Effective Online Sales: a Comprehensive Approach to Internet Marketing

5min.

Comments:0

Effective Online Sales: a Comprehensive Approach to Internet Marketingd-tags
29 May 2024
Why is a holistic approach crucial in today's online marketing world? You'll find the answer to this question in this blog post!

5min.

Comments:0

Why a Holistic Approach is Key in Today’s E-commerce and Lead Generation

A comprehensive approach to a company’s online marketing activities can bring many measurable benefits. Below are just a few of them.

Comprehensive Approach to Internet Marketing

Source: own graphic

Building the Right Brand Image Online

Presence across multiple marketing channels can positively influence potential customers’ perception of our company. For instance, if they ever have to choose between products (or services) at the same price, they are more likely to choose the one they are more familiar with and have a positive association with. Additionally, a proper brand image should be our long-term goal, as it builds positive relationships with customers and can enhance their trust in us.

More Data to Utilise

When we operate across multiple channels, such as Facebook Ads, Google Ads, blogging, and social media posts, we can observe, for example, which advertising text styles convert best, which graphics draw the most attention, and which audience groups contain our potential customers. This allows marketing activities to be optimised more quickly (which will certainly result in significant savings).

Increased Competitiveness

Thanks to a holistic approach to marketing, we can be more flexible and adapt more quickly to market changes, posing a greater threat to the competition.

Positive Interactions Between Channels

It is possible to see significant changes in the effectiveness of marketing activities if one of the channels is no longer used (for example, if we abandon SEM activities, the performance of SEO will probably drop significantly, or vice versa), which is why it is so important to take care of all forms of online marketing.

Examples of Online Marketing

SEM Services

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) services involve paid campaigns in search engines. They are ideal if you want to reach new customers, increase sales, or promote your brand online. Ads can be run using Google Ads, Facebook Ads, TikTok Ads, LinkedIn Ads, or Bing Ads.

Advantages of SEM:

  • almost immediate visible results,
  • increased brand/service recognition,
  • precise audience targeting,
  • supports other marketing channels.

SEO Services

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services involve optimising websites for search engines. They help potential customers find your site in organic search results.

Advantages of SEO:

  • long-term results,
  • improved website user experience (UX),
  • concurrent SEO activities lead to faster and greater effects,
  • supports other marketing channels.

Content Marketing

Content marketing services take a strategic approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. This, in turn, helps encourage potential customers to take specific, beneficial actions aligned with the company’s business goals.

Advantages of Content Marketing:

  • stronger customer engagement, leading to higher chances of sales,
  • increased brand awareness and recognition,
  • assists in purchase decision-making,
  • lower bounce rates,
  • supports other marketing channels.

Synergy Between Marketing Channels

Today, when advertising services are popular and accessible to many, an effective marketing strategy requires presence in various channels. It is also essential to integrate all platforms used to communicate with current or potential customers. This synergy between marketing channels is a harmonious collaboration of all platforms and tools, which collectively aim to achieve satisfactory sales and branding results. It also manifests itself in the fact that each channel simultaneously boosts the activities of other channels, resulting in better results on all fronts.

Benefits of Synergy:

  • reaching a wider audience,
  • consistent messaging and brand building,
  • reaching customers where they spend most of their time,
  • increased conversions by engaging customers at different stages of their purchase journey and at various touchpoints with the brand,
  • greater flexibility to market changes,
  • increased customer loyalty,
  • better budget management.

How to Achieve Synergy:

  • create a detailed and thoughtful strategy,
  • use tools that facilitate collaboration (e.g. Google Analytics),
  • collaborate with specialists in each field (SEM, SEO, etc.).

How to Measure the Effectiveness of Marketing Activities?

The key to successfully conducting online advertising activities is undoubtedly the proper analysis and measurement of obtained results. This is essential for any type of business, regardless of whether SEO or SEM activities are being conducted, and whether it is an e-commerce store or a service site. Analysing results acts as a kind of feedback on the actions taken so far, informing what works effectively and what may require further work and optimization. Various tools and indicators can be used for this purpose in the online environment.

Analytical tools enable companies to collect, analyse, and interpret data regarding user interactions with their websites, advertising campaigns, and other online activities. The insights gained in this way can help make informed marketing decisions and optimise strategies, ultimately leading to better business results.

One of the most popular analytical tools used for both SEO and SEM activities is Google Analytics 4, which can significantly improve the effectiveness of marketing strategies.

