Marketing Made Simple

Can we start with a couple of easy questions? When is the last time you went online? If you're reading this post, then odds are you're online this moment. We're all online. Everyday. Yes, checking email counts.

When is the last time you researched a purchase or actually purchased something online? Most of us are doing just that multiple times each week.

The web is our new marketplace. You're online. Your customers are online. Your future customers are online. It only makes sense that your company is properly marketing itself online.

But how?

Most things in life look more complicated than they are. Or, perhaps said a better way, things are easier when you know what you're doing. When you have a plan. Online marketing is no different.

There are so many articles and emails and conversations out there about online marketing that it's not easy to know exactly where to start. And, if you've already started, then congratulations. But it's not easy to know what's most important or what to do next.

Our team of online marketing experts has created a series of straightforward articles to help you through the seemingly complicated world of online marketing. We'll cover the best place to start, how to put the fundamentals in place, and we'll provide links along the way to helpful tools that will make everything just a bit easier.

Topics Will Include:

How to Start

Let's talk about goals, expectations, and a few building block tools that will let you take control and see the benefits of your online marketing activities.

Local Search

Where are the yellow pages again? Oh, that's right, no one uses those anymore. Google and the second tier of online business directories are the modern day yellow pages. They provide results, directions, reviews photos, links to websites, everything a potential customer might want to start. We'll discuss the major local search players and how to ensure that your profile information is included and accurate.

Site Optimization/SEO

An optimized site is critical. We'll go over the most important pieces, ensuring that you give Google what it's looking for when determining site relevancy.

Social Marketing

Some of us are hooked on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and some of us would rather watch paint dry. The fact is that social media can play a helpful role for your organization, and we'll lay it all out for you. We promise, it's not difficult and can even be a good deal of fun.

Content Marketing

Back in the 2000s, there was a go-to phrase in the online marketing industry: content is king. To a large degree, this is still the case.

Email Marketing

For some types of business, email marketing can be an effective way to grow revenue. We'll discuss some ideas and tools to make email marketing a breeze.

AdWords / Pay-Per-Click / Retargeting

We're talking about everybody's favorite Google ads. If you haven't tried AdWords, you might be missing out on some valuable website traffic. Let's go over some tips and tricks that only the pros use. Best of all, it will cost a lot less than you think.

Reputation and Reviews

The power of good—or bad—reviews cannot be underestimated. Here we'll go over who the major players are, what you can do about poor reviews, and simple things we can all do day-to-day to help generate positive reviews.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. We'll cover the basics—the most important reports—and point you to some helpful resources you can lean on when you want to do more.
We're excited to share what we've learned over the years. We're also eager to hear your feedback and questions along the way, so don't hesitate to speak up.

Look for our next article—how to start—on this website in the coming days.
Stone Interactive Group is a leading web design and online marketing company based in Ann Arbor Michigan.

Opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of WITI.