Internet Marketing Optimization

Inbound Marketing

Internet marketing is the process of using the web to market products and services. A business can decide to use the Internet as an avenue to communicate some message regarding its products or services. Another business may decide to use the Internet as an avenue to sell its products and services and also research about its prospective and existing customers. Both businesses are actively participating in Internet marketing.

A company can market its products on the Internet using email discussions and news groups. This participation can help to build a company’s reputation and also create a high level of trust. A company can also invest in paid advertising on the Internet. This is popularly known as PPC or pay per click. Your adverts are listed on popular sites and whenever a user clicks on them, you are required to pay a small amount.

You can also market your products on the web using social media websites like Facebook and Twitter. You can create business pages on social media and use them to interact with customers and advertise your services and products. These social media sites have a very huge following and can be a great source of massive traffic to your website. Internet marketing is an effective way to build your brand with a limited budget.

SMS Marketing

Short message server (SMS) marketing is the process of using text messaging on your mobile phone to deliver a marketing message to a large group of people. Companies are now taking advantage of the fact that 70% of the global population is mobile phone users. It becomes easier for small and large businesses to reach a massive audience through text messaging.

SMS marketing starts by preparing the text messages which are going to be sent to interested customers. The messages sent to various mobile users will contain various details like ongoing promotions, new products and specials. The effectiveness of SMS marketing will depend on the way the SMS campaign has been set up.

For a start, it is always important to get the right mobile numbers of customers you are targeting. It is important to collect the right mobile numbers for SMS marketing. If you are sending messages to the wrong people, the marketing will never be effective. You can ask your customers to give you their mobile numbers whenever they log on to your site or visit your premises. These are people who have already shown an interest in the services or products you have to offer. It would be more effective to target such customers compared to a random list of mobile numbers. Most importantly, SMS marketing should not be invasive to mobile users.

It is also important to let customers know that you will be sending them messages if they give you their telephone numbers. It is illegal to send customers messages without their consent. Always give customers that option to opt out of your SMS list. In fact, an unsubscribe option should be provided with every message you send to customers. If there are any additional fees that customers will be affected, make sure you let them know.

QR Codes

QR codes or quick response codes are two dimensional bar codes which can be scanned using a smart phone or a QR device in order to be directed to a certain website, text, email or any other information embedded on the code. These codes are commonly displayed on shops, bill board adverts or even on websites. They can be used to market products and services.

QR codes have become very popular because of the widespread use of smart phones. They provide a very convenient way to store information on product packages, shop displays and other platforms. By scanning the QR code, a user will be able to access a wealth of information. It can be as simple as a phone number or a web page that contains additional info about the brand.

The unique thing about QR codes is that, unlike standard bar codes, they can store massive amount of data. This is why it is possible to access the latest videos or get to various social media pages using the QR code. Additionally, you can scan the code both horizontally and vertically for effective results.

Using a QR code is pretty easy. If you have a smart phone like Android or Blackberry, install a bar code scanner application by downloading it free of charge from the Internet. Once you install one, you can go to your phone’s camera and scan the QR code. After scanning the code, the encoded data will be loaded on your phone and you will be directed to the site or page which contains more information on that code.

Email List & Marketing

So you’ve built your email list, and you have a sizable number of customers and prospects to whom you can send targeted mailings. Congratulations! Getting contacts on your list is half the battle toward solid returns on your marketing investment. The other half is equally challenging, however — and that’s the place where many businesses stumble.

We’re talking about how you email your lists, because it makes a difference. You can’t simply throw together any old email and expect subscribers to rush to open it when it lands in their inboxes. Relevant, timely messaging is the key to avoiding opt-outs as well as converting your contacts into leads and ultimately sales. Omaha businesses are finding the most success when emailing their lists using the following strategies:

        1.     Know the laws. Your Internet service provider (ISP) should be well-versed in the latest spam laws and privacy regulations designed to protect users from unwanted or intrusive email. If your ISP isn’t, it’s time to get a new one. This step is critical, because if you violate any laws and rules, your business could face hefty fines or be blacklisted by ISPs.

        2.     Get opt-ins. If users subscribe to your list, you avoid potential problems because these people will have agreed to receive your mailings. You still need to include unsubscribe capabilities in every email, but if you approach your email campaigns carefully, you can avoid opt-outs.

