include keyword analysis, market research, SEO, website audit, content audit, resources audit, and more. 
• Constant content creation: This is time-intensive, thought-intensive and labor-intensive. 
• Content distribution and promotion: This includes heavyweight time investments such as social media marketing, email marketing, and search marketing. 
• Content performance measurement: This includes analyzing content marketing output against success metrics.

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Does social media drive ROI? Many brands are still plagued by this question.

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The State of Social Ads [INFOGRAPHIC]

Given mass consumer adoption of social media, over 75% of brands have incorporated social advertising into their integrated marketing budget. However, the majority of them aren’t sure about how to measure the success of this relatively new medium. Uberflip’s latest infographic illustrates the increasing adoption of social ads among marketers, the amount of dollars allocated on these channels, and the effectiveness of paid social media campaigns.

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Social Media Marketing: 7 Tools for Businesses and Brands

Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Flickr, LinkedIn -- the list of leading social networks businesses and brands must suddenly pay attention to goes on and on. Needless to say, it can be a daunting task to keep track of the social media marketing world when it comes to your business. Before you get overwhelmed, know that there are a number of handy online tools, software programs and apps out there that can not only help you save time, but also simplify your social presence. While many great options exist to choose from, to save time, we've narrowed the list down to seven of our favorite tools that any corporate enterprise should be using.

1. TweetDeck is a social media dashboard application that helps you manage Twitter and Facebook accounts all in one place. If you are big on interaction (shares, retweets, etc.) this is a great way to scroll across and see what's going on, find out where your business was mentioned in conversation, and respond to several accounts at once. TweetDeck is ideal for people who manage multiple social media accounts, however no in-depth analytics are currently provided with this service.

2. HootSuite is a social media management system that also allows the user to manage multiple networks at once. It currently supports Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare, WordPress, Mixi and even MySpace. HootSuite has a great scheduling system that allows you to pre-program an infinite amount of posts for future sharing, a huge time saver. Users can also look at the scheduler page to see what posts they've scheduled for the future, and HootSuite also keeps track of all-important analytics.

3. AddThis is a social bookmarking service that can be integrated into a website with the use of a widget. Once this widget is added, website visitors can then bookmark an item using Facebook, Google Bookmarks, Pinterest and Twitter. Capable of boosting shares and user pass-along, it's a handy way to promote specific pieces of content, sites or initiatives.

4. Instagram is a free photo sharing platform that allows users to take featured photos and apply visual filters that can transform the look and feel of the image. Easy sharing support makes it simple to post these photos on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, which provides professional with a unique way to personalize social media content. Popular with the technorati, it's a surprisingly practical and handy way to add a little sparkle to any snapshot.

5. PinReach is a Pinterest tool that helps you view activity, measure impact and gauge success on your Pinterest pages. This analytics tool is the leading Pinterest solution for small businesses, according to MoneyandRisk.com. Its two main purposes are to assess Pinterest marketing engagement and to identify new marketing and sales leads. Consider it a handy go-to for those who are frequent users of the popular image-based social network.

6. Storify is a social media service that combines multiple parts of a story into one cohesive whole. Or, in plain English, if you have a topic that is trending or being discussed across different social media accounts, you can curate pieces from each account and compile them all in one spot, creating a more easily read and followed narrative timeline. Users can reorder the pieces, add text and massage previous posts to create one larger piece. This can be used as a marketing tool for current customers or to woo new clients.

7. YouTube's Audience Rentention Report. SocialMediaExaminer.com lists this as the single most important social media marketing tool to come around in a long time. Noting that many videos are carefully tailored to maximize search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, time watched by viewers, and prompt specific reactions, this solution helps you see which audience your clips are reaching, monitor audience habits, and strategize accordingly. Video production and distribution cost companies countless millions every year: Using such targeting tools, you can more effectively aim your marketing muscle where it counts.

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Moving Beyond Social Media

One thing is certain—if you have not already started increasing your business’s digital reach then you are going to have to in the future. 

However, there is a lot more to digital reach than simply relying upon social media engagements.

