Tuesday 30 October 2012

Internet Marketing, Your New Best Friend

By Henry Truman


As recently as a decade ago, an online presence was little more than a novelty for all but the largest companies. Today, however, the Internet is quickly becoming the preferred communication channel of people and businesses all over the world. While traditional marketing methods are still capable of generating sales, many agree that online marketing has a greater potential to drive traffic and profits like never before. Use the tips below to develop an Internet marketing strategy that will help your business meet and exceed its goals.

Take advantage of social networking sites. A Facebook page for your business is a more personal way to reach out to customers. It is a great way to encourage visitors to "like" your website if your content has good quality. Twitter is another way to stay connected with your customers. You can announce specials and news about your business and encourage people to follow you. You may also consider posting a YouTube video introducing your business. This is another way to connect with your customers at a more personal level. The advantage to marketing through social media is that anyone can easily share your website with his family and friends, potentially increasing traffic to your site exponentially.

You can also utilize social media network sites for marketing your site. Millions of people use these sites. If you make a page for your site, you have the possibility of these millions of people finding your site.

Do some research about your target audience to find out what these people do on the Internet. Find out which social networks are popular and join these sites. You could also create a blog or a message board if you find that your audience uses blogging platforms or discussion forums. Do not hesitate to extend your Internet marketing campaign to new forms of communication just to see how your audience will react. You might even discover new niches in the process, but remember to focus most of your efforts on the techniques you know work.

Get tools to help you. Investigate every available tool and get recommendations from others about what is most useful. There are tools to help in every step of your Internet marketing plan, from email auto-responders to analytical tracking. Get your tools in place before a big marketing move, so that they are up and running when you need them to be.

Do not be direct and in people's faces selling them products. You do want to get people interested in what you sell but avoid straight out naming products with varying prices in ads. Make your ads catchy and witty so that people might laugh. You can also try and make a piece of art on your advertisements to draw people in, which can get people to explore your site and view its contents.

Design a good website. Make sure your website is easy to navigate and free of graphic clutter. Keep your font readable, your colors bright and your content relevant to your customers. If you are not sure you can create a professional website, hire a professional web designer for this step. If your site looks amateurish, it will harm your reputation and your sales. When your site is completed, check every single page for mistakes and correct them.

Blogs have the additional benefit that they can be attached directly to your site or you can choose to make a blog on a popular blogging community like WordPress or Blogger. Choosing the former places your readers right in your company environment, so your branding and other content may help them take action. Choosing the latter opens up your blog to being discovered by potentially millions of members of that blogging community. Both choices have benefits, so choose whichever best suits your needs.

Be patient. It can be hard to realize that even though the Internet seems to move very fast, marketing efforts take some time to pay off. Stay committed and keep doing the work, and you will get results.

These tips should help you develop an efficient sales pitch for your online business. Find out more about different aspects of online marketing so you can create a complete campaign.




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