Website marketing: Reality check
Editorial By Anne Kennedy
November 2001: Think about it. The top of anyone's
mind is a very cluttered place these days. Rising
above the signal to noise ratio requires repeated
impressions focused directly on your target market.
Repetition increases perception and so, builds
awareness.
Nowhere is this more true than on the Internet,
which comprises around two billion pages, with
30,000 new ones added every day. Effective placement
in online media such as search engines and
directories is essential to making sure the users
who are looking for your site succeed in finding it.
How do you interest your target market in looking
for your website?
Simple: promote your website, even if you have an
established offline business. If you don't, how will
your target audience know what you are doing and why
it is worth their while?
Use as many offline tactics to promote your online
business as you can afford: advertising, media
relations, direct mail, trade shows. In addition,
take advantage of emerging online promotion tactics.
And of course, optimize your website for searches.
Then, be sure your website delivers on your value
promise. This is essential to increasing your
conversion rate, the number of visitors who complete
the transaction you want them to at your site.
Whether eCommerce, or supply chain exchange, your
website must work for the user. Technology is an
arena in which you truly get what you pay for. The
experience, knowledge and expertise to produce an
effective business online doesn't come cheap. If you
didn't pay much, you most likely didn't get much.
[Sidebar] Ten Tactics Online
1.
List in a business directory for your industry
2.
Buy an ad in a newsletter your target market reads
3.
Launch opt-in email marketing campaign
4.
Use promotions on you site to encourage repeat
business, e.g. discount prices, coupons
5.
Start your own affiliate program with related
websites
6.
Purchase positions for targeted keywords
7.
Use a button to your site for branding
8.
Make registration very visible to capture user
information and create your own email database
9.
Send an email newsletter, in text, to maintain
interest in your website
10.
Create your own links page to add value and
visibility.
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