Ever thought about starting your own blog, or have you started your own blog and don’t know where to start with the online marketing? Here is online marketing made easy…

With all the talk these days about online marketing, social media, blogging, SEO and more it is important to remember the good old database. One of the most important elements of successful online marketing is creating a strong database of prospective customers.

Component 1: A database of prospective and current clients

A database is the backbone of any business. It is a collection of names and email addresses (and more if possible) that you can contact and promote your offerings to. And if the time comes when you’d like to sell your business, the strength of your database is strongly entwined to the final sale value of your business.

Creating a strong database from your online marketing entails our second component:  a strong lead generation strategy which you can implement across all your online platforms such as your website, Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Pinterest and more.

Component 2: A successful lead generation strategy

Successful lead generation is about creating a constant stream of potential customers that you can add to a database. This database can then be used as an ideal platform to which you can promote your products and service offerings.

To create a successful lead generation strategy you need to think about what your market is interested in learning about from you.

For example, for mortgage brokers this may be your knowledge of various loan types and borrowing requirements whereas for a hairdresser it might be the new range of GHD hair straighteners or hair care tips you can share.

Whatever it is, it’s about taking the best of what you know and being willing to share it through your capture device.

Component 3: A capture device

A capture device is a form that’s on a website or other online forums and is used to capture visitor details. It is important not to try gather too many details as you don’t want to make it hard work for your visitor. Usually a name, email address and 1-2 other relevant points for your business are enough. And always respect your visitors’ privacy, don’t share their details and let them know you’ll be sending them emails in the future.

A capture device can take many forms including:

• A free ebook or video clip of information. This enables you to share your knowledge and position yourself as an expert in your field.
• A competition.  Give away some of your products or services or cross promote with a complementary business and give away a sample of theirs.
• A newsletter. Whether weekly, monthly or quarterly, it’s important thing to be consistent and ensure the content is a good balance of promotional and educational information.
• A free report. With a free report you can create a series of reports or even a mini-course that you send to your subscribers over a certain period of time.
• Surveys, questionnaires and polls. These can be run on your homepage or social media channels. Visitors can only participate after they enter their details. These devices work best when combined with an incentive such as the chance to win a prize upon entering.

So there you go! Database + lead generation + capture device = successful online marketing!

Now, how do you start creating a successful online marketing strategy?

Here are 4 steps to set you on your way to online success:

Step 1: Review your current database. How many subscribers are you currently getting per month? Set yourself a goal to increase that number. Without a goal your efforts are likely to flounder.

Step 2: Decide which capture devices you want to use.  Try to use 3 different ones as this will enable you to see which ones work better while also helping you to appeal to a broader mix of visitors.

Step 3:  A good system makes the difference. There are many email marketing systems that have a built in database attached. Find one that is reliable and works well for you.

Step 4: Keep it interesting. Regularly update your capture devices to continue to make them enticing for repeat visitors.

Most importantly though, is to get started. Marketing is not an exact science and online is a dynamic space: the perfect place to play with different ideas to see what works best for your business. Have fun with it!