|
There are thousands of web sites, books, CD-ROM's, cassette tapes and various
other forms of communication devoted to the topic of Internet marketing. The
majority of these sites profess to offer "secret strategies" and "killer
tactics" which promise to increase your chances of having success on the
Internet. Of course you must fork over your hard earned cash for these wonderful
pearls of wisdom. (Many of which turn out to be nothing more than pyramid schemes
and other scams)
With all of these so called experts lining up to take your money and fill your
head with dreams of making easy millions you may find it difficult to filter
out the facts from the fiction. I will take the unenviable role of fact giving,
bubble burster and tell you flat out, "There are no secrets to successful
Internet marketing!"
Let me repeat myself, I said, "There are no secrets to successfully Internet
marketing"
Successful marketing, whether its online or off, requires careful planning
and a lot of hard work. And no amount of marketing will ever meet with success
if the product being marketed is a bad one. This is especially true of web sites,
which carry the remarkable distinction of the almighty back button. I know this
from first hand experience with companies that have spent ridiculous amounts
of money to market web sites which were basically unusable.
Now that your dreams of sailing around the ocean sipping margaritas, while
an Internet cash machine deposits six figure sums into your bank are thoroughly
dashed, lets explore some of the common issues associated with true Internet
marketing success as well as a few of the many misconceptions.
The same principles that govern off-line marketing practices apply to online
marketing. Research, Planning, and Analysis.
Research:
Determine what makes your product or service stand out from the crowd. What
do you offer that the competition doesn't? How do your prices compare to others
in the market? What features of your product are one of a kind? All of this
information will help in designing your web site to reflect a unique selling
proposal. A unique selling proposal answers the customer's question, "What's
in it for me?" Gather all the information possible that answers this question
and use it in planning your web site.
Planning:
Develop a marketing strategy for your web site.
Are you selling merchandise online? Are you advertising a service?
Who are your customers? You must determine exactly what it is that you want
your website to accomplish. Example: If your web site is focused on making it
easier for potential customers to learn about your services, focus your attention
on offering as much information about your services as possible. Price comparisons
of your competition, directions to your business location, contact information,
testimonials, etc.,are a good place to start. Plan your web site around a central
goal.
Analysis:
So your web site is up and running, you have developed a marketing strategy
and people are interested in your product. Now its time to figure our what is
working and what isn't. This aspect of marketing your web site can be one of
the most difficult to understand. This goes well beyond simply counting the
number of visitors to your site. It requires analyzing the habits of those who
travel to your site. Determining what features of your site compel visitors
to purchase your products, what features turn visitors away. It is important
to analyze every single feature of your web site, from the sales copy to the
navigation. You must understand how every feature of your web site supports
or detracts from your marketing success.
Hopefully by now you realize that Internet marketing requires more than just
an out-of-the-box solution. There is no magical formula to marketing online,
and those who say otherwise should be scrutinized. The incredible variety of
businesses online require individual marketing strategies and plans. A real
estate web site should not be marketed the same way as one selling comic books.
Any salesman would have a difficult time selling denture glue to a teen-ager,
it just doesn't fit. And neither do one size fits all marketing plans. Target
markets have to be considered. Planning, strategy and analysis must be carried
out in order to achieve any kind of lasting success.
Make your web site usable and you will gain success!
Now, if you would like to send me a check for $30 for this "killer strategy"
please feel free to do so. Otherwise, take this bit of information and file
it in the "critically important" category. By usable, I'm talking
about such web site considerations as working links, fast loading pages, limited
use of images,animations and other "fluff" that will make most users
hit the back button faster than you can blink a virtual eye.
Fact: Most Internet users will hit their back buttons if a web page doesn't
load in 20 seconds or less. Increasing the speed at which your web site loads
greatly increases the likelihood that it will ever be seen.
Submit your site to 100,000 search engines for just $29.95 !!!
Beware of offers like this, the truth is there are only a handful of search
engines that most people use to find things online. Concentrating your marketing
efforts on these few search engines is much more effective than having your
site listed in a million places that nobody will ever see
Bear in mind that most of these multiple search engine submittal sites are profit
driven, and the only one making a profit is them.
Fact: Google and Yahoo are currently the major players in the search engine
game comprising 54% and 41% of all Internet searches respectively.(Source: Comscore
Media Metrix 05/04) There are several techniques to achieving higher rankings
with these two search engines none of which are secrets. Read my article on
search engine optimization for more information about this important topic.
Number 1 Ranking in Google! Guaranteed!
I have seen many web sites offering search engine ranking services, making claims
like the one above, The truth of the matter is that it is impossible to guarantee
a number one ranking with Google's free search engine submission. As I have
stated previously there are a number of strategies and steps that can be taken
to optimize your web site for search engine placement and achieve the highest
rankings possible. Guaranteed results are a myth, it is possible to have the
highest ranking in Google for search terms that aren't commonly used, but then,
what's the point?
Fact: It is true that you can purchase advertising space using the Google service
called AdWords. Advertisements appear in the right hand column of Google search
pages.
Successful marketing of your business online requires time, effort and patience.
There are no easy solutions. But, a fair amount of devotion and common sense
can yield truly impressive results.
Jeff Palmer is an internet marketing consultant and web designer with over
10 years of experience and is the process of writing what promises to be that
definitive guide to online marketing. If you would like information about this
upcoming book, including a sneek peek at finished chapters contact the author
directly at greatempty@yahoo.com
About the Author:
Jeff Palmer is an internet marketing consultant and web designer with over 10
years of experience and is the process of writing what promises to be that definitive
guide to online marketing. If you would like information about this upcoming
book, including a sneek peek at finished chapters contact the author directly
at greatempty@yahoo.com |
