Ongoing Marketing
What is ongoing marketing? It is any marketing practice that continues over a period of time to improve results. There are tons of different types of marketing, however, choosing which one to implement on an ongoing basis should depend on two things:
- The results improve the more that the services is provided
- ROI is worth the price of marketing
Who Needs Ongoing Marketing?
THE TRUTH IS THIS: All businesses, large and small need some form of ongoing marketing.
Businesses need marketing to survive. Unless you have an already well developed business with a very strong online presence, digital marketing should be your #1 priority for your business. Read more about how to improve your online presence here.
In fact, any business that invests in a comprehensive digital marketing strategy should certainly benefit from the careful planning and implementation by an expert. However, not all businesses can afford to do that and many don’t want to take the risk.
Business owners often find that it’s difficult to invest money into something they don’t really understand. In addition, if they aren’t sure what KPI’s are of successful marketing and aren’t quite sure how to measure results, how should they move forward. The fact of the matter is that most people don’t move forward at all and implement some sort of half assed strategy or cheap SEO services that don’t really do anything to help their business.
Choosing Your Marketing Strategy
what’s your marketing strategy?
Choosing the correct digital marketing strategy is the first step to succeeding. But, the problem is that most people aren’t sure what to do when it comes to digital marketing.
Should they invest in SEM or SEO? What about social media marketing? Do they need to set up a website and hire a web design agency? What about Facebook advertising? How about an aggressive email marketing campaign? There are so many options, it’s difficult to know which to choose.
Ask A Professional
The only way to know which internet marketing strategy would best benefit your company is to ask a professional. And don’t rely on just one company. Ask several. Many companies will offer free consultations and a free website analysis to help you understand what is needed.
Here are a few important things to ask in regards to online marketing for your business or brand:
- How are results measured?
- Can you show me some case studies and proof of results?
- Can you show me how to read important metrics so I know what’s going on?
- What analysis tools will you be using to measure results? Will I have access to them?
- Will you be available for questions?
- Are you doing the work yourself or do you have a team?
- Can you share the project plan with me so I can see what you’re doing?
- How often will I see reports?
- What can I expect from ongoing marketing and how quickly will I see results?
What Is Your Business?
Your marketing strategy will depend on your business. Certain businesses in fashion, the food industry, and beauty (as an example) might benefit most in social media marketing and ads where there is a strong emphasis on images and photos of product.
However, this same strategy will not work if you are an electrician seeking to gain customers in your area. For a local business, you might choose a local SEO strategy that focuses more on Google My Business Setup and optimization.
You are not expected to know which strategy is the best for your business, which is why you will really need to consult with a company beforehand. If you choose SEO, you will want to figure out how to choose the best SEO company so getting multiple quotes is a good idea.
Different Forms Of Ongoing Marketing
There are many different forms of ongoing marketing. Some of these strategies need not be ongoing. However, we will outline all of that below!
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization is an extremely effective form of ongoing marketing for your business. The results gradually improve and you will see great things the more you do it (and if you hire the right company for the job).
Over time, with SEO, traffic to your website increases. The results is more phone calls and leads that happen naturally just from performing a Google Search.
If you’re not quite sure what is SEO, you can read more about this unique process here.
Social Media Marketing
Another great form of ongoing marketing is social media marketing. It can be done by itself, however many digital marketing agencies include it in their marketing packages.
Social media marketing is another form of marketing which improves over time the more you do it. You won’t see immediate results, but if you’re not in a huge hurry you will see progress in leaps and bounds.
Search Engine Marketing
SEM PPC ads
Search engine marketing is an effective way to get leads and traffic to your website. Search engine marketing (PPC) can be done ongoing but it can also be done randomly. With PPC marketing, you will have ads running at the top of the web page in Google search.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is another form of marketing that needs to be done with a long term commitment in mind. Many times, with email marketing, customers won’t make a purchase upon first receiving an email. It can happen after receiving the third or fourth.
Email marketing is strongly linked to good timing but unfortunately that can’t always be controlled. Sending out emails in batches and on a schedule is the strategy most email marketers implement.
Conclusion
Digital marketing in today’s day and age is a process that requires a long term commitment in many cases. Hooking up with the right agency for your ongoing marketing strategy is key to having the best results.
We hope you’ve gained insight into the importance of looking at the long term when choosing any form of strategy to increase exposure. We look forward to hearing of the successes from your ongoing marketing campaigns.
