Online marketing is a lot like online dating in several ways. Fortunately, it does not have the same poor odds. Still, there are some things you can learn from this parallel.
Build trust!
When promoting a brand or product, there are several steps you must take to build trust with your audience. Make sure that you have contact information displayed prominently and provide accurate, informative content on a professional looking site.
Also, take the time to build trust with your audience by writing to people, not search engines. Regular content, active links, and proper grammar are all vital. At the same time, feature customer reviews, provide how-to or informational videos and show photos of your company and employees.
Finally, don’t forget to provide links with additional information for those who want to learn more, and provide a secure method for payment options.
Stand out!
Online dating websites boast tens of thousands of user profiles. It can be difficult to stand out, and the same is true when it comes to online marketing. There are virtually unlimited pages competing for your audience’s attention. Great content, targeted to your prospective customers will capture their attention and make you stand out.
Incorporate humor either in copy or images and don’t forget about quality images and videos. Pages with images hold attention longer and landing pages with video have up to 80% higher capture rates.
Also, every company has an exclusive message and knowledge base. Don’t settle for second-rate strategies that copy your competitors, go for uniqueness. This will build your identity as a company and create a more loyal fan base.
Mistakes are great learning opportunities!
As you work to be unique, sometimes things will go wrong. You may fail to analyze strategies for success, understand your customer base or capture your audience’s attention. Perhaps you will spend thousands on ads that are mistargeted and don’t bring results.
If you make a mistake, quickly apologize, be honest and upfront, and move forward. Time eventually erases most mistakes and will provide great learning opportunities for those who follow.
Stalkers can be good!
You may realize you have a stalker when you see every one of your videos getting the same number of dislikes all on the same day, or your content is incorrectly flagged. Online stalking might show up in the form of negative comments on your social media platforms or spam comments on your blog.
That’s why it’s a good idea to have controls in place to protect your reputation. Make sure your blog comments require approval before they post. Do the same with your social media feeds. If your stalkers are simply fans who love you, take advantage of the energy. Create conversations, ask questions and engage them. Those are your greatest prospects for future business.
Is not always Happily ever after!
In marketing, you can’t simply blast your audience with messages about how much you rock and hope to find a perfect union. Instead, focus on your audience. Work to solve the problems they have and communicate solutions to them.
Visitors typically visit a site several times before the first purchase, so keep their interest and continue to provide value. Show them that you have taken the time to understand them and that you care about the issues they face. Then, when the time is right and trust is built, you will be able to solidify your relationship in the form of a sale. That’s online marketing’s equivalent of a perfect match.