ROI is plummeting with traditional marketing methods. Therefore we must address this issue. We all know it’s vital that all commercial organisations are on the web. But simply having that on-line presence is not enough. If nobody can find you, you might just as well not be there!
Look at it this way – imagine a retail enterprise with new premises: They’ve spent a fortune on stock, fixtures, merchandising and systems. They open for business… And discover they’re in a tiny backstreet, 3 miles out of the city centre on the 4th floor, and the road outside is closed due to a diversion. And no-one has given any thought to advertising their location. Who’s going to find that store? The vast majority of business websites have just this problem.
The shape of modern marketing has radically altered. A decade or so ago, it was fashionable to jump on the website bandwagon. Complex graphical websites costing thousands (or tens of thousands) were regularly launched. (A happy situation for web design businesses…) But just the existence of the site didn’t bring in the customers. There was a belief that if you built it, they would come. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
Modern internet marketing requires a fundamental shift in thinking from traditional marketing. Traditionalists might see your site in the same way they’d view a sales catalogue. Consequently they’ll recommend the time-honoured promotional methods of newspaper advertising and the media. Sticking to the familiar routine. They start with a flashy sales site, and then try lots of ‘off-line’ avenues to get people to look at it. However, this process illustrates an absolute misunderstanding of website marketing.
The internet itself is not just a viewing portal. What it actually offers is a dynamic and interactive environment. Individuals from around the world can draw on it for research, chat services, detailed information and much more. The Search Engines – such as Google and MSN (now Bing) – have made this easy for us as customers. They’ve put together massive directories to guide us. Think of the chaos involved if the Business Yellow Pages wasn’t in alphabetical order: How on earth would anybody get anywhere?
This set-back is solved by Search Engines. Which means businesses can no longer use traditional marketing. Now, if you wish to be visible online, you must be indexed by Google, Bing and/or Yahoo etc. But there’s a lot more to it than that… #S#
Because it was often so complicated to rate highly for certain terms (and also because the Search Engines wanted more revenue), they introduced paid advertising with a unique spin. You only pay when someone actually chooses your advert – hence the name ‘Pay-Per-Click’. A very novel idea. Fundamentally, you were now only charged when an interested party looked at what you had to offer. This is an incredibly targeted way of advertising, and done properly, can yield some exceptional results.
Alas, the market is bombarded with this form of advertising these days. Costs per click have been heavily driven up, mostly by inexperienced marketers bidding too highly. So it’s often the case now that many are priced out of the market. This happens mostly where lots of clicks are essential to get one buyer. This has caused a rebirth and interest in Search Engine Optimisation – as those in the know try to drive their sites up to the revered page 1.
Have a go at this – Get onto one of the Search Engines now and look for some keywords that you think apply to you. Then check through as far as page three. Can you find your website? It’s unlikely. So you might as well not be there at all! If the answer was yes, are those terms actually being used by customers?
Maybe you’ve already tried some Pay Per Click advertising so you appear in the paid listings, and maybe you’ve achieved some success so far. Yet so much more could be done. Are you getting the best return on your investment? Are you aware of how to assess the quality and viability of each campaign? With PPC, testing and diagnostics are critical. If you don’t know what your stats are, then guaranteed you’re not getting the best results for your money.
Both in Britain and around the world, statistics show that commercial advertising and selling is experiencing a seismic shift towards the internet. There is no other choice but to deal with it – and ensure you’re taking full advantage of all the opportunities.
(C) S. Edwards 2009. Visit Cyber Sensai or BacklinkBanzai.com.
Authors bio is coming up shortly.
