Internet Marketing is an interesting playing field…

…as the traditional marketing sector has also been affected by this recession.  With companies slashing their marketing budgets from traditional means such as Television, radio, newspaper ads, SMM and RM has increased 10 fold due to it’s affordability and outreach.  

The gas price inflation which in effect has kick-started this change, encouraged businesses to look for other vehicles or means to “get the word out”.  Places that were cost effective and budget friendly available but low-keyed in existence were:  Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace, blogs, ping, Youtube, Delicious, Digg, StumbleUpon, Squidoo and countless others.   They were vehicles just waiting to be boarded and boarded they were.  

Twitter’s vertical climb was off the charts and couldn’t be harnessed because it was moving so fast.  Facebook’s social outreach created such a landing place for personal and businesses pages that it also has morphed into a communitywhich has blown itself off the charts with phenomenal growth.  Youtube went from being a fun place to upload personal video’s to a wide open advertising market, with phenomenal growth continuing as it has and is becoming a tool for businesses & marketer’s having a lower price tag than television.  (Consisting of someone shooting the video, processing it and uploading to their site, versus full blown production costs.)  

Video itself is ubiquitous – existing or being everywhere at the same time…constantly encountered.  It also has helped change the market field, as businesses are changing their vehicles from traditional means to places like-YouTube, Facebook,Hulu, Metacafe, Blip.tv,  which can host or provide links to user friendly self-help video’s, educational video’s, how to video’s and news-feeds.  

Networking has become a part of who we are.  

Businesses are reaching out to customer loyalty, which in turn creates “word of mouth” marketing in today’s world on an internet level.  This is where Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, YouTube and others have become so important to businesses.   People are talking in these places, talking to friends, relatives, and certain acquaintances/businesses.  If they like your product or service,they will talk about you, to you and connect with you.  

Online ratings and reviews are an amazing tool that affects consumer’s buying decisions, and consumers really are using this information to make those decisions.  Online companies have already realized this and business owners are now turning to this phenomenon as consumer’s are wanting to know how good the product is, how many people are liking the product and more.  The consumer has become very active in researching product information.  Businesses need to understand this.  

Studies show that the average person has around 250 friends, acquaintances, business connections, etc. within their network/social life.   Things to focus on - building relationships with your customer/client, not buddy buddy, but really listening to what they need, being helpful, finding the best deals and passing that on, being aware of what’s happening in your region.  Keeping in contact with your clients, even sending thoughtful cards to them.  These things will bring your customer/client back and open the door for ”word of mouth” marketing, whether it’s in person, Facebook, Twitter or others.  

The magic is this:  If one customer likes your product/service, then you have the potential of reaching 250 more through that one connection.  If you have 10 happy customers then you have the potential to reach 2500 connections, if you have 100 happy customers ….. well, you do the math

Have you changed your playing field yet?

If you’ve changed your marketing practices…leave a comment below and let us know how it’s helped…

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Filed under: Marketing, Social Media Stuff, Web Presence

Internet Marketing-Interactive 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 that will 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 invitesmore 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 marketbeyond the limited scope of small workshops and community meetings.“

How is your relationship building strategy working?

Filed under: Marketing, Social Media Stuff, Web Presence , business, Education, Marketing, Social Media, twitter, updates, YouTube