Digital Marketing Consultant

You knew it was going to happen. You knew that just as you were getting to grips with Google+, becoming familiar with Facebook, and tackling Twitter, a brand new platform would come along and make you start all over again.

Or worse, it would not make you start all over again. It would make you wonder whether you should start at all.

That is the current position for social media marketers in relation to Pinterest. The site, which acts as a kind of public pinboard on which anyone can attach pictures and items, and share them with friends, launched in 2010 but has seen phenomenal growth over the last twelve months or so. In October 2011, it was valued at no less than $200 million.

It looks important. But does it look important enough for you to spend the time and energy building your own board, looking for effective strategies and trying to drum up business with it? Or would your time be better spent writing more Facebook updates and connecting with more people on Twitter?

Certainly, Pinterest’s rapid growth suggests that it cannot be ignored. In September 2011, it was said to receive around 1.68 million unique visitors. By December, that figure had reason to 7.21 million. The site is now believed to have overtaken Google+ (although it still lags behind Yahoo!) as the fifth most popular social networking or forum site driving referral traffic to other websites.

And yet, Pinterest’s demographic — like that of the somewhat geeky Google+ — is relatively limited. The site’s users are predominantly female. One estimate puts the population at about 58 percent women. And those users are largely looking to Pinterest for shopping. Some of the biggest corporate users of Pinterest are not JetBlue, known for its use of Twitter, or Coca Cola, which has an effective Facebook presence. It is retail stores like Nordstrom and West Elm. These are companies that pin pictures of models in beautiful clothes then see those images shared on hundreds of other pinboards.

If you are not in the retail business then, and your demographic is not the kind of people who are looking to buy clothes or improve their home furnishings, then maybe you can give the site a miss — at least for now. And even if you are in those businesses, you might want to give the site a miss too. The site might be driving traffic to particular kinds of stores and sites but there are no figures that suggest that that traffic is converting.

Social media marketers do have to keep their eyes open all the time for the growth of new platforms. They have to know when a new tool can deliver sales to their market better than a current tool. And they choose when the usefulness of that tool is clear enough to begin using it.

At the moment, anyone selling fashion, household items and lifestyle products should be looking at Pinterest, playing with it, and testing to see if it delivers convertible traffic. Sellers who are not in those fields should be checking the statistics on the site and waiting for signs that it might benefit them, too.

There was time when businesses needed to push to create awareness of their products and services.  The reason was that competitors weren’t using new technologies and the conventional methods were a hit in themselves.  There were pre-specified norms created by businessmen and marketers, and following these pre-determined methods and spending big money, success happened without much difficulty.

With the Internet becoming more and more popular, succeeding with the conventional methods has become more difficult and critical.  Hence the need of Internet business marketing was discovered and in no time, it became a necessity.  And, it will be an understatement to say that this need was well founded!  You can see for yourself how Internet Business Marketing has benefited many businesses:

Utilizing Data Collection

With Internet marketing data collection is key.  First off, information regarding your products and services can be easily available and every transaction that takes place recorded.  Further, this data collection can be used by business for seeing who loyal customers are and how to segment them.  Marketers can use this information for locating which type of customers have been most profitable and for tracking buying habits of consumers. 

Creating a Website

Internet business marketing establishes the need for a web site.  This has helped in promoting business online and is done, not by having just a beautifully graphic website, but by including appealing content, images, audios, videos, and ease of use.  It is the best way to communicate a business’s message without spending an arm and a leg.  Having a website does not mean sales success.  Without proper optimization and marketing, it is like a truck full of products without gas.  So how does one give it gas?

Involving Social Media

Apart from just having a website and using it for Internet business marketing, a business can place ads and banners of products and services on other websites.  Other methods which can be used are Email marketing along with the search engine optimization. 

The newest tactic of the Internet is the social media.  There are many social networks available which will help a business not only promote its business image and cater to customers, but to build strong relationships with them.  With involving social media as part of Internet business marketing, the business will have an interactive marketing strategy, where customers will have a say and a real interaction occurs. 

Internet business marketing has given fruitful results not just for established businesses, but also for small emerging businesses, because on the Internet no one can tell you are a dog.

With the Internet becoming more and more popular, succeeding with the conventional methods was becoming less and less effective.  Hence the need for knowledge of Internet Business Marketing became a necessity.  And why was it better?

