The 5 Most Common Online Marketing Questions – With Answers!

Along with some help from one or two online resources, and based on our own experience, we'd like to offer a short list of the most common online marketing questions.

Let’s not waste any time and get right to it, shall we?

5 Online Marketing Questions

1. “How hard is it to build my own website?” Well… It’s hard! Especially if you've never built a website before, the task can be daunting. Using WordPress certainly helps because they offer ways to simplify website construction (and WP is very Google-friendly!). You can even get a free website from them but, they won't allow you to monetize one of their free websites. (It can be a great solution for a blog-only site though.)

For a commercial website, you’ll need to pay for a hosting service, buy a domain name, and discover tons of patience. (Better get ready for a pretty steep learning curve!)

There are also multiple site-building apps available online. These tend to make all of their sites look alike but, if you're looking for the cheapest solution for building a business website, one of these may work for you – temporarily, anyway.

2. “What about a blog? Do I really need one?” Like most things, that depends: on your goals, your products or services, and whether you hope to be found through organic search or are willing to pay for ads and clicks (PPC). (Did we just hear a big “Huh?”)

It is almost always important to educate your target audience about what you have to offer them, be it a unique product or a helpful service(s). After all, they have no idea who you are and why you believe you deserve their attention, not to mention their hard-earned dollars. So yes, having a blog on your business website is a great way to educate and stay connected with your target audience in a real, relevant way. It also keeps your site fresh with new content helping to boost your SEO (see below). Some website owners write their own content, while others outsource the task to experienced professional copywriters. (We can help you there, no problem.)

3. “Oh, Kaaay… What do you mean by organic and PPC?” Being found online is always a challenge. The information you share on your website is regularly “crawled” by the search engines which then “index” and “rank” your site. The more fresh, relevant, and timely your blog content is, the higher you’ll be ranked and the more easily prospects will find you. This is known as “organic” search engine optimization (organic SEO).

Or, you can pay Google, Bing, or Yahoo to put your website at the top of their search results (SERPs). Based on the relative value of certain key phrases you use (your keywords), they will charge for every “click-through” from their SERPs. (That’s why it’s called “Pay Per Click” or PPC.) Depending on the number of clicks you receive per month, this can get pricey. Also, whether that click-through results in a sale is moot to them. They charge you for sending a prospect to your site. What happens then is irrelevant to them.

4. “What about social media? Do I have to use it for marketing my business? No, but…Yes! The real question for an entrepreneur is where to engage your target audience on social platforms. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and many others have such massive audiences that it becomes imperative to have a presence on at least one or two of them.

Choosing the best platforms for your business depends on a few things (at least): what you're selling, where your target audience is most active, and where your competition has built a following. If your offerings are best described visually, Instagram and Pinterest may be your best choice. If you need to educate your audience, Facebook and its audience of two billion subscribers may be your best bet. As for Twitter, well, if your audience has a brief attention span, yeah. Maybe. (Can you tell we’re not huge fans of twitting? Oops, we meant tweeting.)

5. “I've heard email marketing is dead. Is that true? OK, that’s a big NO! Email remains one of the most effective marketing tools you can place in your toolbox. The brief explanation is that you need to first build a subscriber list of email addresses, which is one of the most valuable business assets you can acquire. Then, you can begin to engage with them through an email nurture campaign, enabling you to generate more interest, enhance your reputation as an expert in your niche, and begin building trust.

Once they get to know and trust you, you can lead them toward conversion; that is, entice them into doing something that will benefit them, such as watching your free videos, they optin to another informative gift or something else of value. Soon, you should be able to guide them toward buying from you, whether a solution-based service or a product.

As you can see by this brief list of the most common online marketing questions, making an impression out there – not to mention making sales – is challenging indeed. In fact, it may be more demanding than becoming an expert who has something valuable to offer.

We know this is a lot to take in from a single blog post, and it can be intimidating. That’s why we have a couple of ways for you to get more answers to the most common online marketing questions. Research the links we shared above or get in touch with Ted for business consulting to the trade. To find out more… Contact TD Fall today.

Online Marketing is the Art of Knowing What’s Possible And Doing It

There are so many “tips” available from online marketing experts these days that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. When that happens, when there are simply too many choices, most people simply give up and choose to do nothing. For us, the real key to successfully marketing a business online is – knowing what’s possible, doing that, and doing only that.

In other words, as an entrepreneur, you need to know what you're capable of and limit yourself to those things alone. Granted, it’s tempting to try to be all things to all people but that rarely works. It also leads to stress, exhaustion, and sleepless nights!

