In today's increasingly modern and competitive business landscape, you need a modern marketing strategy to survive. But where do you start?

Optimization

A website is the core of a business' presence and authority online - the foundations upon which its branding efforts on the web branch out into multiple facets of marketing. A modern marketing plan makes good use of a website as a central business hub and ecommerce portal through optimizing it both for search and for user experience.

A business website should be optimized for maximum search engine visibility to drive more traffic. it should likewise be structured and designed to provide the best possible user experience to its visitors, the majority of which are generated by search optimization.

Inbound

Strong and effective inbound marketing strategies should always be a part of a modern marketing plan, as they are proven cost-efficient and potent tools for generating leads. There are several aspects of an inbound marketing plan you can focus on, including:

• Design - keeping user experience in mind, a website's design should also be part of a business' inbound marketing mechanism. From easily spotted calls to action to well-spaced navigation that brings important elements into prominence, effective design can be as powerful on a website as it can be on a display ad.
• Copy - Make sure the sales pitches are effective, not overt;the market copy is engaging, not driveling; and the content genuinely value-adding, not empty and full of fluff.
• Keyword strategy - Bolster authority, PageRank, and search optimization through effective keyword strategies within your inbound marketing plan, taking more targeted long-tail queries and your internal pages into account.

There are various other aspects such as social media and blogging, but to be certain to cover the fundamental bases, keep within your own website first, and deal with other matters later.

Integration

A marketing plan should encompass all avenues of advertising and branding - not just online elements. The challenge is integrating offline and online methods of your marketing plan to function like clockwork.

• Include offline goods and services to online marketing - Make sure you prominently mention or feature the goods and services you offer offline wherever you can in as many online marketing channels as possible. include them in paid search ads, always feature them in your business blog, and create a social buzz about them through your social profiles and pages.
• Encourage online reviews and testimonials - Encourage customers in your shops to post even brief reviews or testimonials on their experiences and purchases. A good first step towards this is offering free WiFi connectivity, and perhaps launching a promotional raffle where customers who leave reviews online can participate.
• Use consistent branding messages across all channels - Do not alter your branding slogans, messages, and marketing pitches. Make them stick through being constant and consistent.
• Leverage technology - Use technologies such as Quick Response (QR) codes or Near Field Communication (NFC) to engage your customers, as many people own their own tablets or smartphones that are more than capable of supporting your modern marketing plan technologies. Place QR codes in posters and fliers you distribute and point them towards landing pages, social pages, or promotional pages. Use NFC to read coupon codes you send your customers through their tablets or smartphones. Think outside the boundaries that separate the real world from the digital.

Integrate, integrate, integrate. Think of your advertising endeavors as a whole - a single clockwork mechanism that uses both real world and online channels.

These are the essential pieces of modern marketing strategies. Optimize your website, use inbound marketing strategies, and integrate your efforts for an effective advertising effort.