Chapter 2 The Elements of Internet Marketing
Everyone is concerned about how to market their business in the new age of the internet. In the early years, just having a website was enough. Soon it became apparent that if everyone had a website your single business site got lost in the crowd so a search engine was needed. Then there were many search engine choices until Google arose as the favorite. But with everyone on the search engines, it got more difficult to be at the top so paid ads became more popular and banner ads dotted the internet landscape. But soon banner blindness and the effectiveness of the paid advertisements diminished like billboards on the highway are often ignored. Email marketing became popular in the early years garnering better open and response rates than direct mail. It brought the cost of advertising down and took the information directly to those who were most interested. Now email inboxes are filled with promotional emails (not to mention spam) and people often use alternative email addresses when signing up on websites. MySpace came on the scene and the the social media movement was born although it would be FaceBook to win the popularity contest. Twitter, LinkedIn and others followed offering everything from photo blogs to vlogs and more. Today, the elements of internet marketing are many. The key is to understand how each of the elements works apart and together to accomplish the marketing goals of the company whether it's branding, creating awareness, lead generation or sales.
Web Design The design and development of a website is the foundation of any solid marketing plan both online and off. A simple ad in a print magazine or on the television is automatically worth more when a website address is added. There is so much more space available and the visitor can spend as much (or as little) time as necessary to find out what they want to know. Having a well designed website can convey professionalism while having a clear message and defined path to action for visitors. The best website designs combine high usability, aesthetically pleasing design and high level of conversions. Key elements of web design: usability, conversions, aesthetically pleasing graphics, original content, position statement and call to action messages. Search Engine Marketing Marketing in the search engines encompasses first, the organic, natural listings that websites obtain based on the actual informative value of the content. Gaining high rankings in the natural search is the goal of every website owner and marketing agency. Also included is pay per click advertising. These ads are displayed in the search engine result pages and within content across the internet. Ads now have the capability to include phone numbers and photos.
You may have also seen ads across the top or down the sides of your favorite websites. Some of these ads are very creative with interactive content beyond the normal click option. While some ads sell, the primary benefit of these ads is to create awareness and brand recognition. These types of ads are generally priced per impression, how many times the ad is shown, as opposed to how many times it is clicked. Key elements of search marketing: website optimization, high quality score for paid ads, correct demographic placement for content ads, landing page development, meeting visitor expectations. Email Marketing Marketing through email is similar to marketing through direct mail with one big difference no postage fee! It is the most direct way to stay in front of prospects and keep in touch with customers. As the world becomes more polluted with advertisements at every turn, email is the best way to advertise in terms of expense, response rate, and intention of the recipient. When used effectively, email marketing can be the pivot point to an entire online marketing campaign. Key elements to email marketing: valuable message contents, subject lines that open emails, links to relevant information from email to website, response rate information, list building incentive on the related website.
Social Marketing The newest member of the internet marketing family is social marketing. Many don't yet understand how social channels like FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn and etc. actually fit into the marketing landscape. It's even more interesting to consider how the success or failure of a social marketing campaign ismeasured. There are specialized social webistes like Quora or Replyz that help answer questions on the web. There are bookmarking social sites like Digg, Delicious and Reddit which allow visitors the ability to rate which submitted news items are best. If you look around the web you'll see many different types of social outlets. The foundation of social marketing is the premise that people are more likely to make a decision based on the recommendation of another person, whether familiar or stranger. Word of mouth advertising is more powerful than any other. Companies are quickly jumping on the social bandwagon to generate those types of referrals at a rate faster than the growth of Google. Key elements to social marketing: presence in all major social websites, blogging, linking the social sites to the website, incentive for people to become a fan or follow, steady stream of posts that are interesting and engaging, prompt responses to all visitors.
Other Elements Other elements to marketing online include writing original articles for submission to directories (while hosted on your own site). You can also become a guest blogger which gives exposure as an expert on another person's blog. Some companies use Amazon and Ebay to list their items for sale, even though they have a website, to create awareness and start a relationship that will lead to other sales in the future. Other companies may use sites Craig's list to get noticed. And there are many industry specific websites that may allow you to list your business. As if that weren't enough choices, even responding to a blog post (in the form of a comment) that is relevant to your industry can garner attention, especially if the topic is very interesting.
Putting it all together At this point it's easy to see that there are hundreds of ways to market your business online. That's why every business needs a specific internet marketing strategy. The elements listed: Design, Search, Email and Social, should all be a part of a thorough internet marketing plan. There is no way that a single element can stand alone as the internet marketing program. The strategic plan may pivot on a certain element, like the website being the pivit point or go to element for the other parts of the marketing plan. But as a stand alone, a website without having the search and social elements to drive new traffic and the email for repeat traffic, will simply wither and die no one will see beyond those physically told about the website. The pivot point may vary as well. There are some internet marketing programs that pivot around a blog or a FaceBook page. Although it's rare, there may even be plans that pivot on the email as the central theme where the goal is to keep people signing up to receive pre-set auto response messages guiding them to the sale.
Where to start As you may suspect, there is far more to marketing online than has already been mentioned, indeed the previous elements merely scratch the surface. As Confucius said, Every journey starts with a single step. Your journey to understanding and getting the most from marketing online begins with goals and planning. The following chapters in this book will help you use the key elements to develop goals and plans that will increase the success of your online marketing program. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to contact me, Teajai Stradley, and I'll be happy to help.