Targeting Your Audience Though Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing has been hit or miss depending upon the services that you offer and your target audience. Some companies have found that their social media marketing campaigns have increased their ROI, while others have found that it may simply increase their Facebook likes but do little, if anything, to actually increase profits.

Depending upon your business and the products or services that you have to offer, social media marketing may or may not be a good fit. However, social media engagements and marketing are only a small part of how your business should be utilizing the internet to improve your digital reach.

Creating a Digital Reach Strategy for that Works for You

More often than not, a successful digital reach strategy includes pitching article ideas to online publications. For example, if you are a real estate investor looking to increase your credibility and your digital reach (the number of people who know about you and what you have to offer) then you may want to pitch article ideas to websites that provide content related to real estate investors. This outreach method is actually known as digital PR, which is not the same as simply utilizing social media platforms but is still very much a major part of digital reach strategies that work.

Do it Yourself vs. Hire Someone

Most business owners, even of small businesses, do not have the time or experience to effectively increase their reputation and presence in the digital arena—this is where hiring someone with experience in digital reach comes into play. Although you may be able to learn how to do it yourself, hiring someone with years of experience will be more effective and less time-consuming than you taking the time to learn the ins and outs of digital reach and improving your writing skills to meet the requirements of major publications both in your area and nationally.

At the end of the day—regardless of whether you are doing it yourself or hiring someone—digital reach goes well beyond social media and is pertinent to your future business success.

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Social Media and Interactive Content: Why Businesses Need to Engage

Imagine a brick and mortar store without sales associates helping customers. Imagine a restaurant without a wait staff catering to its clientele. It just seems wrong, doesn’t it? We expect people to be there as needed when we’re shopping, and part of the whole allure of dining out is the convenience of being waited on. Five to ten years from now, however, it will probably be just as difficult to imagine a company operating online without some sort of social media or interactive strategy. Why? Because like traditional expectations for the retail and hospitality industries, today, for any company doing business online, people expect an engaging experience.

Because We Can, We Must: The need for interactivity online didn’t really start with social media, but through social media’s success, it became undeniably clear. On social media channels like Facebook or Twitter – even on older channels like websites, blogs, and email accounts – personal, relevant interactions between businesses and/or consumers have become the new normal. Because it’s possible, and because it’s been proven to be effective – at SnapApp, for example, we’ve seen an over 50% click through rate on average for people who use interactive content – creating interesting and engaging experiences online is a necessity.

It’s Measurable and Scalable: Effectively measuring social media on its own in relation to business objectives is almost impossibly complicated. Social channels are touch points and conversations, and even social conversions like likes or follows don’t necessarily mean business conversions like becoming a qualified lead or making a purchase. When, however, social media interactions lead to more relevant behaviors like form completions or personal recommendations, then you have something worth measuring. In fact, from what we’ve measured, we’ve found that interactive content created on the SnapApp platform drives, on average, an 82% form completion rate. That means whether people are engaging on Facebook, Twitter, a website, in an email, or on a blog, four out of five times those people will share relevant information based on the value of their interactions.

It Builds Relationships: Conversations are usually the best way to build relationships. They naturally establish connections built on trust and respect as both parties share and relate interests, goals, perspectives and other relevant information. Although, sadly, most businesses don’t have time to have one on one conversations with customers or prospects, online interactions across social media channels and through interactive content can help serve as viable substitutes for personal engagements. By asking questions through polls or surveys, for example, brands can quickly open the floor to customer or community opinions and react accordingly to any expressed needs, wants or trends. By being present and responsive on social media channels as well, businesses show an openness and an accessibility that is crucial for establishing meaningful connections.

To be blunt, why businesses need an engagement strategy is simple – people want worthwhile interactions online. I think Remi Carlioz, senior head of digital at PUMA, sums it up perfectly without pulling any punches in an article on Digiday, “It is undoubtedly necessary to find and engage with [people] where they digitally reside, rather than relentlessly, always trying to usher them back to a brand’s owned platform. Brands are too self-centered and must boldly act on the desire that the consumer possesses; the desire to transparently experience and interact with a brand online.”

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