Like a business plan and a budget, an Internet marketing strategy is something that absolutely every modern-day small business start-up needs. While a good starting point is a website, Internet marketing requires more than a couple of static web pages. Instead, successful Internet marketing mandates a dynamic and well-rounded web presence that builds relationships in addition to sales, advocates in addition to customers.
A comprehensive Internet marketing strategy replaces newspaper ads with banner ads, yellow pages with search engines, snail mail with e-mail, town squares with social networks and sales letters with custom content. The technology is as evolutionary as it is revolutionary, and smart businesses are taking notice.
Tools and technology aside, there are dozens of reasons to engage actively and often in Internet marketing, of which the “cool” factor is just one. Here are a few of the most persuasive:
1. When they need information, modern-day consumers turn first to the Internet; Internet marketing will make sure they find you when they do.
2. Online marketing is ripe with research potential; if nothing else, companies should engage in Internet marketing in order to collect data about their customers and prospects.
3. By marketing on the Internet, companies can reach a more targeted audience; what’s more, they can reach it quickly and intimately.
4. Internet marketing lends itself to instant conversions; upon introducing customers to your product, they can immediately click through to purchase it.
5. Compared with many traditional marketing vehicles, Internet marketing services are both more affordable and more effective.
6. Internet marketing is global marketing; by marketing on the Internet, your company can enjoy international marketing exposure on a local marketing budget.
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Make PR a core component of your Internet marketing strategy
Marketing on the Internet is about more than advertising; it's also about public relations. Use the Internet to generate publicity and to monitor, build and maintain your online reputation.
I recommend: Include
Google Alerts in your Internet marketing toolbox. Use them to keep tabs on mentions of your name, your company and your products online; search
Technorati, meanwhile, for mentions in blogs and social media. Finally, when you write press releases, distribute them via a newswire service like
PRWeb, which allows you to tag your release for exposure on social bookmarking sites like
Digg and
Del.iciou.us.
Purchase display advertising and take advantage of traditional online marketing tools
Display advertising, including banner ads of all sizes, is perhaps the most basic form of online marketing. Because you'll pay for impressions - banner ads are typically priced using CPM, or cost per thousand impressions - make sure you pursue ads only on websites that your target customers visit.
I recommend: Yahoo! Advertising provides Internet marketing services with which to design, purchase and place your Internet advertisements.
Engage in e-mail marketing in order to better target your Internet marketing efforts
Promotional e-mails, including targeted messages and periodic e-mail newsletters, are an effective, opt-in tool for doing one-to-one Internet marketing. Send coupons or send content, but whatever you do, don't send spam.
I recommend: VerticalResponse is a popular e-mail marketing vendor that can help you develop and execute an Internet marketing strategy that’s all about e-mail; browse its
resources page for e-mail marketing research, tips and advice.
Use search engine marketing to strengthen your larger Internet marketing strategy
If you have a website, Internet marketing via search engines will help your customers find it. Consider search engine optimization, which will improve your search engine rankings, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, which markets your company via relevant, targeted search engine queries.
I recommend: When you’re marketing on the Internet, use Wordtracker’s
free keyword suggestion tool to choose keywords; use those keywords in PPC advertising via
Google AdWords and
Yahoo! Sponsored Search in order to build search engine traffic.
Pursue affiliate marketing and let others do your Internet marketing for you
A collaborative approach to Internet marketing, affiliate marketing consists of advertisements on other people's websites; every time a customer clicks on those ads and visits your website, your affiliate gets a small commission.
I recommend: While
LinkShare and
ClickBank are examples of companies that provide affiliate-focused Internet marketing services,
AffiliateScout.com and
AffiliatePrograms.com are examples of directories where you can search for affiliate networks based on geography, industry, etc.
Make blogging an essential piece of your Internet marketing strategy
In contrast to expensive Internet marketing services, blogs offer business owners an affordable and personable way to connect with customers. Blogging about your business, your industry and your life positions you as an expert, an advocate and most importantly, a person.
I recommend: For a low monthly fee, you can publish your own blog via sites like
TypePad and
Movable Type;
Blogger and
WordPress, meanwhile, are free. Don’t forget to market your blog via RSS feeds; while most blogging software will create RSS feeds for you, Internet marketing companies like
SimpleFeed can help if yours doesn’t.
Find viral marketing tools with which to spread your online marketing message
Whether you send a viral e-mail, produce a viral video or build a viral website, Internet marketing of the viral variety spreads far and fast, allowing you to start small and finish big.
I recommend: Consider uploading branded media to sites like
YouTube,
Revver or
Flickr; while there’s no guarantee, a video or photo that goes viral can attract heaps of new business.
Participate in social networks to give your Internet marketing an interactive edge
Social networks are an essential component to your modern-day Internet marketing strategy; giving your company a presence on popular social networks allows you to engage younger consumers and turn them into brand evangelists.
I recommend: While
MySpace,
Friendster and
Facebook tend to be the most attractive social networks for companies who are marketing on the Internet, other sites, such as
Second Life and
Twitter, are becoming major players. Still other sites, like
LinkedIn, are proving themselves important stomping grounds for BtoB marketers.
Generate online word of mouth with consumer-driven Internet marketing efforts
Internet marketing is about interactivity. Give your customers a platform for expressing-and sharing-their opinions online in order to build buzz and goodwill.
I recommend: Customer reviews are a great option for companies that want to give consumers the power to do their Internet marketing for them; while many shopping cart solutions, such as
Zoovy, now include built-in customer review functions, companies like
PowerReviews specialize in them.
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