Marketing for Success: 4 Strategies for Online Businesses
| Category: Home Based Business - Marketing | Date: 2003-06-17 |
The success of any online business depends in large part on where and how its marketed. After all, a website sitting all by its lonesome in cyberspace isnt going to do much good; people have to be able to find it first!
But thats only where it begins. Once your website is getting traffic, its next job is to convert visitors into paying customers. From there, your job is to try to turn customers into repeat buyers or into a source of referrals. Here are four major types of marketing to incorporate into your marketing plan:
__1. TARGETED MARKETING
Who is your target audience, what do they want, and how do you reach them? Understanding your audience is the first step to a successful marketing campaign. There are many ways to reach your target audience on the Internet, including search engines, links, ezine advertising, joint ventures, and more.
Dont neglect to research your offline market as well -- many people still prefer to be contacted in the real world, rather than through cyberspace! For more information on offline marketing methods, visit http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/articles/checklist3.html
__2. PERMISSION MARKETING
Spam -- unsolicited email -- can cause varied reactions from minor irritation to outright rage. You dont have to spam in order to get business; people acknowledge that there are products and services about which theyre willing to receive information. The Internet has proved this to be true: how many times have you willingly signed up to receive a newsletter?
Some methods of permission marketing include publishing a newsletter; offering product or service announcements or updates; and using an autoresponder to distribute reports, articles, stories, etc. Subscription forms can be placed on your site so that visitors can indicate their interest.
By getting a visitors permission to contact them, you accomplish a couple of things:
a) Youre able to market to them regularly (unless they choose to unsubscribe). For various reasons, many people do not make immediate purchases. When you have permission to contact them regularly, you are more likely to catch them at a time that *theyre* ready to buy.
b) Subscribers have automatically qualified themselves as interested prospects. You can focus your efforts on marketing to them, rather than to visitors who have no real interest in your products and services.
__3. RELATIONSHIP MARKETING
Relationship marketing has to do with the way you treat your visitors, prospects, and customers. Unless you operate a site with a well-known brand, people arent buying from a website -- theyre buying from other people. Treat them as people instead of just another customer number.
A few ways to help accomplish your goal include offering an opt-in newsletter - over time, readers will come to know and trust you; answer email and phone calls promptly and courteously; or offer a little something extra, such as simple thank you or Christmas cards by postal mail. A little extra effort can help your business to stand out from the rest.
__4. CONFIDENCE AND CREDIBILITY MARKETING
People have to trust you and have confidence in your business before theyre comfortable making a purchase. So how do you inspire confidence with visitors who have no previous experience with you?
First, use some basic, old-fashioned common-sense when creating your site. For example, if youre selling information about how you made a fortune in the stock
market, dont host your site on a free domain thats packed with popups and popunders.
Other ways include posting testimonials from happy customers; writing articles, columns or interviews to establish recognitio as an expert; and asking
customers to refer others to your business.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a practical guide to building an Internet business on a shoestring budget. If youre tired of hype and just want solid,
down-to-earth information, then visit us today -- and in moments you can have access to loads of instantly useable tips, specifically chosen for beginners!
onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html
businessbasics@workyourleads.com
http://onlinebusinessbasics.com
But thats only where it begins. Once your website is getting traffic, its next job is to convert visitors into paying customers. From there, your job is to try to turn customers into repeat buyers or into a source of referrals. Here are four major types of marketing to incorporate into your marketing plan:
__1. TARGETED MARKETING
Who is your target audience, what do they want, and how do you reach them? Understanding your audience is the first step to a successful marketing campaign. There are many ways to reach your target audience on the Internet, including search engines, links, ezine advertising, joint ventures, and more.
Dont neglect to research your offline market as well -- many people still prefer to be contacted in the real world, rather than through cyberspace! For more information on offline marketing methods, visit http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/articles/checklist3.html
__2. PERMISSION MARKETING
Spam -- unsolicited email -- can cause varied reactions from minor irritation to outright rage. You dont have to spam in order to get business; people acknowledge that there are products and services about which theyre willing to receive information. The Internet has proved this to be true: how many times have you willingly signed up to receive a newsletter?
Some methods of permission marketing include publishing a newsletter; offering product or service announcements or updates; and using an autoresponder to distribute reports, articles, stories, etc. Subscription forms can be placed on your site so that visitors can indicate their interest.
By getting a visitors permission to contact them, you accomplish a couple of things:
a) Youre able to market to them regularly (unless they choose to unsubscribe). For various reasons, many people do not make immediate purchases. When you have permission to contact them regularly, you are more likely to catch them at a time that *theyre* ready to buy.
b) Subscribers have automatically qualified themselves as interested prospects. You can focus your efforts on marketing to them, rather than to visitors who have no real interest in your products and services.
__3. RELATIONSHIP MARKETING
Relationship marketing has to do with the way you treat your visitors, prospects, and customers. Unless you operate a site with a well-known brand, people arent buying from a website -- theyre buying from other people. Treat them as people instead of just another customer number.
A few ways to help accomplish your goal include offering an opt-in newsletter - over time, readers will come to know and trust you; answer email and phone calls promptly and courteously; or offer a little something extra, such as simple thank you or Christmas cards by postal mail. A little extra effort can help your business to stand out from the rest.
__4. CONFIDENCE AND CREDIBILITY MARKETING
People have to trust you and have confidence in your business before theyre comfortable making a purchase. So how do you inspire confidence with visitors who have no previous experience with you?
First, use some basic, old-fashioned common-sense when creating your site. For example, if youre selling information about how you made a fortune in the stock
market, dont host your site on a free domain thats packed with popups and popunders.
Other ways include posting testimonials from happy customers; writing articles, columns or interviews to establish recognitio as an expert; and asking
customers to refer others to your business.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a practical guide to building an Internet business on a shoestring budget. If youre tired of hype and just want solid,
down-to-earth information, then visit us today -- and in moments you can have access to loads of instantly useable tips, specifically chosen for beginners!
onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html
businessbasics@workyourleads.com
http://onlinebusinessbasics.com
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