E-Marketing: What is the most popular forms, and do they work?

Let’s begin at the beginning. What is E-Marketing? Also known as Online marketing, it’s the process of using online channels such as search engines, social networks, and email to spread the word about your business. Besides growing your business, you can promote physical or digital goods and services to a targeted audience.   

There are plenty of jobs working for small, medium, and large companies to promote their brands, services, and products. However, the purpose of this discussion is to introduce you to the three primary ways to leverage the Internet to market your brand, service, or product.  

To recap, the three primary methods I’ll be discussing today are,

• Search engines
• Social networks
• Email marketing

The goal is to show up where the people interested in your brand product or service are. Once you decide how you’re going to show up, you can offer them value and then make them an offer.  

As I said, these three highly effective methods simply help you determine how you’re going to show up online. As we’ll see, the numbers confirm these are the most popular forms of marketing online, and the revenues demonstrate their success.  The trend is only getting stronger.

My final opening thought is to encourage you to be authentic in all your marketing.  Whatever niche you are working in, and whatever marketing vehicle you are using to get your message out there to the broader public, be yourself.  Let your natural interests and enthusiasm guide your efforts and your message.

I’ve owned and managed my own design and branding agency since 1992.  It has stood the test of time has been credited to my team’s loyalty and a natural enthusiasm for owning my own business in branding and marketing. Put simply, it’s a joy to think about and be engaged in working with clients and my team to help them with their branding daily.  

Like any business, you want to be systematic in your methods.  

Online methods may include display advertising, email marketing, search engine optimization, and other web-based marketing tactics.  

How Important is user Experience?

E-Marketing has evolved over time but remains fundamentally the same.  The artificial intelligence search engines primary concern is user experience.  That should also be your primary concern. If you are writing content about breading albino bunny rabbits stay on topic. If you stray from the subject, users are more likely to bounce and search for the information elsewhere. Your messaging and advertising should always be congruent with your brand, service, and product. 

You want people to know what you are selling, why they should buy it, and how to contact you to make that purchase.

Be clear, informative, and always make an offer. Some people will be attracted to your advertising or message, others repelled by it. We are not concerned with converting an entire continent to our interests. Our only concern is that we communicate our message only to those that have similar interests.  Be clear and informative, and be ready to make an offer of service or product. This is successful marketing in a nutshell. The key is to simply go where they are online.

I’d like to focus on search engines, social networks, and email marketing of the many online marketing types.  

What are the Different Types of Online Marketing? 

Search Engine Marketing

Firstly, Search Engine Marketing, including mobile marketing and Web 2.0 strategies, makes up over 5 billion searches online daily. The three major search engines are Google, with about 70% of the search traffic, followed by the Microsoft network with about 20%. Yahoo still has about 10% of search traffic.

Google reported 162 billion dollars in revenue in 2019 came from Google Ads. When you use Google to search, you get results generated by Google’s algorithm. In my article, “How to make money online,” I talk about making money through Google Adsense. See that article here:

Microsofts’ revenue rose 12% in 2019 to $32.5 billion. Pointing to the search advertising deal between Microsoft and Verizon Media Group as a successful collaboration. The Microsoft network continues to be a popular search network, historically less expensive than Google. Generally, it’s easier to get ads approved. Bing ads (by Microsoft) are very popular with affiliate and promotional marketers.

Back to the topic at hand, marketing is simply the attempt to get and keep your attention at its most basic level. As we all know, it’s a noisy world out there with lots of distractions and many things vying for our attention. Some marketing is aimed at a need you as a consumer know you have. Other marketing seeks to plant the seed of an internal condition that you may act on later down the road. Thus it is vital to track behavior and retarget those who have shown interest in a brand, service, or product. Increasingly people are affinity driven and seek to belong. That’s why branding or the story behind a product is so important; it’s called affiliation. An example of adventuresome, outdoorsy, and fitness-oriented people may demonstrate that affinity by wearing a Nike brand product that subtly shows the Nike swoosh.

Some types of E-Marketing are not cost-effective, while others are. Search engine marketing is a super-efficient way to spend marketing dollars simply because of viewers’ sheer numbers.

Search engine marketing professionals target the two primary search networks:

• Google Ads (formerly Google Adwords)
• Bing Ads on the Microsoft Network

Google AdWords is actually two networks:

• Google Search Network
• Google Display Network

Knowing the difference between effective and ineffective marketing will help you in the long run and save you time and money. Search engine optimization marketing is the streamlining of your marketing message. Both users and the artificial intelligence behind both Google and Microsoft can more easily consume the information.

What are Paid Promotions?

When you have an online business, you have to be able to advertise. Many internet marketing companies use to promote their business, service, or products through paid promotions. Paid promotions may include banner ads on other websites, paid links on search engines, and the use of video adverts on other websites and media.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media can be considered websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking for both personal and professional needs. The Internet is not static. Instead, it is continually changing, and people are always using the Internet to find the information they need. You will have to continually adapt and test your online strategies to ensure that you are taking advantage of these changes. Developing new strategies that build relationships with people in your target market online, such as building groups on your social media platforms.  Remember the need for belonging and affiliation with a group.

What are Social Platforms?

