Posts Tagged ‘internet marketing’

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Offline Marketing is Just as Important as Online Marketing

Sunday, August 15th, 2010

Offline marketing and advertising is starting to become increasingly replaced by online marketing but most people don’t realize the problems this could bring to their business!

Firstly, we must define both these kinds of marketing. Online marketing (or Internet marketing) is basically the marketing of products and services over the Internet. Offline marketing is the marketing of products and services in the real world as opposed to just communicating with your customers over the Internet.

Both these kinds of marketing have their advantages and disadvantages. Internet marketing is used around the world as it saves the time and expense of going around and meeting with clients and customers. Your store is open 24/7 and your customers are free to shop whenever they want! You can now easily update your Updating with a simple click and sending of an email. Visitors can get access to up-to-date information on your website con every new visit. If you have a sale season going on, your customers will know instantly and can drop down and shop at discounted rates — hats off to email convenience! The cost of spreading your message is next to nothing. Emailing your subscription base is more often cheaper than sending a letter through the mail. But it turns out to be that the disadvantages of Internet marketing outnumber the advantages…

Online marketing may sound significantly cheaper than offline marketing but it is not. The cost of software, necessary hardware, website designing and maintenance, online hosting costs and the precious time spent — these are just few aspects that you need to look into while marketing via the internet.

On another note, how sure are you about your site’s security? Does your customer know the safety of your site? There are so many incorrect stereotypes about the security of the Internet out there and as a result, many of your visitors will not want to use their credit card to make a purchase. The fear of having their credit card and personal information stolen is a clear and present danger in the minds of your visitors.

Another factor is the demographics. Approximately 50% of people around the world now prefer online shopping and has a promising growth to it. Despite the fact that this percentage is likely to grow more in a couple of months and maybe a year, with online marketing you can easily reach out to millions of people worldwide, something perhaps isn’t possible with offline marketing – atleast not as quickly as internet marketing can do the trick. Though, yes the competition is tough, there are many people on the internet who might be marketing the same product as you are, but, the good part is you will still be noticed that’s the best part about internet marketing! Despite the fact that this percentage is likely to grow more in a couple of months and maybe a year, with online marketing you can easily reach out to millions of people worldwide, something perhaps isn’t possible with offline marketing – atleast not as quickly as internet marketing can do the trick. Though, yes the competition is tough, there are many people on the internet who might be marketing the same product as you are, but, the good part is you will still be noticed that’s the best part about internet marketing!

Though, of course there is no replacement for good old fashioned customer service. The majority of internet marketers lack customer service and inquiry response programs. As a result, many online visitors to your site will already have painted your site as a poor service provider before they have even contacted you. The majority of websites also have poor navigation, which makes it difficult for your visitor to find what they are looking for. Many sites were created with a marketing view, not a customer service point of view. The kinds of relationships you can forge with offline marketing cannot be reproduced online. Building a seller-customer relationship and creating real bonds is irreplaceable and builds a huge network of loyal customers that will come back to you time and again. This absolutely cannot be replicated with Internet marketing, really going to show that offline marketing is here to stay!

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Posted in Advertising, Internet Marketing | No Comments »

What is a Good Opt In Offer?

Sunday, August 15th, 2010

Opt in offers are a vital part of today’s business as they play a crucial role in keeping customers and clientele interested in your business and new products. But first, what is an opt-in offer?

An opt-in offer is when a customer signs up to receive emails and updates about developments in your business. Think about a department store sending customers that have signed up a mass text message telling them about a current sale – that is exactly what an opt-in offer is!

Opt-In offers have a lot of advantages for both businesses and customers. Some of these include:

1. Widespread advertising of new products
2. Low cost because of modern technology – emails can be sent for next to nothing!
3. Easy profit as your customer can often be easily convinced to buy into offers
4. Once most customers ‘opt in’, and if the subscriptions prove to be useful, they will usually not opt out of these updates and this brings guaranteed profits to your business.

You can easily see why so many businesses choose to use opt-in offers, but what makes a good opt-in offer? Customers are so protective about their personal details and are tired of getting hundreds of junk letters in their mailboxes, cellphone inboxes and email inboxes. Businesses need to have attractive opt in offers which make sure that customers will not choose to quit these subscriptions. If customers start getting annoyed with your constant updates, they will opt out and this will make you lose money, so you need to make sure your opt-in offer is a great one!

To have a successful opt in offer, you must:

1. Offer benefits:
For example, you can offer a free course to your customers. Your course can contain text, audio, graphics – even video! Just send your subscribers a link to the web page where your course can be found because unlike e-mail, your website doesn’t put any restrictions on the size of your media!

Once you’ve developed the course, you can use ‘delayed auto responders’ to e-mail it to your subscribers at preset intervals, exposing them to your business and your offer repeatedly. And the best part is you’re contacting them with information they’ve specifically requested, so they can’t complain!

