Many of you will have heard the phrase e-marketing and wondered what it
actually means. E-marketing is basically any form of marketing carried out
using
- A Computer
- Mobile Phone
- A Handheld
Device
Over the next
few months we will examine each of these in turn. This month we look at
marketing using a computer.
Before I start it is always worth getting back to basics and examine the
difference between marketing and sales. The definition of marketing is
"A
series of activities that creates the need for a product or service".
The definition of sales is
"A product or service that satisfies an
identified need"
In summary this month's article will help you identify ways to create the
need for your businesses products and services, using a website and the
internet!
Like it or loath it the internet is now the way of the world. Any
business ignoring the internet as one of its main marketing tools does so at its
peril. The advantages of the internet are enormous, and can, if approached in
the correct way, generate significant volumes of new sales and income by opening
up new markets. This applies to the majority of businesses.
The other big advantage is that it does not have to cost the earth, and
high levels of new business can be generated for a relatively low cost,
particularly when compared to traditional forms of marketing such as adverts in
papers.
Without stating the obvious a businesses window to the internet world is a
website. There are three things that make a website effective.
- It has to
be found!!
- It reflects the
values and image of the business.
- It communicates
the key messages and Unique Selling Points (USP's) clearly and concisely.
Getting
found is the name of this highly important game!
When
people talk about getting found they really mean getting found by a search
engine such as Google when someone types in a key phrase e.g. plumber
Barton-On-Sea
Google
is by far the biggest search engine in the world and represents 80%+ of all
searches. The others Yahoo, MSN etc are also important and although they account
for far less volume should not be ignored.
The
objective is to get your website to the top of the search engines, or at the
very least on the first page (particularly Google!) for all of the key search
terms relating to your business. So in the example of our Barton-On-Sea plumber,
his/her key search terms could be
- Barton-On-Sea
Plumber
- Plumber Dorset
Boiler
- repairs New
Forest
The list
is endless!
Some
of you may ask why New Forest? That is because someone in The New Forest looking
for their boiler to be repaired may be searching for a local plumber. If our
Plumber is prepared to travel outside of Barton-On-Sea he can pick up additional
business, and a new market in The New Forest.
So now
that we have identified that a first page position is what we want, how do we
achieve it?
Well
as in the rest of life money talks. If you have a big enough budget you can
almost guarantee a number one position on almost any search term by paying for
it. This is known as a Sponsored Link or Pay Per Click
Campaign
The
listings appear to the top or the right of the page as illustrated.
Anyone
can set up, and manage their own PPC. That said there is a lot more to it and to
do it effectively it is advisable to get a specialist company like Vizzit®Web
Design to manage it for you.
The
other way of getting a page one listing is through a "Natural Listing".
One of the
main advantages of a Natural Listings is that unlike a sponsored listing they
are completely FREE. Natural Listings are achieved in a variety of ways but in
summary it is the way in which your site is built, particularly the content on
your home page, the coding behind the scenes, and the relevancy of your site to
the subject.
We are
regularly told that "our site is already on page one of Google! "when asked on
what search terms the answer usually comes back "when you type in our company
name" (which is normally the domain name e.g. http://www.xyzlumbers.co.uk/ )
If you
type in the actual domain name of course it is very likely that you will be top.
It is also highly likely that someone typing in your company name already knows
you!. The name of the game is to attract new business from people that do not
know you, and to get found on the generic search terms
To
find out how your site is performing, and more importantly how it is likely to
perform in the future under your key search terms Vizzit® Web Design provide a
FREE service to provide you with that information.. This is achieved by running
a report (normal price £199 + VAT) on your website, which we will then discuss
with you.
TO ORDER YOUR FREE SEO REPORT PLEASE CALL US ON 01590
682161.
The
final way to get your website found is to get yourself listed on a well
optimised local business directory like http://www.vizzitnewforest.com/ this
then enables you to effectively "piggy back" their optimisation. Listings on
these directories typically cost around £99+Vat per year, and is money well
spent, as long as the directory is well optimised. The proof is in the eating as
they say, and the best thing to do is to test it.
With a
very well optimised site such as http://www.vizzitnewforest.com/ you will find
that for almost any search with the prefix New Forest e.g. new forest Chinese
restaurant etc there will be a page 1 Google ranking if not a number one
position. Take the challenge and test it for your business category!!
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