5 Ways Online Marketing Drives Ecommerce
In the online marketing article “5 Ways Inbound Marketing Drives B2B Ecommerce” the author talks about how businesses can attract more business from other businesses. (Yes I know that sentence should be edited but I just like it.) I want to turn this around a little and write about how your local business can attract more business period. This may be from other businesses OR from individuals.
I think most of you would admit that you don’t reach ALL the people in your local market area with your message. And, ALL the people in your market don’t know about your business and what it offers. SO, how do you reach them?
As we’ve said MANY times before and as I’m sure you have heard others say, the Internet is currently the BEST way to reach your potential customers. And Search Engines are the most used method on the internet for your customers to find you. So, it would follow that, getting ranked high on local searches for your industry is the key to getting you more business.
Creating and deploying relevant, dynamic content through Online Marketing:
1. Sets your company up as an online marketing industry thought leader.
By creating the relevant content that is needed for a successful online marketing campaign, you automatically get your company name out there as a leader in your industry. The more your audience finds your content in their Google searches, the more they will look to your for industry-related information in the future.
I have proven this in my land surveying business. I had one caller say “man, you have the front page wrapped up. Everything I clicked led me to your company name.” Just the volume of information and seeing your name multiple times lends credibility. And, if the content is relevant and your call to action is effective, you will get the call.
2. Positions your company as THE resource for industry-related information.
By creating the relevant content that is needed for a successful online marketing campaign, you naturally end up with a library of relevant, industry-related information. When this is housed on your website and indexed by the search engine crawlers your Ecommerce site will quickly become the destination of choice for information on your industry.
Again, if you can stand another personal reference, I recently received a call from an employee of our engineering examination organization, NCEES, in Washington, DC. The woman was creating a presentation to be shown to all Engineers and Land Surveyors about professional licensing. She had found one of my local “authority sites” that had some photos that she wanted to use. This told me that we were getting our message out there AND that we had used some relevant images on our site.
3. Attracts search engine crawlers with relevant, fresh content.
Search engine crawlers LOVE new content. An effective online marketing campaign requires that you create and publish relevant content on a regular basis. This naturally attracts the crawlers to your site on a more frequent basis, which in turn drives your site up in the search engine rankings.
4. Drives more qualified traffic to your site via better search engine results.
Of course, the higher you rank on the Search Engine Results Page (SERPs), the more likely you are to “get the click-through.” And, more clicks equal more traffic to your site, which leads to more calls to your business. Page 2, or worse, ranking just doesn’t get it. You MUST be on Page 1. And, if possible, have multiple entries on Page 1. This is completely possible in local search for most industries.
5. “Forces” your company to create relevant, dynamic content on an on-going basis, perpetuating your online marketing success.
In order to stay on the front page and especially to stay among the top 3, you MUST consistently create and publish exceptional content. This content feeds the search engine crawlers and generates inbound leads, creating a positive feedback loop. Online marketing isn’t something you try once or twice and expect immediate results. It’s a way of marketing that takes consistency.
Ecommerce is an essential growth strategy for your company that you can use to attract new customers and increased revenues. Utilizing online marketing techniques in combination with your keyword-relevant website will ensure your ongoing success.