No single online marketing tool can drive people to your website and entice them to purchase. With your target market’s attention being tugged in every direction, you have to use all the tools. If you have to pick which 5 to start with, make it these:

1. PPC (Pay-Per-Click)

Notice that the first 1-4 Google search results you get have that little green “Ad” square? Google’s recent algorithm updates give PPC ads prime real estate in search results—before results that appear through organic SEO. You need PPC, but when planning a PPC campaign, remember these tips:

  • Live by your ongoing market research and a tracking system to test which of your PPC ads actually convert. (Hint: Use your AdWords>Tools>Conversions to set up a tracking system. Linking your Google Analytics and AdWords accounts helps too.)
  • Simplify and narrow down the keywords you use (after evaluating the data) so use only the most “converting” ones. Use “exact” match keywords rather than “broad match”. If you've done your market research well enough, this will narrow down the people visiting your website to those who are highly interested in purchasing rather than those who are just curious.

2. Remarketing

Don’t give up on website visitors who didn’t purchase the first time. They're interested, but maybe they weren’t ready. Some of the best remarketing techniques include tailored email reminders about abandoned shopping carts or PPC ads highlighting products they’ve looked at along with similar items that might interest them. These repeated impressions can boost your conversions into the triple digits. You can use tools like http://www.adroll.com and http://www.getdrip.com to help you stay in front of those customers so they come back to complete the purchase. 

3. SEO

Reports about the death of SEO have been greatly exaggerated. It’s still necessary, but SEO strategy matters more than ever. Use Market research to find exact keyword matches your target market uses to search for what you offer so that they can find your site. Naturally integrating those keywords into high-quality content is exactly the thing both Google and your customers will love. At this point, the quality, relevancy and frequency of your content updates are more important than just the keywords you use. 

4. Blogging

Speaking of content and SEO, blogging is a major way of doing both. But blogs are a dime a dozen these days, so you have to use your market research to devise a strategy that will make you a thought-leader your target audience gravitates toward for sound advice. Extend your blog’s reach by delving into your market research to find out what really bothers, excites and fires up your target audience. Use your blog to highlight specific solutions you bring to them for their issues. How-to blogs, blogs describing actual customer experiences—deep, rich content that is entirely customer-focused will make your blogs more relevant and help you gather more influence through postings on...

5. Social Media

Sharing your blog and other engaging posts, contests, cheat sheets, white papers, videos, guides, checklists, deals—actual useful (sharable) stuff—across your social media platforms. This requires constant vigilance and engagement with your target audience.

Keep enhancing your mix of these online marketing tools with good data and market research and your efforts will pay off in more conversions.