You may be familiar with the old philosophical brainteaser: If a tree falls in the woods and no one’s around, does it make a sound? Along similar lines, it’s important for marketing professionals and business owners to ponder: If you build the best website and write the most amazing content in the world, but nobody knows it exists, does it actually do any good for your business?

The answer, of course, is no. A website—like any other business asset—needs marketing if it’s going to make any impact with your clients and potential customers. Taking an if we build it, they will come mentality simply doesn’t work: You’ve got do active marketing for your website and draw people to it, or else there’s hardly any point in having a website at all.

Why Do Brand Marketing At All?

Your marketing strategy should focus on a few basic points:

• First and foremost, of course, you want to draw traffic to your website. Getting eyeballs on your page is never a bad thing, and good marketing will work to draw them in.
• Good marketing doesn’t settle for a shotgun approach, though; it’s more refined and precise than that, actually targeting your ideal customers and bringing in people who fit your desired demographics.
• Marketing your company website makes the most of your investment: In addition to investing money in a professional website, marketing ensures that your budget is spent reaching and converting new customers— which makes each effort more powerful.

Again, good marketing revolves around a central premise: The best website in the world won’t help your business if people don’t know it exists.

Developing Your Marketing Strategy

Effective website marketing involves the use of several channels and various toolsets—all of them used in harmony, working toward the same goals of targeting users and drawing in traffic.

Not every website needs marketing through every single one of these tools, perhaps, but effective marketing does encompass a robust strategy involving several unique channels. These channels include:

• Pay-Per-Click Advertising
• Search Engine Optimization
• Pre-Roll Video
• Display Advertising
• Email Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Geo Conquesting
• And other tools and tactics

Effective Marketing Strategies for Your Business & Website

Regardless of how you approach your marketing, it is important to keep mobile at the forefront of your thinking. Once upon a time mobile marketing was considered a channel unto itself—but today, the majority of Web traffic comes from smartphones and tablet devices, which means all digital marketing should be done with mobile users in mind.

In the end, what matters isn’t just choosing the right channels, but also using them effectively. This means understanding that not all of these channels are created equal, and there are different ways to buy access and generate strong ROI. Working with a professional marketing firm is, of course, recommended. A strategic agency partner can help you navigate these channels, and determine the best mix and implementation strategy.

Check out the other posts in our Bringing in More Business series:

POST 1 – Digital Outreach Starts with Website Building
POST 2 – Why Content is Still King 
POST 3 – Why Your Website Needs Marketing
POST 4 – Why Your Business Needs to Get Social
POST 5 – Why Website Marketing is Integrative