Another popular example of a benefit would be to offer a free e-book about the specific product your business is trying to sell. These do not need to be lengthy; they can be 8-10 pages long but should be well made. These can also be sent from one customer to another, so this is obviously a way of free advertising for your company!

Finally, offer members-only specials such as discounted prices and offers. This will encourage non-members to sign up for your opt-in offer for the free giveaways and discounts!

2. Make your opt in offer interesting:
Offer games, puzzles, crosswords and prizes on your opt-in offer website. This provides some entertainment for your subscribers and will interest them as they have chances to win free giveaways in a fun way!

3. Offer a discussion board for your members on the opt-in offer website:
This will help both you and your members – you can learn which products they prefer and they can have a place to meet each other and talk about everything related to your product.

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Posted in Internet Marketing, network marketing | No Comments »

How to Choose The Right Domain Name

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

‘‘What’s in a name?’’, you may ask, but in the world of internet marketing, there is a LOT in a name. You have to be especially careful when choosing a domain name you choose for your website or page and make sure it is the right one. In order to make your domain popular , direct traffic towards it and generate more traffic choosing the right domain name is extremely important and plays a great role in generating traffic for your website.

A domain name is basically used in a URL to identify web pages and every domain name has a specific suffix like .com, .net, .org, .gov etc. Now to choose the domain name, we have to keep several things in mind especially that your domain name will represent who you are on the internet and it will help generate traffic to your page.

The rule of thumb in choosing a domain name is that it should be simple enough for you to communicate it to people or your audience without confusing them. Now, names like Yahoo, Facebook, Hotmail, WordPress, Google are simple words which you can tell people about without having to spell it out for them. A word like Google probably doesn’t even make sense but its easy on the tongue, its got a simple spelling and is unique and that is what makes it an excellent example of the perfect domain name. Now, the problem you might face, especially if you don’t want to invest a lot of money, is that you might not be able to register single or short domain names because they are usually for sale.

Choosing a domain name and internet marketing go hand in hand, and your domain name will play a role in marketing your page on the internet. People will search for keywords in a search engine and it is a brilliant if you include keywords in your domain name. So, also start thinking of domain names in terms of the important keywords of your website. Ask yourself what are the four or five keywords that your website will be focused on? For example, if you are going selling homemade remedies for different illnesses then your keywords might be – home remedy, natural remedies, treatment at home etc. Keeping these words in mind you can work around the domain name you want to choose.

It should be searchable, easy on the tongue and innovative enough to rouse people’s curiosity. The technique for choosing the right domain is that you have to think of HOW you want to market your webpage. If you are looking for people who will find you through search engines, then you should use a single word or phrase which includes at least one keyword or is a compound word of keywords of your product or service.

This kind of domain name is searchable and can improve your search engine rankings especially if it is a .com but .net and .org also tend to show up high on the search engine rankings. However, if you are not going for the type-in audience, you can think up of any innovative domain name. The word or phrase you use doesn’t even have to exist in the dictionary as long as its catchy and people can remember it! An example for this is Squidoo, now it’s a strange funny name, but its catchy and people will tend to remember it very well because its different. It doesn’t even have to explain what your website is all about!

The creative sort of domain names is easy to market if you are using other tools of internet marketing effectively. What happens with choosing a unique domain name is that when you tell it to people, it stays in their mind and creates a brand in their minds. For example, Yahoo is just an expression of joy; the name itself is not showing what the webpage is about, but it is easy to say, remember and spell. People don’t want to go through an ordeal while typing in your webpage and not being able to be directed to your page.

Choosing the right domain name will take your webpage to a whole new level. It is an excellent tool of internet marketing provided that you pay enough attention to how you want to market your webpage and keeping in mind your budget. Linguistic design is all there is to choosing the right domain name, and although it might be the most tedious of jobs, remember you will be known by that name! So think thoroughly, choose wisely while you’re at it and the next time someone asks you ‘What’s in a name?’ you can tell them that Shakespeare was wrong, there is A LOT to having the right domain name.

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Posted in Internet Marketing | 1 Comment »

Value of Video Marketing

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Did you know that people prefer watching a video six times more than they would opt for printed information? Oh, well now you do and it is true. Obviously!

You know that a picture is worth a thousand words. Now imagine, what a moving picture with sound can be worth? Definitely a LOT MORE! Video marketing is a new technique in internet marketing, and although it cannot replace the other strategies like affiliate marketing, article marketing etc, you have to realize that it is a very powerful strategy.

Through videos, you can market your product in a much better way because there are times when people don’t want to spend fifteen minutes reading an article, so they’d rather spend 5 minutes watching or listening about your product or services. Videos make for a more personal experience, especially for your audience because now they have a face and a voice they can associate the product and service with. A video encourages your audience to put their trust in you because no matter what you do, some people will still find it hard to trust someone whom they haven’t ‘seen’.

According to a statistics figure by number of car dealers in Florida the response from a video is 4-10 % compared to the other strategies. Also, according to various studies at the Wharton School of Business people are able to comprehend and retain more information when it is given through a video, at least 50% more! Other studies have shown people to be 72% more likely to buy a product after watching a video than reading about it.

