Five Tips for Internet Marketing SuccessWritten by Scott Buresh
Do you view your website as an expense or as an investment? Surprisingly, many companies seem to view their website as a necessary cost of doing business, not an opportunity to attract an audience and gain new customers. The following five tips can help transform a non-performing website into an effective sales and marketing tool. 1. Make sure potential customers can find you on search engines. Most businesses don't take advantage of search engine optimization, but few things on Internet can be as beneficial. A recent Forrester Research report showed that 80% of web surfers discover new sites that they visit through search engines. According to iProspect, 85% of web users use search engines to find solutions and vendors. A properly executed search engine optimization campaign can drive numerous, highly targeted visitors to your site, typically at a fraction of cost of traditional advertising. Without high search engine rankings, you will only get visitors that find your web address through word of mouth, regular advertising, or other limited means. 2. Use content to get repeat visitors to your site, not flashiness. Rich media, such as flashy graphics and audio, may impress your visitors first time they see your site, but they are unlikely to come back for it (or recommend your site to others because of it). If repeat visitors (meaning potential customers) are your goal, you are much more likely to get them to return if your site offers content that they find valuable (and with any luck, indispensable). This helps to establish your company as an expert in your field while building a level of trust with your visitors. 3. Develop regular e-newsletters and announcements to inform and keep up to date with current and potential customers (but only those who ask for them). A properly executed newsletter campaign can help your business retain existing customers and attract new ones. Routinely sending out informational content that your newsletter subscribers find valuable is another excellent way to build a level of trust with them while continually establishing yourself as an expert in your product or service area. Over time, your recipients will be increasingly likely to recommend your products or services to others. A newsletter can also be used to announce special promotions and sales. A recent Doubleclick survey of more than 1,000 Internet users found that more than 82 percent of them had made a purchase online during past year as a result of some sort of advertisement they received through email. The study revealed, however, that people were much more receptive to email from companies with whom they already had a relationship.
| | 'How to Invest in Your Online Marketing Today'Written by Scott T. Smith
Most Web business owners have limited marketing resources, so it only makes sense to invest in marketing that really works. Today top two ways people find what they want online are through search indexes, and through links.Which means, search engine optimization (SEO) and targeted link building are top marketing tactics today that are worth your investment. You can certainly choose one or other, but here's why we recommend you do both: SEO services are all about getting you best possible search engine positioning. Although search engines are used by close to 80% of population online today to find resources, currently they index less than 40% of Internet overall. Which means that more than 60% of all Internet resources cannot be found through search engines at all. This raises question: 'If people can't find resources they want through search engines and directories, how DO they find them and where do they look?' The answer is, 'through links'. After search indexes, this is 2nd most popular way to find anything online, and opens door to a much higher percentage of Internet's resources than search indexes can offer.
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