Online marketing is the future.  Time to get onboard!!  Online marketing consists of using digital channels like your website, emails, social media, and videos to attract leads.  Unlike traditional marketing that focuses on “shotgun” massive mainstream techniques, online marketing focuses on reaching niche audiences with digital mediums.

The theory of online marketing can easily fill an encyclopedia, but I’m going to break it down into “most important” subjects.

1. Make your copy personal.  The days of using long, run-on sentences with huge words you picked out of the thesauruses are OVER.  People want clear, concise information on your services along with an anecdote on how you’ve helped someone like them.  The more personal your website pages, the more trust people will assign to you as a person.  People want to engage with another person, not a faceless entity.

2. Relevant information.  Blogging is the number one way to gain SEO rankings, but it’ll never come to fruition if the content is not relevant to your audience.  I could write an article titled “12 Tips to Javascript Compression,” but CRE Agents and Brokers would never read it.  Instead, I write information YOU would be interested in.  For instance, if you deal with landlords consider “# Tips to Getting a Higher Lease Rate.”  Or retail tenant rep would consider “# Reasons Why Traffic Counts Don’t Matter.”

3. Share your content.  Social media is a great way to advertise your unique content.  If you’ve written a blog article, share it among your peers!  People love getting original and useful content.  They will likely share with others.

4. Increase your website’s visibility.  When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), content is still king.  One of the best ways to keep your site relevant in Google’s searches is by consistently and frequently publishing quality web content.  This means not paying someone to type “commercial real estate leases” over and over into a page, you’re going to have to work for it.  Open your word processing program and start writing!

5. Engage with social media.  With the rise of social-media titans like Facebook, social media strategies are an integral part of the online marketing. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, 52% of adult internet users are now active on at least two or more social platforms.  It’s time we stop sitting on our hands and get to posting on social media.

6. Optimize your website for mobile.  Over 60% of all website traffic comes from a mobile device.  If your website is older than 2010, it is not likely mobile compatible.  Bring your company into the 21st century.

7. Optimize your emails for mobile.  65% of all emails get opened on email.  If you’re using an old email newsletter template that is not mobile compatible, it’s time to upgrade.