Social platforms include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, LinkedIn, and StumbleUpon. These platforms enable people to interact with you and form relationships based on things they have learned about you and your business. Relationships are formed based on commonality. These platforms and websites allow you to connect with people that share similar interests.  Using these social platforms, you can effectively take advantage of the free E-Marketing tools available to maximize your online marketing results.

Despite all the new social sites, Facebook is still the social network with most users.  Facebook reported it had 1.73 billion daily active users as of Q1 2020. YouTube, owned by Google (Alphabet Company) with 2 billion monthly active users, who watch 250 million hours daily, is the number two social network. 

This is a key lesson, you want to put your marketing message in front of the masses. Sales and marketing are a numbers game. At a most basic level, it’s true, and so you’ll need to get used to it. 

Marketing’s goal is outcome-driven, to influence, to convert, to call attention to your brand.  To keep in mind, to really succeed, you cannot be outcome-driven. It seems counter-intuitive, but you have to be systematic in your actions and not be so short-sighted to be really successful. It takes time and repetition with a message before it really resonates with the public. Don’t be discouraged if thousands don’t flock to comment on your post or buy your product. Messaging and marketing take time and repetition, so don’t focus on one campaign’s outcome. Change your message and test what form of marketing is working the best, and then put more energy into the marketing campaigns that are working. 

Do you really need millions or billions of friends, fans, or subscribers? 

Experience has shown that all you need to succeed in business is the smallest possible audience.  An audience of people dedicated to your message, brand, and product are the only audience you need to make an excellent living. That is who this message is for. When I sit down to write on a topic, I have my ideal client in mind as I write. Your hopes, dreams, and concerns are addressed as I give you insights from over 30 years of continuous commerce and marketing.

So what is it about these E-Marketing platforms that you need to embrace?

To effectively market your business online, you need to start by building relationships with the people to help you reach your potential customers. For example, suppose you are a quilting shop. You should find a platform that matches your potential customers’ interests. Once you are clear about your messaging, it’s much easier to attract them to your social media group or website. Once you have found platforms that suit your needs, start implementing online ads to attract more potential customers.

Similarly, your regular posts can be a form of free advertising enabling you to speak about topics relevant to your niche service, brand, or product. 

To get higher engagement, use a mixture of wording and graphics, perhaps shortlists of bullet points with pictures or video.  

Video is up to eight times more engaging than the written word. People like to consume video. As we have seen above in this article, YouTube is the number two social media platforms because of user preference.  

Another critical lesson in Marketing is, “Do not try to reinvent the wheel.” Instead, go with what is working. Do you really want to ignore 2 billion monthly active users (Google search) who watch 250 million hours daily (on YouTube)? I didn’t think so, so go with the flow.  

Whichever social media platform you use, once they come and have shown an interest in your topic or niche.  Share with them resources and products that are exclusive to the group when they join up. The group forum is compelling. Remember the power of affiliation. Provide free resources and information to encourage deeper engagement with both you and your fellow members.  

Don’t forget to make an offer. Once attendees have engaged with the group, invite them to your website for deeper engagement and other related offers.  Build brand awareness and be as authentically real as you can be. If you show up everyday as yourself, you put others at ease, and your natural energy and enthusiasm can shine thru. Membership websites are an excellent place to share specialized knowledge and build and even more profound affinity and loyalty.

I’ve been talking about communication, messaging, and platforms to get the word out about your brand, service, or product.  I am always aware of costs, both in real dollars and expenses to my time.

So lastly I’d like to talk about Email Marketing.

Email Marketing

What are Email Marketing Services, and why are they some of the most powerful marketing you can do? Initiating an Email Marketing Service is one of the most effective ways that you can use to market your business online.  

Importance of email marketing

A few statistics about the Importance of email marketing are as follows:

• 21% of sent emails are opened within the first hour of delivery. This trend shows consistent habitual action by recipients.
• The odds of getting an email read if we make it into the inbox are 1 in 5.
• Email marketing boasts a 3800 – 4200% ROI ($38 – $42 for every $1 spent), a staggering Return on Investment. 
• A full 59% of B2B (Business to Business) marketers prefer email for lead generation.  

Email marketing services

Email marketing services help you deliver targeted, opt-in email messages to your customers at various intervals, timed to coincide with specific events. These email messages usually include information about promotions, new products, and discounts.  Usually, these types of Email marketing services can be handled by Email Autoresponder. You can read more about Autoresponder here.

Emails should always include an offer

Remember, people are still seeking information about a topic or interest they have. If you are there to provide that information, do not forget to make an offer. Highly successful people make decisions quickly once they have all the information. They decide based on that information and take action based on that decision making. If you provide them with a reasonable offer, then you, my friend, have just made a sale.  

Conclusion

Whether you use search engines, social networks, or email marketing to market online (or all of them at once).  Like any business, if you provide value to the smallest possible audience and you’ll make a great living and gain enormous satisfaction doing it. Remember, time is a commodity. The more people are around you and your marketing materials, the greater the chances are that you have won over a loyal customer.  It’s about building relationships long-term, lasting relationships.  You are going to have to decide how you’ll communicate with those people. Building relationships is all about communication.