The Art of the Possible

This brings to mind the classic quotation that is normally attributed to Abraham Lincoln about whether you can “please all of the people all of the time.” In fact, the Lincoln quote was quite different (and quite a bit more cynical):

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” – Abraham Lincoln (emphasis added)

For cynical marketers (and far too many politicians), this is a truism that often has them crying themselves to sleep at night. For the rest of us, the gentler interpretation of poet John Lydgate has more appeal:

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” – John Lydgate (emphasis added)

Perhaps we can simplify that even further with this famous (or infamous) movie line:

“A man’s got to know his limitations.” – Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry

Knowing Your Limitations Has Value

What’s the point of all this quoting and deep thinking? Simply this… That when you consider an online marketing strategy, you have to start from this basic premise… YOU know what's possible – your prospects don't.

This is especially true today, when people’s values, needs, and priorities may have changed dramatically.

Consider for a moment these shifting attitudes from the business and personal worlds, in response to the health crisis which all of us desperately hope has peaked.

According to Fortune.com, the top concerns of business leaders will be:

• 48% say their top concerns over returning to business as usual are health and safety

• 38% cited financial management and cash flow

• 27% cited concerns about new laws and regulations

• 25% of business leaders say the biggest challenge to working remotely is productivity and motivation

• 24% said connectivity with coworkers

• 19% home-office setup needs

• 48% of business leaders think technology spending at their company will increase [in our new reality]

Whether your business is focused on professionals or consumers, these changing behaviors and priorities could have a direct effect on your target audience, which will affect you and your design or furnishings business.

Where Can You Be Supportive?

For many, it’s a new world out there. For some, the changes are practical while, for others, they are driven by fear. Understanding which of these you are dealing with will go a long way to determining how you can offer the support and services prospective clients may need. And, since they often do not know what they do not know, it’s your responsibility to educate and illuminate what’s possible for them.

That is what online marketing has always been, and always will be about, the art of knowing and sharing what’s possible!

If you're still unsure of how to share your expert knowledge of the possible through online marketing, Ted offers business consulting to the trade that can help you figure it out. Simply… Contact TD Fall today.

Is Your Sales Copy Too “Salesy”? (Naughty, Naughty!)

When it comes to your sales copy… Pushy prose about a product is problematic and should be proscribed at all costs! (How do you like that alliteration, huh?)

Joking aside, overly aggressive sales copy, making impossible claims that imply prospects aren’t too bright if they don’t buy, is a massive turn-off. In fact, it makes such a bad impression one wonders why some marketers continue to use it. Perhaps they’re just hoping to land one of those suckers born every minute? (Thanks a lot, Mr. Barnum – NOT!)

If you're struggling to create copy that generates conversions, think about the last time you bought something online. And, remember, two very important things are critical to making a sale:

• Benefits Matter – Your prospect won’t buy until you answer the question, “What’s in for me”?

• Offer Value – A sale is made only when the value exceeds the price.

Didn’t your last online purchase offer you these things, and isn’t that why you felt comfortable investing in whatever it was?

Conversational Copy is the Key to More Sales

Anyway, it turns out that the best way to create effective sales copy is to start a conversation. People want to be engaged by your copy, enhanced by the knowledge that you understand what they need and can supply it.

This is not to say that writing a catchy headline has become a thing of the past in online marketing. On the contrary, finding a way to create interest is mandatory for beginning the conversation! (Just stay away from the “limited time,” “don’t miss your chance,” and “one time only” type of hype. And avoid too many exclamation points!!!!!)

To get started, imagine how things might go if you and I were to sit down and have a face-to-face conversation about the services you offer. Or, imagine that same chat with a friend or family member. You wouldn’t come at either of us with a line like, “Get it now before it’s all gone” would you? (Before what’s all gone – YOU?)

No, the way to offer value on the benefits you have to offer is to know your audience and recognize their pain points. Then you must present them with practical, real-world solutions that will work – for them AND you.

By doing that, you will be able to engage your audience more fully. You will then connect with them emotionally, enabling you to lead them to a place where they feel they can trust you and are ready to buy your product or service.

While it’s not rocket science, it is about understanding human nature. It’s about appealing to each individual’s self-interest, without labeling them as selfish. It’s about being helpful in a way that they can appreciate for its own inherent value.

For more tips on improving your sales copy and building value for your clients, contact Ted about his business consulting programs.