Since the advent of television, people don’t like reading anyways, because they have another better option to get information. Video engages all senses, even ones emotions so it makes your audience more involved in what you’re telling them and they are more likely to be convinced of buying your product. So, in short words the value of video marketing is such that it increases the buying power.

Important information for you in case you didn’t know is that Google recently added Universal Search to their search engine which means that videos also appear on the search result pages. So, now your videos will be listed on the search engine as well increasing your visibility and prospects of people clicking on your website.

Not only do people start trusting you more but you become known as an expert in your field. For example, if you are a hair stylist, you can make videos of giving tips or styling peoples hair, not only will people have a much clearer idea of what you’re doing they’ll know for a fact that you KNOW what you’re doing. This is very important for all buyers that the person selling them a product or service KNOWS what he/she is doing so they can put their trust in you.

Oh, and its very easy to make and a cheaper internet marketing method because just like article writing you don’t have to invest a lot unless you want to make a really professional video. Usually, videos with your regular cameras even, you will just need to read up a little on basic video camera techniques, but that’s about it. Besides, you can just make a script or slideshow out of the written content that you have, so you don’t have to come up with fresh topics and content.

The value of video marketing lies in attracting new and more audience to your page because it’s an added tool in your marketing techniques and people will want to see a professional speaking about his/her product or service.

Video marketing will generate more traffic if you know the right way to market it but its not that difficult really. You can upload your video to different video sharing sites like Youtube. Now even videos come with a link to share, so your audience can share your video on their social networks. What value is all of this to you? Generates traffic! More people getting to know you mean your page will be doing wonders in a matter of time!

Now you have no excuse for not creating your first video then marketing it on YouTube and other video sharing sites. It will take some time to get it right the first time, but with practice you’ll soon be generating more traffic to your web site.

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Posted in Internet Marketing, video marketing | No Comments »

Overcoming Being Overwhelmed With Information Overload!

Friday, July 9th, 2010

The wild, wild world of the Internet can drive you crazy with that the tons of information overload! That’s what it’s meant to do, therefore there will be all kinds of information scattered all over the place. Your job here is to gather the information you do want and filter out the rest.

It’s pretty simple once you know what it is that you want. So, in case you’ve already gone online and faced overwhelming amount of information, don’t take it to heart. Relax; take out a pen, notepad and start organizing yourself by making a list of what are the important things you have to do first.

FOCUS!!

Yes, that is very important for an internet marketer because once you type in something into a search engine you will receive an overwhelming amount of information. To prevent that you need to focus on the things that you want.

When you’ve made a list of what you want to do, you can start on creating your niche. What is it that you as an internet marketer can provide a solution for or if you will be marketing a product? For this step you have to a lot of research and you also have to ask yourself what things you would like to spend time on. You have to explore your potential at something judging by the amount of experience, skills and knowledge you have in that area. While creating a nice for yourself, you have to look at the long-term goal, which is that you will be looked upon as an ‘expert’ at that particular, something.

Once you’ve focused and created a niche in the world in internet marketing for yourself you can now swim further into the sea and explore the internet. Have a look at the demand at the moment of time or something that you feel is missing which you can provide. Look for what people search for on the internet and what are the products and services that they actually want.

There are so many people out there who are doing the same thing you are doing so how do you know who to take help from? Take help from that person who you can understand and who is able to help you on every step in making you a better internet marketer. Also, it matters a lot to be talking and taking advice from someone who matches your level of understanding and intellect. Especially, those who are beginners in the world of internet marketing need to be told things on basic levels, from scratch basically. All the information that you are getting on the internet is not of importance so don’t let it scare you away. Don’t be overwhelmed by the overload of information on internet marketing. It’s really not that difficult once you research thoroughly on the topic and filter out unimportant information. Only retain the information that is of importance to you.

It is important that you understand the various paths in internet marketing like affiliate marketing, blogging, writing articles etc and you know exactly what they are. Once you understand the concept you will find that there are thousands of websites and programs you can join as a writer, affiliate marketer etc and you can also work for more than one at one time. You will be offered a commission on the work that you do which depends on your work and productivity. Likewise, for example in tiered structure you will be given a commission on the products or services you sell but you will also be paid for any new product or service that you introduce, so basically the opportunities are limitless.

A lot of beginner internet marketers think that they don’t need professional help and can handle it on their own. Ok, so you CAN do it, I’m not saying it’s not possible, but with the amount of people starting this business and taking professional help, the competition is building up. At this point it is advisable that instead of being overwhelmed by all the information on the internet you could get some professional help and coaching so when you step into it you are ready to face the hundreds of other internet marketers with a new-found confidence! You really can earn a lot of money by investing none or very little only if you gather the right kind of information, focus on it, build your business once you’ve gained vast knowledge on it and of course letting professional coaches you guide you through the difficulties.

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