Word of mouth referrals come with built in levels of trust that ensure higher conversion rates and better returns, making it a great 'low hangin
SME Pals is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Online marketing explained with cows
It can be a challenge, especially if you're new to the game, understanding what marketing jargon means. Inevitably you end up having to go and find some definitions to help keep track of what everyone is going on about.
So if online marketing is a scary and unfamiliar world, with danger everywhere, like this:
Then it's time to see how our bovine friends can help clarify what the marketing world is on about.
Social marketing
You have a cow.
You share a clip of it chasing a friend on FaceBook.
Everyone wants to meet your cow.
Social influence
You have a cow.
A reporter interviews you about it.
People start asking you about cows.
Affiliate marketing
Your neighbour has a cow.
You tell your friends about it.
He shares some of its milk with you.
Traffic
You have a cow.
You put it on the side of the road.
People stop to look at it.
Spam
You have a cow.
You put it in the middle of the road, stopping traffic.
A few people buy some viagra from you; so you put more cows in the road.
SEO
You have a cow.
You put up a road sign with "Cow" in the title.
Passers by stop to look at the sign; you sell them milk.
Content
You have a cow.
You write about it.
Your cow gets covered in the news.
Advertising
You and your neighbour each have a cow.
You both put signs up to advertise them.
You pay a premium to move your sign directly in front of the neighbour's.
ROI (Return On Investment)
You have a cow.
You pay $50 to dye it pink.
People buy tickets to see your cow; you earn $1000.
Conversions
You have a cow.
You spread the word that it is amazing.
People pay to look at it.
Fake it 'til you make it
You tell everyone you have a cow.
You don't.
Enough people buy tickets to see your cow that you are able to buy one.
Reality
You have a cow.
No-one cares.
Hopefully with those common marketing terms nicely explained, the world of marketing is much more friendly, like this:
But, if you still don't understand online marketing, take a look at our DIY marketing page that is full of useful tips and information to get you up and running like a pro in no time.
Take charge of your business' growth by mastering one or more of the leading digital marketing tools and learn to make better strategic decisions to save mon
Having a great product or service is simply not enough to enjoy strong sales (especially online), which is why it is crucial to build strong relationships with other organizations.
But recognizing that your enterprise can succeed or fail depending on the quality and quantity of the business relationships around you is one thing - finding and nurturing those partnerships is another thing entirely.
This article highlights three techniques that have proven themselves to be invaluable when it comes to ensuring that your company is constantly growing a powerful network of allies.
When I started my first company some years ago I placed all my focus on creating a great offering, but almost no effort went into sales and networking. Needless to say that it took an incredibly long time to get off the ground - 6 years in fact.
During that time I learned a lot about how business works, and my focus has shifted almost completely onto sales, marketing and networking.
Nowadays, a good idea with a quality product backed by excellent service is the bare minimum required to succeed. Because there is so much competition (especially online), what sets companies apart these days is how effectively they can network and promote themselves.
Check out this list of ten great hyperlocal marketing strategies, by Carlo Pandian, that can help to drive local consumers to your site.
Use three quick and easy steps (plus a few secret SEO & marketing hacks) to research competitors online, learn what they are doing to succeed an
PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising on a platform like Google AdWords can be challenging to ge
These five radically new content marketing strategies will instantly improve and overhaul your strategic content campaigns and blast your marketing team into
The first time I started an online business I spent the vast majority of my time actually creating the service.
Learning how to be an effective affiliate marketer on one of the top affiliate programs is a great skill to have for entrepreneurs and anyone looking to star
Coming up with marketing ideas for small business can be a challenge.
