Motivated new and small business owners claw and scrape
to get their businesses off the ground. However, online
marketing decisions can often be challenging. Whether
it is search engine optimization, custom or basic web
site creation, online marketing campaigns or design,
these costly and discretionary attributes can be overwhelming.
Are web sites necessary? Most people would instantly
say, “Absolutely.” While they are probably right in
most cases, I do feel that there are exceptions to the
rule. An amateur web site can negatively affect your
company's competitive edge even more than not having
a web site at all! With the identity theft, phishing,
and pharming epidemics that currently plague the World
Wide Web, customers only feel comfortable using sites
that look and feel professionally implemented. This
is especially true when it comes to purchasing services
online.
I think it is most important to remember that if your
firm is performing any sales initiatives, you name and
company name should be prepared to be “Googled” before
most companies will even entertain your product and
services.
“Googled” is a popular term that refers to someone searching
your name through the Google search engine to see what
comes up, and what is said about you. In many knowledge
based service businesses it is important for you to
share your knowledge within the community. If you are
sharing information, it will be apparent when your company
name is searched. A good example of this is posting
on mailing lists or forums that help other industry
professionals with problems. This is not a costly process,
in fact, it is free. If free is your budget, this may
be a good way to enhance general publicity.
If you are interested in creating a web site to help
market your product, here are a few things to keep in
mind:
· Keep it professional. If you are not a writer,
make sure to hire someone who is. Grammar mistakes and
awkward sentences will not be tolerated by prospective
clients. Make sure that all content is to succinct and
puts across the correct online persona for your organization.
· Budget accordingly. If you are not going to
have a large budget, stick to content management systems
that you can easily update on your own, and do not overly
modify the templates that they provide. This will keep
your cost low and the look of your web site basic, but
professional. This works well for corporate web sites
that are not used as an overt sales tool.
· If you are planning to have an online store, make
sure it is professional looking, user friendly, and
secure. Advanced Secure Sockets Layers (SSL Certificates)
are necessary. Because and online store is its own business,
these should be professionally done.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is another conundrum.
Every company wants to show up on page one of a Google
Search, however, SEO can range from $60 - $4000 a month.
Although most would expect that this kind of heavy investment
would allow instant success, do not expect that your
sales will be based on search engine traffic just because
you are paying $4000.00 a month for optimization.
Google and Yahoo index sites at their own discretion.
While many search engine optimization professionals
can get you onto page one for search strings that apply
to your business, it will take sbrome time to get there.
There are multiple factors that go into this process.
The best way I have heard it described is, “your site
has to be popular.” The “cool” sites need to link to
you. “Cool” sites are sites with a great deal of traffic,
and targeted content.
If you do not have a site that you think people would
link to, don't worry. There are other ways to move forward.
As I aforementioned, you can post in forums or publish
articles on sites that discuss topics you are familiar
with, and include your URL in the text. Another way
forward is to include more text within your site that
discusses your products and offerings. For example,
if you sell apples, you can write a story about the
history of the apple. This will probably include the
word apple (your keyword) many more times, and will
increase the amount of content on your site. This process
really helps.
This can also be accomplished through the use of third
party content. This can often be done through partnerships
with other similar web sites. However, you cannot just
take their content right off their site! Copyright laws
require third parties to ask permission to reproduce
content. This process can be easy, as many sites will
allow third parties to repost the body of their article
with proper a tribute (often a link to their site accompanied
by a short blurb).
Overall, I think that the most important thing to keep
in mind is that starting an online marketing campaign
can't hurt. You are creating a way to generate leads,
and alert prospective clients to your services and products
that may have never known your organization existed.
However, if you do get involved, be cautious about allocating
funds. Consult with online marketing professionals,
because there are numerous ways to increase your online
presence if you have the time to invest in the processs.
Jennifer Farrell
Farrell@TheBankCheck.com
http://www.thebankcheck.com/
Jennifer Farrell is VP of Sales for BankCheck Inc.
(http://www.thebankcheck.com/), and online marketing
and web development firm. A graduate of Rutgers University,
Jen has significant experience in both the online Editorial,
and Marketing Director function.
