Putting Your Website to Work
Websites have replaced the brochure as the "must have" marketing tool for businesses large and small. While virtually every business has a website, few are harnessing the potential of their websites and the Internet in general to promote and grow their businesses. So how can you be sure your website is working for you? First, you must look at the role you want your website to play in your overall business and marketing strategy. As with any tool you use to promote your business, your web promotion activities must be built on a strong foundation. Start by determining the purpose of your website. Is it primarily informational or are on-line sales a major source of revenues for your company? Are you expecting people to find out about your company through on-line searches or are you primarily using your site as a place to send people for more information after an "off-line" contact? Other purposes for your site include: · Building credibility · Generating sales leads · Developing a database · Building relationships Your site may also have non-promotional functions such as on-line forms processing or customer service applications. You must consider who the target market is for your site. Is it a market that uses the web? And if so, how and for what do they use it? Some individuals may use the Internet primarily for e-mail, never accessing websites. Others may use it primarily for research and never make on-line purchases. The look and feel of your site as well as the content are key considerations. In addition, architectural concerns such as load times must be taken into account. Do the majority of your clients have high speed internet access or is a large portion of your market using dial-up access. It is useless to have a site with all the latest bells and whistles if the majority of visitors abandon the site without ever seeing or hearing them due to long load times. Just because you build it doesn't mean they will come. Having a top notch website is only half the battle. Like glossy, four color brochures that sit in boxes in the storage closet or the exquisitely designed retail store that no one visits, your website is useless unless there is traffic. If you don't have a tracking program on your site than you are not capitalizing on one of the most powerful features of a website: the ability to track results. Be prepared for a big disappointment though when you begin tracking. Most website average less than three visitors a day. It is important to use both on-line and off-line strategies to drive traffic to your site. Off-line strategies include being sure that your website address is on all your printed materials, using direct mail to drive people to the site and personal contacts through activities like presentations and networking. While Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is often considered the best way to get visitors to a site, it can be expensive and is not feasible for all businesses. Search Engine Optimization is the art and science (probably more art than science) of getting your site listed near the top when a potential customer searches on a key word or phrase such as "auto loans". Search engines use a variety of ever changing factors to determine listing order including site content, website architecture, source code referred to as meta tags, and the number of links to your site from other related sites. There are companies that generate the majority of their revenues providing Search Engine Optimization services. For many smaller companies the cost is prohibitive. However, even if you are a very small company you can be sure the content on your site includes the key words you want to be listed under. Linking to the sites of businesses that are complimentary to yours and asking them to link to you can also improve search engine ranking. Pay for performance options such a Google Ad Words or listings on Overture offer another relatively inexpensive option for driving traffic to your site. The "sponsored site" listings at the top or down the side are companies that have purchased key words in order to appear in prime locations when someone searches on that word. There are hundreds of sites that you can post content to in the form of articles. These articles can be picked up and used by publishers of on-line newsletters ? large and small. Writing articles related to your business and posting them to these sites can generate a tremendous amount of traffic and costs only the time it takes you to write and post the articles. So you've got a great website and you're generating traffic. Now what? How do you assure that you are capitalizing on the traffic you are generating? First you must determine what action you want visitors to take. Do you want them to sign-up for your free newsletter, purchase a product, fill out a contact form or request additional information? To determine the action you want a visitor to take, look back at the role you want your site to play in your overall business and marketing strategy. The three key ingredients for a website that helps you promote and grow your business are: · design and content of the site · driving traffic to the site · getting visitors to take action If any one of these ingredients is missing your results will be less than optimal. The Internet has had the greatest impact on how companies market their products and services and offers the most potential for new and innovative marketing strategies of any promotional vehicle since the invention of television. And, at least for now, the Internet provides a more level playing field for small companies than other promotional tools. How can your company capitalize on the power of the Internet? © 2004 Strategies-by-DESIGN. May be reprinted with credits and contact information. Julie Chance is president of Strategies-by-DESIGN, a Dallas based firm that helps businesses from professional services firms to specialty retailersMap A Path to Success by developing more leads, turning those leads into loyal customers, and obtaining a greater return from their marketing investment. The firm provides marketing consulting, training and skills based coaching. For more information or to sign up for their free marketing tips newsletter go to http://www.strategies-by-design.com or call 972-701-9311.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Marking Your Territory
We all know the familiar adage "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck..." it's nearly always a duck. The same is true with image, particularly when it comes to the images we portray of ourselves as writers.
Marketing and Advertising Techniques of Super Bowl Advertisers
Each year, advertisers with super sized budgets sink millions of dollars into Super Bowl advertising. While most of us do not have a large enough budget to advertise on the Super Bowl, the commercials -- both past and present -- demonstrate several marketing techniques we can apply elsewhere.