        3.     Keep it clean. Oftentimes, email lists can get flooded with “bad” email addresses that result in bounces. Check what kind of tools your email provider has for analyzing and cleaning your list, and make it a habit to remove bad addresses every so often. That way, you will have the most accurate statistics when tracking campaigns (see #4). If your provider lacks the tools, again, shop around for a new one.

        4.     Track your campaigns. The only way to know whether your campaigns are successful is by tracking how many opens, click-throughs and conversions you achieve with any given campaign. That’s why you need an email provider that offers good tracking tools — so you can continually make improvements.

        5.     Be targeted and concise. Include strong subject lines that encourage opens as well as bold calls to action that encourage click-throughs and sales. The more you target your emails to customers’ needs, the better your chances of increasing sales.

Your email list is the backbone of your engagement efforts with prospects, so take the time to tend to it often. With a good list, you’ll find that all your marketing wheels will start to turn in unison, from your emails to social media and even to direct mail. And eventually, you’ll be driving your business exactly where you want it to be.

Press Release Distribution

Press releases are official statements issued by organizations and directed to various media outlets like print, TV and radio, in order to announce vital information. A press release can be issued for a variety of reasons. It may be used for promotional purposes so it will contain meaningful details of a company’s product/service. It may also be written to address a particular concern by releasing some important facts to the public.

Press releases can be written by the organization itself or a PR firm that is hired by the institution. Press releases are very important for media outlets as well as organizations. Organizations can prevent damages to their reputation by providing factual information in form of a PR. On the other hand, media outlets may need these press releases in order to get substantial and credible information regarding a company for their articles and news bulletins.

Press releases can also be used by individuals to give statements to media outlets. For instance, an individual may issue a PR using an attorney or family spokesman in order to answer some questions and concerns which may interest the public. The press release will contain some QOUTEs from the individual.

It takes time and lots of effort to come up with a good press release. These are pieces of content which can be very sensitive so every word must be carefully scrutinized. Information that is not given accurately can have detrimental consequences on the organization or individual issuing the press release.

A press release should have certain elements. For a start, it should have a good headline which summarizes the news to attract the attention of journalists. It also needs to have a release date and an introduction on the first paragraph. The body of the PR should give some statistics and other details of the news. There should also be some contact information given at the bottom of the press release.

Press releases are also written online by companies which are wishing to attract traffic to their web pages. For instance, a business may issue a PR and have it posted on a popular media website where it is going to be highly visible to the target audience. Many people who are interested in what is given on the press release will want to visit the owner’s website to get more information. This is how press releases can help drive traffic to your web pages.

Conversion Rate Optimization

A conversion not only implies a closed sale. In simple terms, a conversion is a particular action you would like web visitors to take when they get to your website or landing page. It could be that your main aim is to get web visitors to buy your product, download software/apps or click to chat. If any of these events occur then this is what converts the web visitor into a customer or simply generates a lead.

Website conversion rate optimization involves the use of various techniques to make a high percentage of visitors to your web pages or website take specific actions and become customers or leads. It is not easy to make a web visitor take a specific action that will turn him/her into a customer or a lead. However, it is something achievable.

Improved conversion rates can generate massive profits for your business. The very first step to boost your conversion rates is to identify the reasons why visitors to your site are not converting and focus on fixing this. Conversion rate optimization strategies are not always universal. What may work for one site may never work for your own. You need to take time and research on the main challenges of your website that are affecting your conversion rates.

Secondly, you need to make good use of Google Analytics to evaluate your performance. You need to know the areas on your site where you are losing the most traffic and why. Focus on places which present great opportunities and where you are getting more clicks. Make sure users are not clicking to any inactive links as this will greatly lower the conversion rates.

The main way to enhance conversion rates is by increasing the usability and accessibility of a website or web page. When it comes to usability, web visitors will be converted into customers or leads if they find relevant information which they were looking for. This means that, for a business to boost its conversion rates, it has to invest in quality content.

A great website design and layout will also make your web pages or website accessible. Web visitors are likely to convert if they have a great experience on your website. For instance, if your website doesn’t take so much time to load, visitors are likely to take action on your web pages. However, a site which takes too long to load will have low conversion rates because most web visitors will move away to another site.