5 Crucial Skills for Online Marketing Success

by Trina Johnson

If you want online marketing success, you've got to master five crucial skills. Without them, you are going to be a lost voice in the wilderness of the world wide web.

The first skill anyone who wants online marketing success must master, without a doubt, is clear, concise communication. You must hone your ability to condense sentences into short, concise phrases without losing or muddling your message. You need to be able to write creatively because you need to catch a reader's attention in an incredibly short period of time. And your communication is complicated by the need to weave in keywords that will attract the attention of the search engines as well.

The second skill you need is a deep understanding of human psychology. If you are going to market online, you have to know that people buy people. People are looking for solutions to their problems, they want to relieve their pain. If you do not address their pain points, they will not become your customer. There is too much competition and too many choices online for you to be just like everyone else. You have to know how to speak to your ideal customer in their language and yet put your own twist on the message.

The third skill you should develop is an honest-to-goodness interest in other people. Online marketing is all about relationships. Your buyer has to know, like, and trust you. You can establish rapport quickly via video, or frequent posts that reflect your authentic voice. The old adage that a buyer needs to have at least eight contacts before they will buy is true online as well. Few will buy from someone they consider a stranger. The more friends you can make online, the more successful you will become.

The fourth skill is probably the most crucial of all: you have to be adaptable. You have to be able to respond quickly. The online world changes constantly and you have to be comfortable being very flexible. Google changes their algorithms and everyone has to adjust. Facebook adds new rules and suddenly your clients no longer see your posts. New technology is introduced every day. Is your website responsive enough to be seen on the Apple watch? You have to be ready to respond.

The final critical skill you must master in your quest for online marketing success is the ability to laser-focus on the task at hand and ignore distractions. Shiny objects are everywhere. Social media can cause hours of lost productivity. While you need to learn to use social media as a tool, make sure you are in charge of your time.