Data Collection

With Internet Marketing data collection is the key.  Information regarding your products and services is easily available and every transaction that takes place is recorded.  This data collection can be used by your business for determining who your loyal customers are and how to segment them.  Marketers can use this information for locating which set of customers are most profitable and for keeping a track of the buying habits of consumers as never before.

Having a Website

Internet Business Marketing established the need of developing a web site for your business.  This helped promote your business online through appealing content, images, audios, videos, and other features.  It is the best way to communicate your business’s message without spending an arm and a leg.  Having a website meant you could sell your products and services, and hence, it was a great way to promote your business identity and cater to more customers. 

Apart from just having a website and using it for Internet Business Marketing, you can place ads and banners of your products and services on other websites.  Other on-line marketing methods are Email marketing and search engine marketing.

Involving Social Media

But Internet Marketing is in constant flux and now requires the use Social Media Marketing.  There are many social networks available which will help you promote your business as well as build a strong relationship with them. 

Internet Business Marketing through the addition of social media marketing has shown good results from established businesses to small emerging businesses.  If you have not gotten this far, you are not ready for Mobile Marketing and you are falling further and further behind.

Pay-per-click (PPC) or Paid Search Marketing is a form of online advertising where you can attract traffic to your website or landing page via ads hosted on a search engine. Google, Yahoo, MSN or any other search engine you choose to advertise with will display your PPC ad when a keyword query matches your keyword list, or when a content site displays relevant content.

How does PPC benefit your online marketing initiatives?

• Immediate Results. Your ad will be visible on the search results page as soon as your PPC campaign with a search engine goes live.
• Cost Control. As an advertiser, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, not each time it shows up. You can control your spending on each PPC campaign. This is one way to ensure that your marketing plan for different categories of your products or services achieves targeted results. Not to mention, it is an inexpensive and easy way to get search traffic.
• Geographically Targeted. You have the ability to select a particular area or region as the target market by adjusting your PPC campaign settings accordingly.
• Seasonal / Time-specific Marketing Approach. You can actually define ad scheduling; choosing to run your campaign only on the precise days and in fact during the hours you want.

If you would like a better understanding of how to do this economically, contact us.

Time management and risk management skills are common place in the business world.  These skills are also beneficial and even essential for Internet marketing.  To gain your full business potential and the highest profitability, these basic business principles should be in the foundation of your Internet marketing strategy. 

Expansion

Expand your horizon and your opportunities by getting outside of your familiar territory.  Expanding your network potential will offer you grand opportunities for your business expansion.

Flexibility

Be open to new ideas and possibilities.  Every suggestion and creative idea deserves at least some consideration.  You just may be surprised at where these possibilities may take you.

Creativity

The opportunity for a new creative idea is staring directly at you every day.  The problem is that most people never only see the same thing they have seen every other day.  Creativity has a way of making a success out of even a bad idea.   Look at new ideas from every possible angle.  Think out of the box.  Creativity involves not being afraid of keeping that which is good and tossing out the other stuff.

Be Guided By Goals

Goal setting is important and definitely has a place in motivating us to end results.  Goals should be set and used as a guide.  Goals should not stand in the way of new opportunities along the way.   In fact, you should evaluate your goals frequently to be sure they stay in alignment of your business strategy.

Seize the Moment

Many opportunities present only for a fleeting moment.  You must be ready to take action when these opportunities present.  A quick response can be the deciding factor between failure and success.  But a word of caution about not leaping forward without first taking a good look is also in order.  Many opportunities which present will not be worth taking a risk to pursue.  But hesitation for a good opportunity can be foolish.

Assessment Skills

Exercise good assessment skills to determine the risk involved in opportunities.  This means looking at the good and the bad of every prospect. 

Engage Creativity of Others

You do not have to be the be-all-end-all of creativity.  Engage the help of others in regards to new ideas and creativity.   Let it be known among your friends, families, and other contacts that you are looking for new fresh ideas.  Be receptive to all ideas whether they are used or not.  Keep the creative juices flowing to you.

Maintain Your Values

Successful business owners establish a set of values that they will not deviate from at any cost.   In the business world you should never compromise your established values.  Maintaining your integrity should always be first on your list of values.  Be true to yourself and your established values.

No doubt your marketing campaign took a lot of time to create and to put in place.  You’ve launched your campaign.  Are you seeing the results you had hoped for? If not, what could the matter be?

You have put your marketing plan together using the keywords just like the marketing expert suggested.  Everything looks like it is set for driving emails, phone calls, and business to your website.  But then, as you await the flood of contacts, you find that waiting is all you get.  What could have possibly gone wrong with your plan?

