Online marketing has become an indispensable tool for the growth and success of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Italy and beyond. With the advent of Web 4.0 and social media, SMEs have the opportunity to make themselves known, acquire new customers and increase sales.
According to recent studies, 73% of Italian SMEs have their own website, but only 30% invest in online marketing campaigns. It’s therefore important to understand what online marketing is, how to make the most of it and why it has become a very important tool for all those companies that want to reach a wider audience and convert.
Table of contents
Online marketing: what it is and why it is important
Online marketing is the set of strategies and techniques that use the web and related tools to promote a company, product or service. It’s important because it allows SMEs (but also multinationals) to reach a global audience.
The key to successful online marketing lies in the ability to capture the attention of the target audience and convert this interest into concrete actions.
An effective online marketing strategy makes it possible to:
- create awareness around the brand;
- reach new audience segments;
- gaining the loyalty of existing customers;
- improve the customer experience;
- differentiate themselves from the competition;
- increase conversions, hence turnover.
The main tools to focus on, in order to maximise results and return on investment (ROI), are:
- SEO;
- SEM;
- SMM;
- corporate website;
- content marketing.
Let’s analyse each of these online marketing strategies in more detail.
4 best online marketing strategies for SMEs
Here is a list of the 4 best online marketing strategies that SMEs can adopt to achieve their business goals.
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization or SEO is the set of techniques that aim to improve the ranking of a website among the organic results of search engines, such as Google or Bing.
SEO is based on several factors, such as keywords, site structure, loading speed, inbound and outbound links, and content quality. SEO is a long-term strategy, requiring perseverance and updating; it can lead to a considerable increase in traffic and thus more conversions.
2. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Search Engine Marketing or SEM is the set of techniques that aim to increase the visibility of a website in the paid results of search engines.
SEM is based on an auction system, where the advertiser pays each time a user clicks on his ad. SEM is a short-term strategy, requires good budget and campaign management and, unlike SEO, can lead to an immediate increase in traffic and sales.
3. Social Media Marketing (SMM)
Social Media Marketing or SMM exploits today’s social media, such as Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), etc. to promote a company, product or service.
A social media manager creates and shares valuable content that can generate interest, engagement and further sharing by users. Doing SMM means having creativity; it generally leads to increased awareness, reputation and loyalty.
4. Content Marketing
Content marketing is nothing more than the desire to produce quality, useful and relevant content for one’s target audience that attracts, informs, educates and persuades potential customers.
Content marketing comes in different formats, such as blogs, videos, podcasts, infographics, e-books, etc. Content marketing requires planning and analysis; if exploited well, it can increase credibility, authority and the number of conversions.
Benefits
The aforementioned techniques offer 3 benefits for SMEs, here are.
1. Lower costs
Online marketing has lower costs than traditional marketing, such as print, radio or television advertising. In addition, it allows ROI to be accurately measured and campaigns to be optimised based on results.
2. Wide audience
Online marketing, thanks to the possibility of personalising the message, makes it possible to reach a wide audience and segment it according to criteria such as geolocation, interests, behaviour, gender, age, etc. All this, of course, intensifies the effectiveness of communication.
3. Interactivity
Online marketing can create an interactive fan community through which to gather feedback, solve problems and generate trust. Channels such as social media, blogs, e-mail marketing and now AI-based chatbots foster dialogue and relationships with customers, real and potential.
Why choose Moka Adv as your online marketing partner?
Moka Adv is an Italian web agency with over 10 years of experience in international communication and web marketing. It boasts a client portfolio that touches the whole of Europe and has a wide range of services, making it the ideal partner for SMEs seeking to build a solid online presence.
We offer online marketing campaign management services, based on an in-depth knowledge of the market, needs and objectives of our clients. We develop websites and e-commerce, optimise their content for SEO, take care of related social media, and shoot promotional videos with a strong emotional impact.
In a word, we can help you achieve your business goals with proven, engaging and effective online marketing strategies.
To start an online marketing campaign, find us on WhatsApp (click or tap on the link to open the chat), call us at +390950935481 or send us an e-mail by filling out the contact form below. A team of experienced marketers is already at your service.