Is internet marketing important for my business? Internet marketing is important to your business if you want to... Reach new customers Expand Your Business Sell Online Increase Brand Awareness Improve Brand Reputation The Shift to Online Media 2012 is the first year that online ad spending will outpace print advertising and that growth is only projected to continue. Should you abandon all other marketing strategies and only focus on online marketing... of course not. However, your marketing budget should reflect the changing times in order to prove successful. What Should I Focus on and How Much Should I Spend? Great questions, I m glad you asked. The average online marketing budget for 2012 is about 8% of the business s actual or projected revenue. So, if your business s revenue was $400,000 your monthly online budget would be $2,666. This number varies depending on the business and how the total marketing budget is allocated. 1. Website Creation/Re-design & Maintenance Your website is the hub of your online marketing campaign, making sure your website is set up to convert visitors is fairly important. 2. Pay-per-click (PPC) PPC is the easiest way to increase brand exposure online and drive immediate traffic to your website. This is also a valuable tool to evaluate keyterms and qualified traffic in order to make adjustments to your marketing plan. 3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) SEO, you probably hear this term thrown around alot... SEO is not website marketing, it is the onsite optimization that ties in with your marketing campaign to improve website traffic and conversions. 4. Content People are searching for information that is important to them. By providing answers to questions that potential customers may have they will be predisposed to believe that you are the company to help them. Content writing is writing builds trust, credibility, qualified buyers and keyterm reach. 5. Social Media & Remarketing Existing Customers are already sold on your products or services - it s important to take advantage of this. Introduction
Defining your niche online is more important than you might think. Defining your niche online helps... Maximise your marketing budget You develop focused content ideas Your audience find you Enable your company to become an industry leader If you build it they will come The most common misconception about online marketing is that if you build it they will come. Consequently One of the most common mistakes that a small business makes is to budget only for a website, but not the marketing. In reality, success online requires research, planning, implementation and refinement. Research Before Implementation Doing the research to identify your nich will allow you to run a more focused campaign. This is important for anyone who doesn t want to burn through a marketing budget with little to no return on investment. 1. Niche Research Who are you marketing to? 2. Keyword Research What search queries provide relevant traffic? 3. Who Are the Industry Leaders Often times affiliate sites can provide great traffic. 4. Setting Yourself Apart What makes you different? What do you bring to the table? Step 1 Research
Onsite Optimization and Content Building Maintaining an effective website... Good Site Structure Content is Optimized for your viewers Thoughtful Meta Data Growing Your Site Sharing Content On-Site Implementation Every page of your website is an opportunity to get noticed. Online, your website must be built not only for visitors, but for search engines. Your website is the first place that all of that research we just talked about needs to be implemented. Setting up the Funnel Your website is the funnel for all of your online conversions. What good is driving traffic to your site if it s not set up to convert? MOTIVATED VISITORS MOVE TO ACTION CONVERT 1. Sticky Content Simple, Engaging and Authoritative 2. Provide Clear Direction Show visitors where they can find the information they want. 3. Motivate an Action Are you encouraging the visitor to engage? 4. Share it with the world Say that a visitor has found exactly what they are looking for, is your site set up to let them spread the good word and do the work for you? Step 2 Website SEO
Just like traditional marketing, online marketing is composed of several different aspects... A breakdown of Your Online Marketing Strategy Doing the right research up front in order to find the right balance of online marketing tactics for your business is essential. Every business is different and so is their marketing strategy. ORGANIC SEO CONTENT WRITING PPC & DISPLAY ADS PRODUCT REVIEWS PRODUCT PROMOTIONS AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PR & SOCIAL MEDIA EMAIL MARKETING ANALYTICS Step 3 The Plan
Analytics to Understand How to Build Traffic and Increase Conversions Tracking to Stay on Track... Understanding where your traffic is coming from, what pages viewers enter and exit your site from and tying those metrics together with your company s goals are essential to ensuring that your online efforts are making good use of dollars spent. Schedule weekly or bi-weekly meetings with your online marketing team to keep on point with targeting specific demographics within your niche as well as refining your plan of attack to improve conversions. Step 4 Tracking