If you are a start-up business, the first thing you should do is to find clear answers to a few important questions. Here are the questions:
- Where are you positioned onto your niche market and where are you aiming to reach? Which are your objectives and aspirations?
- Who are/will be your clients, how are you/your products/your services different from others and why will clients buy from you and not from the competition?
These are questions that only appear to be simple, but once answered, it will be a lot easier for you to identify the most appropriate follow-up (next step).
Therefore:
- Don't overestimate yourself, even if your budget may seem sufficient. In time, only the correct measures will help you meet that budget or exceed it. It's better to have a more timid start until you can consolidate your company than set yourself for a lot of ambitious things and miss most of them - the stake can be your business itself.
- Define your short, medium and long term objectives realistically, always taking into consideration the fact that you cannot take everything into consideration. A good business plan backed by the appropriate strategy is the key to success.
- Identify your target profile as accurately as possible and always address it first. You should always have a stable and solid (even loyal, if possible) start-up base before venturing to attract new categories of clients; - If you are overwhelmed by these issues, you can ask for the advice of a specialist to guide you, but don't forget you are the only owner of your vision and the one who has the most to win or lose. In other words, a specialist can help you but you are the one making the decisions.
If these things are clear enough, you can proceed with the next step:
Create Your Brand To start with, you need to develop a company image. As every person has their unique identity, each company has to transmit a powerful and distinct image. Image means first of all the Corporate Identity which is based on a sign - a Corporate Logo, which should be found on all the materials that represent you. A standard Corporate Identity Package usually includes the Logo, Business Cards, Letterheads and Printed Organizational Collateral. A company must leave its stamp on every business interaction. In time, Your Brand will have to be found both in all the elements of communication used, as well as in the company philosophy and the values expressed/promoted/encouraged by it. More complex packages may include Advertising Materials and your Web Presence/site.
Create Your Website Usually the web presence is seen as an extension of the company image to the virtual environment. Sometimes companies set their electronic environment from the start, so that their website becomes their main or only sales & promotion tool, not just a means of presentation.
Here are the mandatory things to consider, regardless of the importance your web site will have in your business:
- A Good Domain Name - the address by which your business is found on the Internet and one of the important criteria for achieving online success; - Professional Design the first impression your clients have is mostly based on the aspect, the look and feel thing; - Usability and Accessibility Website Architecture visitor-friendly website, accessible links, pleasant and intuitive interface; - Content Quality, Relevance and Size these days size matters when it comes to the site content, but the content quality and relevance should nevertheless come first; - Search Engine Friendly Content (URLs, Titles, Meta tags, Texts).
As you may have noticed, I only listed the basic elements, without a detailed description of how each has to be done. Be it choosing a website domain name or your logo design, this is a science/art on its own and being successful requires talent and experience. This is why is preferable to resist the temptation of making false savings and resort to actual professionals who, although not the cheapest solution, will bring more long-term benefits than the savings brought in by working with amateurs. Also try to clearly define the role the website will play in your strategy and listen to expert advices and suggestions, as they are based on experience and an in-depth knowledge of the complex aspects regarding a web site's performances.
Now, having a well done Website based on a powerful Brand Identity, it's time to proceed with the Online Promotion phase.
The Internet is a huge place, with billions of websites and constantly increasing traffic. This is why reaching the target audience is vital for a business website that wants to stand out from the crowd. Online promotion is the mechanism through which a website can increase its number of visitors (and thus potential customers) by using specific techniques: SEO, online advertising, viral marketing, etc. Online promotion generates leads (making it easier for customers to find a website they may be interested in) and enhances the attractiveness of a business website.
Online Advertising is a form of advertising using the Internet in order to deliver marketing messages and attract customers. Examples of online advertising include contextual ads on search engine results pages, banner ads, advertising networks and e-mail marketing, Online Advertising Campaigns Every successful online campaign correctly begins by identifying its target market, the best advertising channels and methods, followed by the implementation of the appropriate strategy.
I will now list the elements involved in such a campaign in their normal order:
Search Engine Optimization Why does your website need a SEO campaign? Simply because correct/ethical SEO techniques encourage a higher website positioning in organic search engine listings. This means that your target visitors can find your website more easily on the Internet if it is optimized for certain keywords which define your business products or services.
Presuming that the On Page Optimization phase is already completed (Website Architecture & Accessibility, URLs, Titles & Meta Tags, SEO Friendly Copywriting), the following components should be taken into consideration, in the order of their listing:
Search Engines Submissions with this your site will be indexed in as many search engines as possible (although 90% of their traffic is managed by 4 of them: Google, Yahoo, Live Search, AOL).
Directories Submissions a part offer free submission services, others link exchange and others (usually the most important ones eg: business.com, yahoo.com) based on a monthly or annual fee.
Join Forums focused on your niche.
Business Blogging in the last 2 years this method of promoting the company image and message has become increasingly popular.
Constant Publishing of Articles, Press and News releases both on your own website as well as on other websites from your industry.
Viral Content Development - Apart from classical direct communication, there are other modern methods of attracting additional traffic to a website, including Social Tags, Forums, Specialized Articles and Press Releases. These would be original SEO-friendly texts, based on client directions and our documentation and research.
Paid Campaigns I always recommend my clients to go to paid campaigns after starting with the above-mentioned measures. Here the order is aleatory:
Pay-Per-Click Campaigns - this implies Keyword research, creating text ads according to the keywords chosen and the landing pages targeted, managing the campaign budgets, monitoring the results and creating monthly reports. According to Forbes Magazine, by the year 2008, companies will spend $8 Billion a year on PPC advertising. This means PPC is not a waste of money, but a very efficient means of online promotion.
Banner Campaigns - this consists in using certain graphic means (banners) to attract leads (potential customers) to your business website. The development of a banner campaign has two parts:
- the first implies the creative part, consisting of a message that has to be transmitted to a targeted segment through a multimedia concept; the next steps are the banner design according to the concept and, if necessary, animated sequences; - the second part consists in correctly identifying the most efficient channels to be used for transmitting this message.
Purchase Ads in Ezines and Newsletters addressing to your targeted segment Measure and constantly analyze your results to see where things are going well and where they need changes.
All these measures can bring in remarkable results if implemented and done the right way. After starting such an online promotion campaign, the first notable results will be seen in approximately 2-3 months, followed by a complete absorption of the initial investment and significant results in the first 6 months. The online promotion should be, however, a constant effort, as the data and principles (by which the information available online is analyzed and indexed by Search Engines) continuously change. Periodically or occasionally, campaigns with a precise time frame and/or target (promoting certain sets of products/services or just the brand) will prove to be extremely efficient in boosting product sales or the online visibility of your brand.
These are the basic steps for having an efficient online promotion of your website. Simply take advantage of the Internet and follow some basic, yet very important rules that can make the difference for your business.
We are inviting you to visit our website www.zeppelindesign.com and contact us directly to receive more information or to request a free quotation for your project.
The Online Advertising Road Map or Basic Steps for an Efficient Online Promotion Plan Starting from Ground Zero - To learn more about this author, visit Alexandru Iosub's Website.
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