Internet Marketing Demystified
Successful internet based marketing requires bringing dozens of details together. In fact, we’ve identified over 160 details that are part of a successful online marketing strategy and have grouped them into five categories:
- Your internet marketing business plan
- Why as an SEO optimization firm we are positioned to help you grow organic inbound traffic
- Reaching out and driving online web site traffic with email, PPC advertising, landing pages, and even old-school direct mail advertising
- The social media sensation and how services like Facebook and LinkedIn are changing niche internet marketing
- Maximizing your internet marketing strategy by measuring and monetizing your website to be a profitable venture
Internet based marketing is more than having a successful website. No doubt you have a website for your business. But if was created only a few years ago, it could be out of date and out of touch with the realities of how search engine optimization and SEO copywriting has changed, and how web copywriting has evolved from “sell sell sell” to “give give give.”
As consumers become more and more savvy about using the internet, and their overall experience, the style of web copywriting continues to evolve. Those marketers on the internet who are most successful recognize the value of having an individual with web copywriting experience handle their marketing.
While many internet based marketers may not realize it yet, gone are the days when web programming and flashy graphics was king. Now is the time for use of keywords, rich and deep content, multiple tiers of a web’s wireframe, and engaging copy that gives away information free, but in the end, compels the prospect to take action.
With the rapidly expanding movement by consumers to the online space to research products and make purchase transactions, it is vital that you explore more deeply how to harness the power of internet based marketing. Each month, quarter, and year that passes is time that should be invested in testing online marketing. While, of course, it takes commitment of both time and money to fully realize the potential of online marketing, it’s clear the genie is out of the bottle and there is no going back to the way things used to be.
Internet Marketing Business Plan
Your internet marketing business plan must incorporate several elements. You can see them on the interactive chart, but here are the items listed in a checklist:
a. Develop a Plan
i. Establish objectives
ii. Establish a purpose
iii. Setting ultimate business goals
iv. Description of ideal customer
v. Competitive analysis
vi. How captured email addresses will be used to market
vii. Trend tracking tools
b) Web-Friendly Architecture
i. Ensure usability
ii. Wireframe individual pages
iii. Message blocks
iv. Identify number of pages
v. How pages flow from Home Page through buying process
vi. Ease to capture email addresses
vii. Familiar navigation buttons
viii. Determine primary content per page
ix. Shopping cart or other order mechanism
x. Photos
xi. Videos
xii. Custom designs vs. templates
These steps are a start for you to consider everything you need in an internet marketing business plan.
SEO Optimization
Your checklist for SEO optimization includes:
a) Optimized Website Content
i. Copywriting plan
ii. Offer
iii. How to capture email addresses
iv. Use of strong headlines
1. What’s offered
2. Why it matters
3. Captivating
4. Makes a promise
5. Emotion
6. Specific
v. Strong leads
1. Tells us what you get
2. Describes benefits
3. Offers proof
4. Removes risk
5. Asks for sale
vi. Keywords
1. Choice and usage
2. Long copy for key phrases
3. Hyperlink key phrases
vii. Logical information hierarchy
viii. Endorsements or testimonials
ix. Guarantee
x. Keyword effectiveness tool
xi. Inbound links
b) Maximizing Search
i. Keywords and Key Phrases
1. Research and brainstorm
2. Evolution of choosing keywords and key phrases
3. Keyword rich domain names
ii. Title bar copy
1. Character count
2. Description friendly for search engines and users
iii. Back end code copy
1.
iv. Long tail key phrases
v. Key phrase repetition and placement in copy
1. 2-3 key phrases per page
2. 3-4 times within copy
3. In headlines, subheads and hyperlinks
vi. Determine if technical issues exist
vii. Examine current page rankings
viii. Keyword up sell opportunity research
ix. Directory listings
x. Articles on other sites with links back
xi. Writing snippets for search engines
xii. Generate links to your website
Generating Online Web Site Traffic
Your checklist for driving traffic to your website includes:
a) Driving Traffic
i. Pay per click
ii. Email marketing
iii. Bookmarking services
iv. Affiliate marketing
v. Online directory listings
vi. Online banner ads
vii. Catalogs
viii. Direct mail
ix. Direct mail with Personalized URLs (PURLs)
x. Print advertising
xi. Broadcast
xii. Other offline media
xiii. White papers
xiv. RSS feeds
xv. Direct-to-consumer news releases
b) Profitable Pay-Per-Click
i. Determine PPC marketing strategy
ii. Offer
iii. Research relevant keywords and exact phrases
iv. Keyword and key phrase bidding
1. Desired page position
2. Geographic targeting
3. SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) Vs. Content Networks
4. Time of day
5. “Negative” words
v. Conversion benchmarks
vi. Use long-tail keywords
vii. Copy that grabs, makes the offer
6. Proven formulas
7. Urgency
8. Newsworthiness
viii. Assign unique tracking codes
ix. Drive PPC response to landing page
x. Landing page continuity
xi. Click-through analysis
c) Smart Landing Pages
i. Direct from PPC ads
ii. Avoid message mismatch
iii. Referring link on offline media
iv. PURLs from offline media
v. Layout key to success
1. Urgency
2. Newsworthiness
vi. Use proven formulas for copy and design
vii. More clicks requires = less sales
viii. Test multiple landing pages
ix. Statistically valid tests
x. Assign unique tracking codes
xi. Multivariate testing on Google – 7 scenarios
d) Sales-Producing Email
i. Contact strategy
ii. Segmentation
iii. Offer
iv. Subject line copy
1. Teaser
2. Question
3. Event
v. Headline copy
vi. Email styles
4. Testimonial
5. Dialogue
6. Q&A
7. News
8. Criticism
9. Voyeur
10. Joint Venture
11. The sale
vii. Multivariate testing
viii. Conceiving a reason to email
Social Media and Niche internet marketing
Your checklist for social media and niche internet marketing includes:
a) Leveraging Communities
i. You Tube
ii. Podcasts
iii. Blogs
iv. Forums
v. Polls
vi. Facebook
vii. Twitter
viii. Flickr
ix. MySpace
x. Plaxo
xi. LinkedIn
xii. Niche communities
Internet Marketing Maximizing Strategy
Through Measuring and Monetizing
Your checklist for measuring and monetizing your website for maximizing internet marketing strategy include:
a) Bonus Income Sources
i. Google AdSense
ii. Other contextual advertising
iii. Display ads
iv. Banner ads
v. Affiliate programs
vi. Commissions
vii. Publishing
1. Books, guides, e-books
2. Teleseminars
3. Webinars
b) Keeping Score with Analytics
i. Headline results analysis
1. Titles
2. Leads
3. Call to action
ii. Online keyword tools
iii. Website optimizer tools
iv. Stat counters
v. Campaign performance
vi. Multivariate testing