Why Doubling Your Fees Can Increase Business: How Pricing Affects Buyers Decision Making Process
Want to know the simple way to get all the business you could ever handle? Charge almost nothing.
Promotional Lanyards to Market Your Products and Services
It has become fairly common place to see Id badges dangling from a persons neck on a short cord, and on the cord or small rope itself, is printed the name of a company, or a school or an event on it. When you spot one of these, you can be sure you're looking at a lanyard.
Practical Advice to Generate Successful Campaigns Using Merged Lists
You could end up with poor results when designing a direct mail campaign that combines your inhouse list with one or more rented lists. Merging lists generates a set of conditions that you may not have thought about at the conception stage. It is better to face the challenges before finalizing your design and strategy to avoid last minute alterations that so often occur. Once you determine your strategy, we strongly suggest you rent your lists early and work closely with the personnel handling your data processing.
The Top 10 Ways to Market your Business or Professional Practice Without Advertising
Every business and professional practice MUST be in the public eye. You need customers! Folks need your goods and services -- it's a mutual alliance for mutual benefit! But if potential clients and customers don't know you exist, or can't find you, you will go bankrupt! They won't benefit from your services, and you won't make any money. So, marketing is a necessity. Advertising is one form of marketing, but it's terribly expensive. Here are the Top 10 alternatives:
How To Market Effectively Even If No One Understands What You Do
So how do you effectively market your product or service when one knows anything about them because you're in a new and emerging industry? How can you expect to get customers if no one understands what it is that you do?
Eight No Cost Ways to Market Your Business
Are you trying to promote your business with a tiny marketing budget? Opportunities are plentiful for low or no cost marketing. Here are a few that won't cost you a cent.
Publish articles about your specialty. "How-to" articles are always welcome. Ensure you include your contact information.
Write letters to the editor of publications your target market reads.
Get involved in an organization or community project.
Build strategic alliances with non-competing businesses and cross-promote each other.
Publish a special report. A "super how to" list for your specialty area. Distribute freely. Ensure that your contact information is included.
Speak to groups and organizations. Make sure the audience is your target market.
Carefully target relationships with media sources.
Write newsworthy press releases and distribute to your special contacts.
The more proactive you can be, the better off your business will be.
Overview on Qualitative Data Collection Techniques in International Marketing Research
This article is meant to be a brief review and reminder of some valuable yet often bypassed techniques to collect data on international markets and consumers.
Marketing on the Cheap: Write? Right!!
We all know the value of writing articles for promoting your website or online store. However, writing articles to promote your old-fashioned, traditional brick and mortar business has been around forever.
Meaning and Marketing - The Trigger
In previous articles under "Meaning and Marketing", we have
learned about the verb "To Be" and that the name of God is
I AM.
Sell More Online By Offering a Big Fat BONUS!
I don't know about you, but I secretly love watching infomercials. I enjoy dissecting how they sell, how they get people excited, how they entice people to take action now and pick up the phone and order something they completely don't need!
Produce More Sales from your Email Promotions - Part 2
Do sales come from your ezine regularly? How many well-written articles do you submit per week to Online ezines? How often do you send thank you's and follow up messages to your different email groups?
Growing Your Brand Assets
Okay. Raise your hand if you think brand management is just for BIG companies (like Target, McDonalds or Ford.) Wow! That's a lot of hands! Well, guess what? You're all wrong.
Small Business Bonzai Marketing
Do you own a small business? Do you wish to increase sales? Do you wish to draw more customers into your store or find more customers for your service business? You can do this for a relatively low cost by building as small sales team of high-energy people. Direct Sales marketing will help increase your business, future referrals and image in the community. Letting potential clients know you want their business is the best way to attract new customers to your business. To do this correctly you will need a small budget set aside for a one week Bonzai Marketing Program;
Marketing Copy - Brand Identity Guru
Tips on writing great copy for your marketing efforts.
Creative Marketing: Just Your Style
You've enlisted some of the traditional marketing
methods to sell your services: you received some
publicity in your local paper; your website is up and
running; and you're listed in the Yellow Pages. So
why isn't the phone ringing off the hook? Maybe
you're marketing strategies need to get more creative!
Loyalty Cards ? Tips To Consider Before Committing To One
Loyalty marketing has been around for as long as retailing ? attractive stores, good service, and a quality product line all contribute to building up a loyal customer base.
Ten Ways to Market Your Business by Doing What You Love To Do
Most business owners get so involved in the work of the business that there never seems to be enough time to do the necessary marketing. Even when business is good the owner must continue marketing because if he/she stops, the business eventually will stop too. Marketing your business simply means to nurture good relationships with your customers and potential customers so that they will buy from you again or they will refer you to others. Think about the kinds of things you enjoy doing and then use those activities in your marketing efforts. It is a great way to leverage your time.
How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 3
To read the beginning of this special report, you can read part two here: http://ezinearticles.com/?id=58712
|
