6 Steps to Marketing Online Without Using Social Media

Not using Social Media? It’s Not the End of the World! You can still benefit from Online Marketing!

Haven’t joined the 845 Million other users on Facebook yet? Don’t worry - although it probably sometimes seems like you are the only one - you are not actually alone.

I was presenting an overview of internet marketing to the Ventura County Financial Planner’s Association (FPA) recently. Turns out that many of them are not social media users yet either, or at least are very limited social media users (LinkedIn seemed to be the platform of choice!).

Several were restricted by industry related Compliance concerns or policies.

Others expressed interest in social media, but have not found the time yet.

I've met other business owners who just did not like the idea of social media in general.

One planner approached me after the presentation. He was not on social media because it did not fit his personality. He felt that he needed to be true to who he was, and that social media just wasn’t comfortable.

Obviously, I am a fan of social media - social media is a great tool for marketing, networking, educating, and getting to know one another. That said, for one reason or another - it’s not for everyone.

This does not mean that you should give up on your website, or on ever developing leads from the internet. Social Media is only one aspect of a well rounded internet marketing campaign. Here are 5 things that you can do to be an effective online marketer without using social media.

1. Sign up for Google Places: Do this today! Google places will help your business appear on the first page (or at least in a list on the first page) of search results made within your local area. It is free, relatively easy to set up, and includes a link to your site, a link to your Google Places information page, and a map of your location.
2. Make sure that your website is optimized for search engines: Most are not! Good search engine optimization will help your web pages appear higher in the search results for the services and products that you offer. Although social media is starting to influence search results, it is still not as effective or important as on-site optimization. We offer a free review of your website’s current SEO if you would like more feedback.
3. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: PPC can be a great way to bring highly qualified traffic to your website. Your ads can be targeted to specific keywords, you can dictate your daily maximum that you want to spend, and you only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad. Facebook and LinkedIn also have very good advertising platforms.
4. Create valuable content that you can offer to visitors on your website. This is usually educational material and can take the form of a white paper, eBook, webinar, video, newsletters, consultations, etc. 
5. Add “call-to-action” buttons (i.e. download, subscribe, etc.) to your website to draw visitors to your remarkable offer. Visitors will click the “call-to-action” button and fill out the form to download, view, or subscribe to your valuable content. The form will allow you to capture their contact information.
6. Follow up on your Leads: This does NOT mean SPAM them! Instead provide more valuable, free, content; or a great introductory offer. Whether you engage them on the phone, through automated email, or personal email be helpful rather than sell.

Given the choice, I would definitely recommend at least a presence in social media for most businesses; however, you can still build your website into a powerful marketing and lead generation tool without using social media!

Your turn: for those of you not yet fully engaged in social media marketing, has your website been an asset to you? How are you using it? Could you use it more effectively?

Thanks for visiting. As always, questions and comments are welcomed and appreciated. Visit our website for more Inbound Marketing help.

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