Online Marketing Tips for 2013

Things to stop focusing on, and things to begin implementing

If you currently have a website, you need to be working to get found by your potential clients and customers. This means SEO, SEM, PPC, Online Marketing and more. But in 2013, where should you be focusing, and in which areas are you wasting your money and time?

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is doing nothing at all. If you are not working to boost your online presence, you will be overtaken by your competition and will have a tough time coming back in the search results later.

Consider that when you need information or are looking to make a purchase online, where do you start?  Google? If so, then why wouldn’t your clients/customers do the same. By not marketing your website online and building your social network, every time your potential clients/customers do a web search, they are not finding you. This means lost sales, customers, and potential.

Now that you have a better understanding of what will happen if you do nothing, we will go over online marketing, the shift from desktop to mobile browsing, and how to get your site found from users no matter what device they are searching from.

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Let’s start with where you are wasting your time

Megaphone Marketing

Megaphone marketing is a term used to describe a method of marketing in which you place an ad in front of thousands, hoping a few will bite. Examples of megaphone marketing are:

• print advertising
• yellow page advertising
• directory advertising
• untargeted banner advertising
• cold calls
• mass email blasts

These ads are expensive, have a low success to fail ratio, and are not desired by customers anymore. Customers want to control the information they receive and these ads are presented to the customer, not sought out by the customer.

Trends are shifting and online marketing is shifting as well to keep up.  Using static advertising methods is old, intrudes upon the customer, and ultimately will not result in the success you are looking for.

So if these are wasted efforts, where should you be focusing?

Now, Let’s talk about where you should put your focus

Magnet Marketing

Magnet marketing is a newer method in which you focus your marketing efforts so that your clients or customers will find you when searching for a specific good, service, or term. This puts the customer in control since they will only find your information when they are actively searching for it. It also let’s you earn respect since you will be providing a solution for a problem. Examples of magnet marketing are:

• content marketing
• search engine optimization
• pay per click advertising
• social media marketing

These methods are more focused and allow the customer to find you. You are not placing ads all over the place hoping that someone finds it who needs your service.  You are already focused on the people who need your service, and when they come looking, will find your business.

Replace advertising with content marketing

Instead of placing generic ads out there for everyone to see, started targeting your ads and marketing to customers searching for your goods or services. With search engines, blogs, social networks, and other online platforms, you have an excellent opportunity to engage your customers directly. But to do this, you need to get found by them. And to get found by them, you need to publish great content that they want and need.

Make your site pleasant to view, no matter what device

With mobile browsing set to replace desktops in 2013 as the most common way to view the internet, you need to make sure that your website is optimized for tablets and smartphones. If you view your website on a smartphone and you need to zoom in to read the text, then your website is not optimized.

2013 and Beyond

If you follow these tips, you will see your search engine results improve, you will find new and loyal customers, and will have saved money since you are not blindly marketing, but focusing your efforts and going after only those who would search for your goods or services anyway.