When we think about online marketing, many people immediately think of the ads that interrupt our Youtube videos or the annoying pop ups and flashing boxes on the sites we visit the most. Online marketing is more than just banners and side bars begging the eye to see.

It involves guest engagement and technical techniques to maximize a company’s ability to be seen, and to sell. The presentation of products and their value, the effectiveness of a service; these are a few of the things companies attempt to accomplish with their marketing efforts. They try to expand their customer base online while at the same time conducting efforts to draw previous clients back to them.

Below are four of the most used marketing methods company use to promote their business.

Email Marketing

Many businesses have learned how to maximize this form of online marketing. Grocery stores and retailers have been doing this for years. They send coupons and sales information directly to the consumer based on their purchase history. Companies do the same to advertise a new product being released or an ad hoc sale. This is a great method of gaining repeat business and prevent competitors from getting a sale.

Online retailers have maximized this form of marketing, but so have other businesses. Service-based companies do the same to remind their clients that, should they need their services again, they are there to help. Finance companies will send out emails to previous customers trying to entice them to take out another loan.

Social Media Marketing

Whereas email marketing generates revenue from repeat business, social media marketing can generate new business. By placing ads on the most popular sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, a business or product can potentially reach millions of viewers. The ads will click back to the company’s site where those who are interested can either learn more about the service or product, or purchase it directly.

Social media can boost sales exponentially. And it can happen for free. If your business has pleased a client, they will more than likely share the experience online. This can spread to their friends who, if they require the services of the business, can follow the path to the company’s social media site, then to their business website where they can set appointments, ask questions, or make a purchase.

Companies can also make use of social media sites focusing on video content. They can advertise their business on Youtube or Vimeo with videos of the products in action or services being performed. Because the attention span of viewers on these sites are limited, businesses have to make these ads creative and entertaining if they are to reach as many viewers as possible. This method is great for gaming products or to spread the word about an independent film on Blu Ray.

Search Engine Optimization

It is not enough to just have a website for your business. Now you have to make it to where your website receives visitors to view your products or review your services. SEO is key to being discovered by search engines such as Google, Bing, or Amazon. It is the process of getting a business’s name out on the Internet, enough to be picked up by the algorithms of the engines. Social media marketing will only work so far; its reach only extends as far as those who need what the business has to offer.

Search engine optimization does exactly that: it optimizes the chances of being found by the people who are in need of those services. A customer may search for an auto repair mechanic in his or her area. A company using SEO methods is more likely to be found than one which does not utilize the techniques.

SEO can be very technical at times, and even the biggest corporations hire a professional SEO company to help with the process. This increases their chances of landing a first-page result within the search results; the majority of consumers do not go past the first page when looking reviewing their options. This is why SEO is extremely important.

Conversion Optimization

Now that other marketing efforts have drawn a client to a business’s website, how does that business turn that visit into a sale? Conversion marketing practices help to convert those visitors into customers. This can be closely tied into the content on the website. How well is it written, how well is it presented? Does that content make sense to a first-time reader? These are things that conversion optimization looks at.

The value of the products and services presented on the business website may not be displayed prominently enough. The benefits of such may not be explained well enough for customers to understand. Conversion optimization will help realize that understanding in both explanation and presentation of the product.