There could be several reasons for your unsuccessful digital marketing campaign.  Here are a few: 

• First review your campaign and see that it speaks directly to your customer with the word "you" rather than "I" and "me."  Your marketing campaign is about your market, not yourself.  It is their need, their pain, their wants and desires.
• Make sure you have answered your prospects' Why, What, and How questions.  You should also have set up some positive and negative consequence questions within your marketing campaign.  One of the most important questions your market needs you to answer is “What is in it for me?”
• Does your marketing campaign provide your potential costumer with a solution to their problems?  If not, you have not connected with your market in a tangible manner.
• Make sure your blog and email is interactive in nature.  They should encourage input from your potential customers.  
• Does your campaign reach out with compassion and empathy to the problems your market is experiencing?  You have to touch they pain.

Your marketing efforts must be specific, tangible, measureable and focused on your customer not your business or yourself.  Eliminate "I" and "me" from your communications to your customers.

Develop a marketing campaign with the focus on your customer and you will be successful.

Creating a Content Blueprint

It is easy to fall into the trap and just start adding content to your website and syndicate it to social media sites. People can confuse “article marketing” with content marketing. Article marketing is mainly used to create links to your website and to attract search engine traffic. In many instances, these articles are of low value to the reader and although they bring attention to your brand, they don’t always contribute to your conversion goals.

The first step in implementing a content marketing strategy is to create a content blueprint.

Step 1: Define your business goals

What do you want to achieve in the following 12 months in your business? Goals to consider are:

• Revenue targets
• Increase customer base by 15%
• Upsell to existing customers

Step 2: Identify your ideal website personas

Who are the ideal personas that you would like to visit your website? These are normally the decision makers or evangelists of your products or services:

• Chief Executive Officer
• VP of Marketing
• Chief Financial Officer
• Housewives, etc.

Step 3: List the types of information they require?

For each of these personas, create a list of:

• Questions they typically ask
• Information they seek about your company, products or service

Step 4: Determine the action you want your persona to take

• Download white paper
• Download case study
• Listen to podcast
• View company video
• Subscribe to your newsletter

This information should help your visitor solve their problem, build your credibility and ultimately persuade them to engage with your company.

Step 5: Research search keywords

Use keyword research tools such as Wordtracker, SEO Book, Market Samurai or similar tools to:

• Identify the list of questions used in search
• Identify niche topics that you can create content for
• Look for Top 10 lists, Best of, etc. ideas

Step 6: Create your blueprint

Sort your content by persona and create a sitemap and navigation plan to channel your content effectively to your visitor. For each content piece, decide which Internet channels you will syndicate to:

• Website
• Blog
• YouTube video
• Podcast
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Squiddoo
• And others that your persona would frequent

Create your online marketing plan

Schedule regular dates on which to create and publish your content. Publishing regular content will increase your online visibility and create an online asset for your business.

Measure your business objectives

• Install Google Analytics to monitor your website and blog performance
• Set the business goals that you need to measure
• Review goal achievement and keywords used to get to your site
• Brainstorm creative ways of providing content related to your industry

Syndication of Content

Syndicate your content and take advantage of social media sites as they enable you to get to your target market on a “many to many” basis as opposed to a static website which offers a “one to many” interaction.

• Blogging – use blogs as a marketing tool by publishing educational and relevant information about your products and services. Don’t sell; become a “thought leader” and develop your online credibility. Blogs will consistently attract new visitors and increase the online visibility of
your company. Blogs enable easy interaction with your readers and provide a quick way to syndicate your content across the web.

• YouTube – create short videos showing how your products can solve problems that your ideal persona is interested in. Upload videos that provide the answers to your most frequently asked questions. Many people add the word “video” to their search term as they prefer to get a visual and audio view of your content.

• LinkedIn – develop your online network of contacts with professionals in your particular industry. Review questions that are posted and provide answers that address these questions without selling directly. LinkedIn provides you with the ability to network with thousands of subscribers that can interact with you or your company.

• Facebook – create a business profile and encourage your clients to become a fan. That way you can attract and communicate to thousands of fans.

• Twitter – allows thousands of followers to be updated on the Internet or mobile phones with the messages that you wish to publish.

• Social Media Bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon, Digg and Reddit make it easy for your valuable content to be quickly spread throughout the web.

Create and publish good content and you will stimulate good conversation.

Business-to-Business Credibility Through Optimization of Content

A picture of what you need: