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Getting Online Marketing Started

internet marketing

 

Online Marketing is a catchphrase that has many business owners talking at the moment, but what exactly does it mean? According to Wikipedia, “Online advertising is a form of promotion that uses the Internet and World Wide Web to deliver marketing messages to attract customers.”

 

A website is the first step in marketing on the internet but it can also be a costly exercise. It is important to get more than one quote and also to view the portfolio of any website design company. Creating a website has two main components; the first is the design of the website or how the website will look and the second main component is the development or building of the website. The third main component of a website is marketing and it is essential that the marketing strategy be discussed in conjunction with the website design and development.

 

Some examples of online marketing or online advertising are blogs, email marketing campaigns, Google AdWords advertising, Social Media and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). There are a great deal more options to choose from but these are a good place to start for companies wanting to move their business online. Online Marketing should fit a business’s needs and through trial and error a strategy will form as to which methods work best for a specific business.

 

Cost is a major factor when deciding which online marketing options to choose and much like other forms of advertising, a budget should be set. Some businesses have moved their entire marketing budget online whilst others are opting for a percentage of the budget to be spent through online advertising. Once you have an overall budget, this needs to be allocated to the various marketing options. Blogs are a good place to write content about products and services and can lead people back to the company’s website. They are reasonably priced to set up or there are free options such as WordPress or BlogSpot. Social Media is another cost effective way to get your product marketed. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest are just some of the sites that can be set up for free and products are promoted through pictures, videos and content. SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is generally done by an agency and the cost is dependent on the size of the website. Google AdWords is a cost-per-click method of advertising on the Google search engine. This means that every time an internet user clicks on an advert, the business which is advertising pays Google a fee. The fee fluctuates but once a daily budget is set, the total cost will not exceed that budget. Google AdWords can be a hugely successful marketing strategy whether you have only a few hundred rand or a few thousand rand to spend.

 

The South African statistics of people online is staggering and the numbers are growing daily. With approximately 10 million South Africans using the internet, Online Marketing is becoming a necessity for business owners.

Giselle Chelin

Giselle Chelin is co-owner of the internet marketing company MJ Media. She is fascinated by the on-going developments and improvements of internet marketing and aims to help businesses utilise this powerful marketing tool to its full potential. Connect with Giselle on Google+

Testimonials

Over the past 5 years, MJ Media have fine-tuned our online marketing platforms, improved our Google presence and increased our website visits and enquiries. The end result, leading to greater brand awareness and a growing business. It’s been an exciting journey!

Dale Horne, Symbiotix Group

Bridgette and Giselle have managed our Adwords account for over 12 months and have always provided excellent and efficient service with a flexible and proactive approach. We are very pleased at the results obtained so far and look forward to continuing our successful relationship with MJ Media. We would recommend MJ Media to any organisation seeking to outsource some or all its internet marketing requirements to a trustworthy and transparent supplier.

Rob Schofield, Director, RJ Retail Ltd, trading as WoodenToyShop.co.uk

MJ Media have been amazing since day one, they listen, they are patient and they give advice which is always the best, they are helping me grow my business. I have seen increased quote requests from our web site. MJ Media’s work on internet marketing has made a significant difference to my business. I appreciate the hard work that they put on our marketing and look forward to continuously working with them.

Gisela Oliveira, Mozambique Tourism

Vet Products Online has been operating effectively for 12 years, but this year I thought it was time to progress to the next step of online marketing and social networking. MJ Media was recommended to me to assist and manage Facebook and Google marketing. Bridgette and Giselle are two stars in their field, both professional and enthusiastic. Their support is reliable and their turn around time to requests, queries or project needs is speedy. We have certainly benefited positively from MJ Media input and I highly recommend them to other companies who have internet marketing requirements.

Anne Mullins, Owner, Vet Products Online, www.vetproductsonline.co.za

Bridgette and Giselle have been our online partners for about 4 years now. Flexible Workspace sells office space and related services in the B2B market and as the founder not only am I convinced that Online is the most effective channel for our offering but that MJ are the right service provider for us. Being a relatively small (but growing) business, we need to be nimble and they in turn need to be ready and geared to move with us – MJ gets this. Having access to the decision maker/driver of the business is also important to me – they have a personal touch that larger agencies are unable to replicate. Finally, and most importantly they produce results – from the time MJ took over our account they have increased our lead flow 5-fold. As a business owner this is all I’m interested in – lead generation and conversion – this is the real measure of Return on Investment and they have delivered in spades.

Brad Porter, Flexible Workspace