Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Internet Marketing Goals for the New Year
Internet Marketing Goals for the New Year
by Neal St. Clair
nstclair@idesignbusiness.com
This year I want everyone to make a resolution to improve their Internet Marketing programs. To help you achieve this goal I have provided a summary of the most effective Online Marketing Programs I have come across. I know that not all of this techniques may be relevant to your specific business, but I guarantee that at least a couple are.
For any business that utilizes a website Search Engine Optimization and Submission should be a regular activity. If you are not regularly monitoring and tweaking your website for Search Engines now is a great time to start. Receiving quality traffic from Search Engines requires more than just submitting your site. Re-examine your Search Engine Strategy and keep the following points in mind:
Re-Evaluate Your Website‘s Design & Navigation
You may be asking, what does design have to do with marketing? The answer is simple - usability. You can have the best marketing programs in place and if your website is confusing or hard to navigate they will do no good.
Slick design may be appealing to the eye, but does it concisely and clearly convey your message? Make sure your design leads people to the pages on your site that you want them to find. Sometimes less can be more when it comes to website design. If you have a business website then your message should be more important then everything else. When looking at your site make sure your current design is more than just eye candy, consider the following:
Email Marketing for Your Business
Let me start this section by stating I am NOT talking about SPAM! There are several legitimate and effective email marketing techniques you should be using for your website. Not only can you sell products directly from email but you can build relationships with email and bring people back to your site for repeat visits. Here are a few ideas for your business:
I hope you found these ideas useful and can apply at least one of them to your business. It‘s a new year and time to jump start your business.
I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!
by Neal St. Clair
nstclair@idesignbusiness.com
This year I want everyone to make a resolution to improve their Internet Marketing programs. To help you achieve this goal I have provided a summary of the most effective Online Marketing Programs I have come across. I know that not all of this techniques may be relevant to your specific business, but I guarantee that at least a couple are.
For any business that utilizes a website Search Engine Optimization and Submission should be a regular activity. If you are not regularly monitoring and tweaking your website for Search Engines now is a great time to start. Receiving quality traffic from Search Engines requires more than just submitting your site. Re-examine your Search Engine Strategy and keep the following points in mind:
- Research websites that are achieving high rankings for search terms you desire.
- Develop unique META Tags, Titles, and Content for each significant page of your website.
- Work on improving your Link Popularity by actively contacting websites that compliment your business.
- REVISIT THESE TECHNIQUES EVERY MONTH!!!
Create an Affiliate Program for your Business
If you sell a product or service from your website then you can benefit from an affiliate program. You simply provide cash incentive to others to promote your product and you pay them every time they refer you a new sale or lead. The great thing about Affiliate programs is that you don‘t have to spend money unless you make money. Affiliate programs are a proven marketing and sales tool on the Internet. Companies like Amazon.com have thrived using the Affiliate Model for years.
There are several companies that provide the billing and technology infrastructure you need to efficiently manage a program. I have included a few companies to research below:
- Commission Junction (www.cj.com)
- Clixgalore (www.clixgalore.com)
Re-Evaluate Your Website‘s Design & Navigation
You may be asking, what does design have to do with marketing? The answer is simple - usability. You can have the best marketing programs in place and if your website is confusing or hard to navigate they will do no good.
Slick design may be appealing to the eye, but does it concisely and clearly convey your message? Make sure your design leads people to the pages on your site that you want them to find. Sometimes less can be more when it comes to website design. If you have a business website then your message should be more important then everything else. When looking at your site make sure your current design is more than just eye candy, consider the following:
- Do your pages load quickly?
- Is your navigation clear?
- Can people easily FIND any page on your site FROM any page on your site?
- Are you conveying a consistent brand image across all pages of your site?
Email Marketing for Your Business
Let me start this section by stating I am NOT talking about SPAM! There are several legitimate and effective email marketing techniques you should be using for your website. Not only can you sell products directly from email but you can build relationships with email and bring people back to your site for repeat visits. Here are a few ideas for your business:
- Build an OPT-IN email list from your website
- Implement an online Newsletter relating to your business
- Add a signature to every email you send out that includes links to your website
- Add email auto-responders to your website to regularly stay in touch with website visitors.
I hope you found these ideas useful and can apply at least one of them to your business. It‘s a new year and time to jump start your business.
I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!