Google Analytics 4 allows not only the analysis of basic statistics related to views, clicks, or conversions but also provides detailed insights into user characteristics and integrates data from various devices and platforms. This ensures a better understanding of user paths and behaviours at different stages of interaction with the website. Generating reports in any date configuration greatly simplifies the process and allows for easy comparison of data across periods. 

For more on how to measure the effectiveness of online marketing in Google Analytics 4, read our article.

Depending on the goal of your online marketing activities, different indicators may be most significant, and the most popular include:

Marketing Online – DIY or Agency?

In the context of a rapidly changing market and growing competition, businesses face the dilemma of whether to conduct marketing activities independently or to entrust them to a professional agency. It’s worth examining this issue by analysing the initiation of online marketing activities such as SEM, SEO, content marketing services, or social media management.

Before making a decision, several important factors need to be considered, such as:

Company Size

Small Businesses: limited resources may lead small businesses to lack a dedicated marketing team. In such cases, outsourcing marketing activities to an agency can be beneficial, as it can provide professional services without the need to hire additional staff.

Medium and Large Businesses: they can also outsource their marketing activities. In cases where they already have some internal resources, but not necessarily a full team of specialists, they can decide on hybrid cooperation, where some tasks are performed internally and others are outsourced to an agency, allowing the full potential to be brought out. This solution will work well, for example, when carrying out large-scale activities or requiring specific expertise.

Time Resources

Limited Time: Companies with limited time resources may struggle to effectively manage complex marketing campaigns and other activities within online marketing. In such a situation, outsourcing activities to an agency can be beneficial because they have specialists who can dedicate more time to managing strategies and monitoring results.

Budget

Budget Constraints: If a company has a very limited budget, conducting marketing activities independently may be the only option. While this solution allows for cost savings by avoiding agency fees, lack of experience and specialised knowledge may lead to less effective results, which could increase costs in the long run. It is therefore worth working with an agency where specialists are sure to allocate the available resources appropriately.

Level of Knowledge

If a company does not have sufficient knowledge of online marketing, working with an agency is essential. Agencies have specialists who are up to date with the latest trends and technologies, allowing them to run campaigns effectively. 

The question of whether to do online marketing yourself or with an agency should depend on the specifics of your business. If you are interested in working with an effective SEO/SEM agency, be sure to take a look at our offer!

Summary

A holistic approach to online marketing brings numerous benefits to businesses. Not only does it allow reaching a wider audience by attracting different user groups, but it also brings mutual benefits for each channel individually. For example, there is no doubt that a well-optimised website for SEO strengthens the effectiveness of SEM campaigns, which will direct users to that site. Presence across multiple channels and platforms helps build a consistent brand image, enhancing its recognition and increasing customer trust. Furthermore, a multi-channel approach reduces the risk associated with sudden failures of individual channels and platforms, providing greater stability in marketing activities.

Author
Karolina Pyznar - SEM Specialist
Author
Karolina Pyznar

SEM Specialist

A Management and Economics graduate. She started her adventure at Delante with an SEM internship in December 2021. She currently holds the position of SEM Specialist. Her special interest from the professional angle is Internet marketing, and she is no stranger to Google market changes. Privately, she enjoys traveling, sport, especially gym.

Author
Michał Szydłowski - Junior SEM Specialist
Author
Michał Szydłowski

Junior SEM Specialist

Graduate of Marketing and Communication at the Cracow University of Economics. He started working at Delante in 2023. Privately, he is interested in traveling and discovering new music, as well as enjoys watching a good thriller and a football game.

Author
Weronika Strzeżyk - Junior SEM Specialist
Author
Weronika Strzeżyk

Junior SEM Specialist

Author
Karolina Pyznar - SEM Specialist
Author
Karolina Pyznar

SEM Specialist

A Management and Economics graduate. She started her adventure at Delante with an SEM internship in December 2021. She currently holds the position of SEM Specialist. Her special interest from the professional angle is Internet marketing, and she is no stranger to Google market changes. Privately, she enjoys traveling, sport, especially gym.

Author
Michał Szydłowski - Junior SEM Specialist
Author
Michał Szydłowski

Junior SEM Specialist

Graduate of Marketing and Communication at the Cracow University of Economics. He started working at Delante in 2023. Privately, he is interested in traveling and discovering new music, as well as enjoys watching a good thriller and a football game.

Author
Weronika Strzeżyk - Junior SEM Specialist
Author
Weronika Strzeżyk

Junior SEM Specialist