Promote my business online?

There are many ways to promote your brand online that are even more effective and profitable than traditional marketing. Nowadays, the evolution of digitalization leads all companies to create a place in the online market. And it's not too late to join them! Using the internet to grow your brand is the most obvious solution today. Online advertising is a big hit because it's accessible to everyone, it's a good investment and it's relatively easy to set up. There are actually a lot of advantages to this marketing technique.

The different types of online advertising:

1. Blog. The very fact of having a website allows you to gain market share and visibility just by being present and active. However, adding a blog to your site allows you to increase your credibility by exposing your knowledge to your audience. It is also a way to attract customers to your site without them having to look at your products. It is also a way to stay active by publishing new articles that target specific segments. Finally, it helps you turn your customers into a community and an audience that you can interact with, ask for feedback, and create a relationship in order to build customer loyalty.
2. Social Networks. Having a presence on social networks has many benefits. You can decide to create profiles on different social networks or just one specifically. For example, you can use Facebook to promote your products and services on the platform that gathers many different profiles or Instagram to access a younger clientele and illustrate your products and services. You will benefit from a feeling of belonging to a community between you and your followers. It's also a way to offer a more accessible and convenient customer service to improve your customers' experience. It's easier to get your community engaged on social media with many interactive tools.
3. SEO. Also called Search Engine Optimization, is the natural referencing of your website. Thanks to this technique you will propel your website on the first pages of Google search, or other search engines. Based on the keywords that consumers use to search for something, you match your products or services to their search. This is a painstaking job that needs to be done regularly to keep your site ranked. However, there are agencies that can do this for you. The results are visible in the long term and the investments are largely amortized.
4. Advertising on platforms. You have probably already heard of Facebook ads or Google ads which have many advantages. Indeed, this type of platform allows you to sponsor your publications what it is promoted an audience that you can select by refining the settings. You can set up a daily budget in order not to exceed it because you pay each time someone clicks on your ad. These tools are widely used and provide quick results that far outweigh the investment. However, this is not a tool that you want to use on a daily basis because you are paying to attract customers to your offers. The goal is to retain the customers you have gained and then focus on the other online advertising methods that are presented in this article.
5. Email marketing. You've probably received dozens of email marketing messages yourself. It's a great way to provide quality customer service as well as promote any new offers to your existing customers. Nowadays, consumers are not afraid to share their email addresses, it is a tool they prefer. It's a great way to get feedback on your products or services and to create a relationship with your customers that will be more loyal.
6. Videos. Video ads sing extremely effective with consumers. You can use them on most of the online advertising methods seen above but you can also make them available on YouTube. By having your promotional video at the beginning, middle or end of the videos the platform hosts, you get the audience's attention when they are most attentive. Videos are the publications that are most likely to go viral.

It is certain that by using a mix of these different tools you will get better results. However, it is recommended that you do not limit yourself to just one if you want to achieve your goals. Some of the tools will show you results more or less quickly but they will all allow you to stay competitive in your market.

The importance of online advertising:

Thanks to all the facts below, you will be able to better understand the impact of online advertising on consumers:

- 84% of people expect brands to create content. About 45% of B2C marketers believe that visual content is the most important type of content, while 88% of B2B marketers agree that creating content allows their audience to view the organization as a credible and trusted resource.

- Videos are shared 1,200% more often than text and links combined.

- Small businesses earn an average of $3 in revenue for every $1.60 spent on Google AdWords.

- 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business.

- While people are spending far less time in front of the television, they are watching more YouTube than ever.

- More than 40% of digital consumers use social networks to research new brands or products.

Oshara's advice:

We advise you to adapt your ads to all the most popular formats, i.e., computers, tablets or even cell phones. By making yourself accessible to different formats you reach more people and provide a better experience for all your customers.

Don't hesitate to contact Oshara, the Montreal based web agency.