Top 9 benefits of online marketing

Online marketing is growing in popularity - and importance. Changes in market demographics lead to new strategies for building reputations, networks and generating leads.

Look at the explosive growth of LinkedIn and the growth in the number of business pages on Facebook. More and more of professional life is moving online - and the world of business services is no exception. More and more companies that are successful are those who use online marketing effectively.

What are the ten benefits of online marketing and how can you apply those benefits to your company?

1) Online marketing offers you many ways to show and build expertise.

For buyers of professional services, expertise is the most important factor when selecting a provider. Often the challenge is not to recruit the required talent, but to explain that expertise in the market.

The web is such a powerful platform because it allows you to convey your message and show expertise in topics that are relevant to your target group. You can also do this offline, but online tools make it much easier to reach a broad and relevant audience. Blogging, social media and webinars all enable you to inform your audience about topics that are important to them, illustrating your expertise in the process.

2) You can use online marketing to build relationships more effectively.

In addition to sending messages, you can use LinkedIn groups to continuously network and converse with other industry leaders. With online tools, you can meet new customers, colleagues, and influencers and strengthen relationships with those you already know.

3) You can target niches using online marketing.

Just as you can build relationships in a targeted way, online marketing allows you to target a very specific industry or niche, so that your message is transmitted to a wide audience that needs your services. You can do this relatively cheaply by focusing on keywords in blog posts, or by participating in groups or hashtags on social media.

4) Online marketing is not tied to a geographical location or time zone.

Online marketing techniques can be used in an asynchronous way, which means that your audience does not have to be restricted by geography. To meet a potential customer or contact person in person, you must synchronize travel and schedules, with all the costs that this may entail.

For example, speaking at corporate events can be a powerful way to build your reputation and is often worthwhile - but it is also a major effort that can significantly disrupt a whole day (or several days). However, giving a webinar to a similar or larger group can take up to an hour of your day at the office.

Another advantage of this a-synchronicity is that it enables your audience to deal with your message in your own way. They can learn about your expertise through your blog or presence on social media at their own pace and when they are ready to explore your services, they know where to find you.

5) Online marketing is less expensive to use.

A HubSpot survey found that incoming leads - online generated leads through sources such as blogging, social media and search engine optimization - are 61% cheaper than traditional outgoing leads. Why? With online marketing, there are no travel costs and you do not have to pay for printing to distribute materials. Server costs, on the other hand, are relatively low.

Some of your advertising costs can also be replaced with online marketing tools, and these online tools usually gain more weight by integrating with the rest of your online marketing program. Guest messages on industry blogs or publications can, for example, direct traffic to your site, build your reputation and have conversations on social media.

6) Internet is the most common way in which people view your company.

Three of the four most common ways people search for businesses is online. (Research Hinge Marketing among 1000 buyers of business service providers).

How Buyers Check Out Professional Services Providers

The websites of companies are by far the best method, followed by online search, friends and colleagues and social media.

7) With online marketing you can be wherever your customers are.

Today it is important that you are where your potential customers search. More and more means that your company needs a robust and diversified presence online. Buyers are looking online for experts in various ways, including in search engines, by reading online reviews, on social media, via webinars and more.

Maybe your customers tend to ask their colleagues about the strongest companies in your field, but once they have learned something about you and they are looking for you online, they should be able to find you easily.

8) You can use online marketing to reach influencers and 'invisible' prospects.

There are many people who influence the selection process, even if they may not be the final decision makers. Some of these people may be professionals within your target firms, while others may be respected industry figures.

Similarly, you may have unrecognized or "invisible" prospects that you are simply not aware of. By using content marketing, they can find you even if you don't find them. Posting blog posts about a certain set of challenges or opportunities - and including the right keyword phrases for search engines to retrieve - ensure that the right audiences can find your job and your business.

9) Companies that generate online leads achieve more profit.

Studies of lead generation strategies for professional service companies have shown that companies with online marketing programs generate on average more profitable than companies that do not.

Conclusion

Online marketing offers a series of powerful tools to increase the reach and reputation of your company - and ultimately your company itself. By fully exploiting the benefits of online marketing with tools such as content marketing, social media, email marketing, online video and more, you can create a powerful lead-generating machine that will help your company on its way to more profitability and success.