Few businesses today can afford to ignore the Internet in their strategic marketing plans. It is obvious that the web is where consumers are. It's no less true that business prospects look for partners and information on the web. Once it was sufficient for many businesses to make a splash at trade shows and to advertise in trade magazines. The Internet provides many more opportunities for businesses of any size to relate to prospects and acquire customers.
Much can be accomplished if you target your on-line marketing efforts based on your marketing goals. And much time and money can be wasted if you opt for a web presence without considering what you want to accomplish. Do you recall this conversation between Alice and the Cheshire Cat?
"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
(Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6)
If the Internet is already an integral part of your marketing strategy, it may be time to review and update the way you use it. If you have put just a toe in the water, it is certainly time to create a comprehensive plan that includes some of the following ways to grow your business:
Are newsletters dead? While some once-enthusiastic recipients let unread newsletters pile up, they still have value, even if unread. They put your name in front of your customers and leads on a regular basis; they keep readers informed; and they give you weekly or monthly opportunities to offer them specials. Newsletters provide a valuable service to you as well: they focus your marketing attention on lead generation, to build your prospect list and keep it current. In addition, they are cost-effective -- in fact, they are about as inexpensive a tool as can be found in the marketing toolbag. And even those once-enthusiastic recipients can be re-engaged with an appropriate email subject.
Depending on the goals you have defined, you can provide information about your organization, business, products or services; acquire donations, leads and/or customers; and provide customer service and support. To be effective, your site design should be based on your marketing plan, and your site should be kept current and fresh. This is much easier and less costly than previously, using a content management system that allows non-technical staff to keep a site updated.
Blogs are a place to publish news and articles about some aspect of your industry of interest to your customers. Writing a blog establishes you as an expert and brings you credibility. Because its content is fresh, a blog encourages interested visitors to come back to it frequently. It should be part of your lead-capture system, and, even though it is not ostensibly a sales promotion tool, it will bring you business.
"Social media" or "social networks" are websites that facilitate the sharing of content among their members and include popular sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Because it is inherently different from other marketing avenues in which the marketer controls the message, a number of questions arise about its use, such as: What's the business purpose for using a social network for marketing? Is it wise to let your name get tossed around in cyberspace and have your products or services reviewed/rated/complained about? How will you control how your business is perceived? Is it worth the time and expense?
In brief, social networks provide opportunities for you to get into the midst of a group of your customers and interact with them directly, opportunities.that you can otherwise find only in a one-to-one conversation, but with less invested time, minimal cost, and the ability to measure the results. You can offer special deals, gauge interest in a new product, announce and hype events, correct misinformation, sooth ruffled feathers, build brand loyalty, capture leads, and much more. You can even acquire customers.
To participate in social media, you need to set your goals and your strategy; decide which department and which person will be responsible; set priorities for implementation; define policies and practices, access and response time; and listen, engage and measure.
Why social media?
This is too large a subject to cover in a paragraph or two. There are many purposes and many ways to advertise your Internet presence. The web gives you many choices and opportunities. For example, you may want to provide room in your budget to bring people to your website by placing keyword-based ads on search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing; pay for clicks by placing ads on blogs that relate to your industry; publish articles (advertorials) on news sites; advertise your product or service on tv supported by a web-based landing page; or place discount coupons on consumer, business or social networks. Is your web address printed on your letterhead, business cards and flyers you publish? Printed on invoices and inserts you mail to customers? Painted on the sides of your vehicles or on custom license-plate holders. You get the idea.
A consultant can quickly put you on the right track by helping you focus on your goals so that your marketing accomplishes what you expect. We can help you use the Internet effectively, from email marketing, to a website that makes your business stand out, to a blog that prospects seek out, to engaging your customers on Twitter or Facebook. We can work with you to update your marketing plan, collect or coordinate user requirements, plan your web presence based on your strategic goals, and then implement the components you want to use.
And we can help bridge the divide between standards-oriented IT policies and opportunity-driven marketing needs. We understand why both are essential to the success of a business.
We help businesses grow by using the Internet to meet their strategic goals. Effective communication through strategic planning and better design.
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