The process of marketing your product or service continues to evolve, as modern techniques replace more traditional approaches. Understanding and implementing the latest methods can make a big impact on your marketing team’s productivity and effectiveness, the growth of your small business, and ultimately, your bottom line.

Here are five modern marketing techniques worth implementing:

1. Email Marketing

Of all the marketing channels, email has the highest ROI per dollar spent. In addition, a study by ExactTarget found that 77-percent of consumers actually prefer to receive permission-based marketing communications through email. This type of marketing can be a very effective way to establish a new relationship with a prospect, or to drive brand loyalty with a current customer.

2. Social Media

Businesses of all sizes struggle with the right way to use social media and how to measure results. One of the best ways to get started is to take the time to create and implement a social media strategy. Steps should include naming your goals and objectives, determining your audience, choosing the right platforms, and figuring out meaningful metrics to measure the success of your strategy.

3. Lead Management

Finding a successful way to convert leads into customers is how you grow and thrive. This is best done when your marketing and sales departments work hand-in-hand. Keep everyone on the same page by investing in marketing automation software. This tool will automate your lead management processes and show you the impact of your marketing activities, as well as indicate when a prospect is ready for a sales conversation.

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization is a way businesses and people can increase the online visibility of their website by strategically fine-tuning and organizing their web content for search engines. When SEO is done successfully, not only will the search engines correctly organize your web pages, they’ll have a better chance at ranking higher in search results, making it easier for people to find you.

5. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search engine marketing (also referred to as pay-per-click and paid search) is what allows you to advertise your business on search engines. The ads are differentiated from organic search and appear at the top and along the right side of the page. Because SEO on its own won’t guarantee a number one position or an appearance on the first page, you can fill in the gaps with SEM.

For an in-depth explanation on how you can implement these modern marketing techniques successfully, download the free ebook How to Grow Your Small Business with Marketing.