Marketing Tips

Because Sales is a function of Marketing, the two disciplines must be in agreement as far as goals, efforts and resources are concerned. In the online world, the off-line model doesn%u2019t exactly apply - there are no clear real estate costs, shelf prices, POP prices and in-store promotions don%u2019t work the same. Further, the online audience is much more fickle than the local customer. The web represents both a marketing channel for off-line acquisition as well as a sales point. Before pursuing any channel execution, internal marketing and online sales groups must work together to define clear online goals, timelines and action plans. In short, there should be a page in every business marketing plan dedicated to the website, and that page needs to be reinforced with a dedicated budget and clear goals such that this area is a tactical piece of an overall strategic plan.

Should you try to sell on a social networking landing page? In a word -- NO! Remember, social networking is all about building relationships and making connections. And, through those relationships people will naturally want to support you and become your customer. The last thing you want to do is send your social networking buds to a page and try to sell them. Now, that doesn't mean your page can't include a couple of links to some products so they can read more and buy, but no hard-core selling.

For an online business, do not rely on the opinions of your family and friends alone. You absolutely must ask a sample of your intended online audience whether or not they like, they understand, they agree with, and most importantly, if they see business potential behind your domain name. Your domain name and brand identity, and how your intended audience perceives it, is of eminent importance.

Has everyone made their new year resolutions? No, not the yearly self improvement mottos of exercise more, eat better, quit smoking..., but business resolutions that hopefully are observed for longer than a month... or less. There is not a one size fits all resolution out there, but if you put some time in you will come up with a great one for your company. What was your biggest weakness in 2009? What do you keep wanting to get done, but never get to? What have your customers been asking for? These are just a couple of questions you could ask to help you develop your marketing resolution. Don't make them too easy or there is no point in setting them. Don't make them too hard or you will give up before you get going. Either way you go, make sure you write it down and hold yourself accountable, or even better, share the goal with the company or at least the team you work with.

When adding content to my blog, site or a newsletter I will always keep SEO in mind, but readability should be the number one goal of any content provider. If the content is not interesting, relevant and enjoyable to read then you may get some traffic, but they will not be coming back again. SEO is a great tool for driving traffic when successful, but just as important is engaging the visitors by providing them with information that will make them want to come back for more. Keep this in mind when you are working on SEO projects or you will not realize much of the return that can come from this traffic.

Think of any infomercial or "Billy Mays" product. There is always an "AMAZING!" feature - cooks in minutes, instantly removes stains, easily pulls dings from your car, etc. This technique doesn't have to be only live or on television to work. Who in the U.S. hasn't walked past a display playing a recorded product demonstration. Take this concept and extend it online by inserting a streaming, play-on-demand video or audio clip* next to key products on your site. You could also include the clip (or a link to a demo page) in your newsletter.

Social Bookmarking websites like Digg, and Del.icio.us represent the opportunity to get a log of traffic fast, with high value / high quality linking to your website. Social bookmarking sites offer the best type of web traffic: VIRAL. Business owners know that the most reliable customers are the prospects that come from the referral of someone else. And that's what online bookmarking sites offer and that's what viral traffic or networking is all about.

Picking a creative can be a lot like dating. You may have to try several before you find the right one. Here are some points that might make the search a little easier: - Stay with professionals - Get a referral - Interview the creative - Give them a test project

The idea of podcasting is simple enough, and as a marketer, you will want to consider podcasting as another means of reaching your client base. Obviously, the more directions in which you attack the marketing problem, the better. Whether it is television, the radio, or the internet, you will need to be able to reach your target audience from several different outlets. Podcasting offers a new way of reaching the internet market. It is a way to reach your viewers without making them have to read through countless pages of web site material.

By testing multiple landing pages, post cards, direct mail packages, keyword campaigns, and other marketing campaigns, you can find what resonates best with your audience and set proper expectations for performance. Once you've established a baseline, continue to test and experiment with different messaging, timing, and offers and compare your results against your baseline. Then, when someone asks you how well your campaign performed, you can say good, bad, or indifferent based on real data.

The first search engine ranking factor has to do with the anchor text of all inbound links to your website. Google and other search engines use the anchor text from other sites linking in to determine what your site is about and what it should rank well for. If websites link in only using a URL, and not your keywords in the anchor text, email them and ask them to update your link. The link should always appear with your most important keywords.

Web copy should use about half the word count or less than conventional writing, so keep it short and to the point. This isn't the great American novel. Your goal is to make sure your audience can understand every word you say while reading quickly. If they have to stop to get a dictionary because you used too many cryptic words or jargon, you'll lose their interest.

There are many entrepreneurs today who are earning thousands of dollars each month. They have found financial freedom. And when asked what they exactly do with their online business, their answer is affiliate marketing. The big secret in affiliate marketing success is an effective pre-selling. Pre-selling happens when the visitor is already willing to purchase the product even before he clicks the banner that will link him to the merchant's website. In pre-selling, the target customer is already convinced of the importance of a certain product. And by the time the target customer arrives in the merchant's website, he will immediately proceed to the order form page. Thus, the affiliate gets a high conversion of visits into sales.

Did you know that you can increase your newsletter sign-ups by simply registering your newsletter name domain? When people see your newsletter has its own domain name, they think you are professional and your newsletter is worth joining.

Blogging is a great way to reach your audience, share your thoughts, and even help you with your Internet marketing. Starting a blog is easy to do and pays huge dividends. There are a number of free services available that offer free blog services. Sites like Blogger and WordPress only require a brief registration and set up. Once you determine a theme for your blog and a template, you're ready to begin posting.