With a worldwide recession taking its toll on the high street, internet marketing is on the rise, and fast. Experts have predicted that internet marketing may increase by as much as 20% in 2012. We have already seen the major high street retailers enjoy booms in internet sales over the Christmas period, and while ‘real life’ retail sales drop against last year’s numbers, e-commerce and has seen growth by almost the equivalent amount. In the face of this retail development, any retailer would be foolish to not invest in internet sales campaigns. The big question is where do you start? With advertising budgets already having to be split between a number of different sources, where do you spend your money to ensure you get the best results?
These are tough questions when trading conditions are as tough as they are at the moment, and the money spent is hard to replace. Some companies have decided to cut everything back to the bone, including advertising spends but this seems counter productive. Without exposure, especially in the online world, companies soon become invisible, and there are always competitors ready to take their place… This leads on to the subject of return on investment (ROI). It is more important than ever to generate income from advertising efforts. In the past, companies were happy to advertise in local papers to ensure a local presence was achieved, even if they did not monetise these efforts. The great thing about online marketing – even for a small, local business – is that you can reach your customers for a much lower cost than a print campaign, and you will broaden your client base beyond your immediate area, so even if times are tough, you will be maximising your visibility.
There are many ways to advertise online, the biggest decision to make is how much money you want to spend on your campaign. Once you have a figure, you can then split this between different options to give you a greater reach. The good news with online advertising is that all your efforts can be tracked so you can see which campaigns are working best for your company. With print campaigns, it can sometimes be difficult to collect enough data to show how well an ad has performed, but with analytics and social tracking, every aspect of online advertising is trackable.
Social marketing companies such as IKROH specialise in running social campaigns using a variety of platforms and methods, including Facebook, where adverts can be narrowly targeted for your intended audience. You also have the option of utilising search engine optimisation with paid or natural search campaigns, or both. Around 60% of people will click on natural search links, so a mixture of both campaigns can be an excellent strategy.
The internet is a vast network, and the options for online advertising are huge. It’s best to have a bespoke campaign for your company, created by professionals with experience in both search and social marketing. Here at Ikroh we specialise in all areas of internet marketing, so if you need any help or advice please contact us. We are happy to discuss your requirements over the phone or face-to-face over coffee – we only use ethical SEO methods and will always tailor our strategies to best suit your business and your budget. We work closely with international, national and local companies, including many businesses here in our home town of Milton Keynes. For specialist Milton Keynes SEO, social media marketing and internet marketing services, why not book a meeting today?
About Ikroh SEO tm
Ikroh has over 35 years of experience in the industry.
