Internet Marketing

Internet Marketing…That’s the BIG buzz word lately.  You want to optimize? You want to create a niche market?  Are you branded?  Have you targeted your audience?  All these questions…and your head is spinning…

Where do I start?  How do I know what is effective?  Who knows how to get there most effectively?  

Taking the First Step

Before you develop your product, the best place to start is research…finding out exactly what people are interested in and want.  With the available technology, you have unlimited resources to create and market your product to a global community.  

Some great ideas that sell are:

• Internet services
• Information
• Software
• Private sites
• Interactive Marketing

So now what?

Ok..so you’ve researched, you have your information, you have a targeted audience…so where do you go from here?  

Step two would be -

Develop a great web site.  

What is a great web site?…what specifics do you need to know to set you apart?  

Let’s start with a great web site.  A great web site targets your audience, it’s designed to sell your product, it specifically draws the visitor in to become your customer.  When you write your site, write specifically towards one person, identifying with that visitor’s need.  Whether it’s a solution, or how-to, or a help guide, write explaining why your product is their solution and explain how it can help them by solving their problems.  Great web sites are also SEO friendly…like Wordpress sites.  These are equipped with title tags that can be easily customized for optimum rankings and branding purposes.  These along with permalink structure and header strategies are what can make you highly visible in search engine rankings.

Besides a great web site –

How can you be set apart from all the others?  

That is one of the top questions being asked by businesses.  Online businesses are growing by leaps and bounds.  To set yourself apart, you need to stay on top of marketing strategies.  

What are the ways to do that?

SMM – Social Media Marketing which includes Search Engine Optimization and Relationship Management.  It is a know fact that consumers feel a stronger connection and feel better served when they are able to interact with companies. 

Interactive Marketing – According to Forrester Research, Interactive Marketing is on the rise…it invites more efficient interactive tools: via search marketing, Display advertising, Email marketing, Social Media and (the new kid on the block) Mobile marketing.   It also includes:  consumer participation with “value-added benefit”, Service, Focus on meaning and making a positive impact.

Marketing…Internet Marketing, Relationship Marketing, SMM, Interactive Marketing… it all leads to this:

 ”the process of attracting, maintaining, and enhancing relationships with key individuals over time.”

I conclude with this great conclusion quoted from the University of Florida’s IFAS Extension:

“Relationship marketing is one of the most time-consuming, but most effective strategies for marketing Extension programs. Relationship marketing is a process, not a one-time event; clientele must understand that you are committed long-term and that they can depend on you to provide education.

To be effective, you must establish a relationship with the audience you are targeting by making a connection with them over time. In order to build a relationship, as with any other relationship in life, Extension needs to be constantly in touch with its audiences. By making a connection with diverse audiences, Extension can build strong community networks that promote the programs we market beyond the limited scope of small workshops and community meetings.“

How is your relationship building strategy working?