Advertising has diversified a great deal over the years, mostly due to the rise of the internet and the range of new opportunities offered in the online world. Although more choices mean more flexibility, it can also be confusing, and some businesses struggle to choose the right kind of advertising to match their needs. Here’s a rundown of the three most common types and how to use them.
#1 SEO
Some argue that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the most powerful form of marketing in the world, and best of all, it’s completely free. SEO is a broadly encompassing term that incorporates a range of strategies geared towards making your website and content rank higher with Google search engines. This is powerful. Higher ranking websites don’t just enjoy more traffic and click-throughs, but they are viewed as authority URLs and specialists in their area. A high search engine ranking can propel a business from a small-scale concern to something much larger almost overnight, which is why SEO is so popular.
Keywords are the most famous aspect of SEO that most people are aware of. Used correctly, relevant keywords allow Google to classify your website properly, boosting its ranking. A good link profile and clean layout are important too, but SEO is far more complex in reality. Many businesses turn to specialist SEO agencies like Click Intelligence to implement the strategies on their behalf. Since SEO is such a nuanced marketing method (and incorrect usage can actually harm your Google ranking), working with an agency takes a lot of time and stress out of the process.
#2 PPC
It’s a widely held misconception that PPC is prohibitively expensive and that costs quickly spiral out of control, but that simply isn’t the case. Although this marketing strategy is certainly more expensive than free SEO, it’s perfectly possible to set a tightly controlled budget. PPC stands for Pay Per Click. In basic terms, you set up an advertising campaign for your business, website or service, and then pay a small fee every time somebody clicks on it.
There are lots of different PPC services available, but Google and Facebook are two of the most popular. PPC is most effective when it’s heavily targeted. Marketers can set criteria for who sees their ads based on geographic location, age, and even hobbies. Not only does this make for a more effective campaign, but it saves a great deal of money.
#3 Affiliate
Affiliate advertising means working with bloggers, social media influencers, and anybody in the public eye. You’ll send them a product to advertise and then pay them a cut of any sales. Affiliate marketing is big business and widely used by retail giants like Amazon, but it’s also popular amongst smaller businesses, especially on social media.
The beauty of affiliate advertising is that it doesn’t even seem like marketing in most cases. The best affiliates post product reviews and information that seem completely organic. They also have vast followings of people who trust them and are likely to follow through on their recommendations. Choosing the best affiliate for your business requires diligent research, but getting it right can yield dramatic results.
