Effective Web Marketing

When it comes to web marketing, it's all about 'conversion' - how many of your site visitors you can convert into a lead, a sale, a subscriber etc. Companies lacking a well conceived and well implemented website conversion strategy, are failing to leverage the most important marketing medium of the twenty-first century - The Web

1. Target Audience
The foundation of effective web marketing is the 'who.' Determining your target audience, their needs, wants, level of knowledge, goals, etc is critical to creating a website that will be effective at either lead generation or e-commerce. Often the process of defining target audience is the process of elimination. Figuring out who is not your target audience can help substantially in what can otherwise be a difficult task.

2. Core Message
Flowing directly from who you want to target, is the question of what you want to say to them. Your core message delivers your value proposition in a clear and compelling way. Your core message is not a mission statement, or an executive summary of your strategic plan. Your core message is essentially a list of the reasons that people do business with you - written from their perspective.

Typically, companies have an idea of their core message, but all too often it is written from their own perspective, or is so filled with jargon and technical terms, that it is not understood by the target audience. Once it has been developed and refined, your core message forms the foundation of your specific marketing messages, including your website.

3. Site Structure
Many websites are little more than on-line brochures. Visitors are free to click between this page and that, reading a little here and a little there. The result is that a site visitor develops very little emotional attachment, and the 'back button' is increasingly enticing.

Another way to look at a website is more like a sales presentation. It has a beginning, middle, and an end. Sales people intuitively understand that their message must be delivered in the right sequence - A, B, C, then D, which leads to E. A website that is carefully structured can accomplish this same effect, building understanding and buy-in, step-by-step. At the end of that 'presentation' the visitor takes the next step willingly.

4. Calls to Action
Asking a site visitor to take the next step is the 'call to action'. This is the "contact us", "join our mailing list", or "sign up today" option, which informs the site visitor of the correct next step. Most people are grateful to be guided through the process of evaluating a product or service, so if you tell them that the next step is to sign up for a 30-day trial, many of them will.

In this age of marketing saturation, a call to action of "call or email us for more information" will generate very little response. Luckily there are a number of more imaginative calls to action that will create a higher percentage of qualified leads.

5. Lead Capture
Actually capturing contact (and qualification) information from leads is relatively easy with today's technology. Some simple web scripts and an effective 'off the shelf' business database are all that are needed. Many companies set up automated responses, saving time and energy, and ensuring that their sales people spend personal time with only the most qualified leads.

6. Supporting Graphic Design
Unfortunately, many companies spend 90% of their web budget on graphic design, and only 10% on e-marketing. Graphic design serves two purposes: 1) to establish credibility, and 2) to entice visitors to read your text. Credibility is established when a company uses effective graphic design and 'looks big'. On-line it's hard to tell, but poor graphic design leads visitors to believe that your company is small. Once credibility is established, visitors will spend some time evaluating your specific message.

We know this is true from our own experience as buyers and consumers. When's the last time you purchased a product because the pictures on the packaging looked good? Maybe in the grocery store, but that's it! Typically, good design compels us to spend more time considering the real message of a product and service, and that's why we believe that graphic design supports a well defined and well implemented web marketing strategy.

7. Site Promotion
Once your site has been optimized to maximize conversion rates, using the strategies listed above, site promotion activities should be used to drive increased traffic onto your site. Site promotion ranges from listing your website on your business cards, through expensive and time consuming Search Engine Optimization strategies to increase your ranking on sites like Google.

The area of site promotion can be a minefield to those new to web marketing. Perhaps the four most cost effective strategies to investigate are:

• Email Marketing

• Pay-per-click advertising
• e-Newsletter Sponsorships

Each of these strategies are relatively inexpensive, and place your prospect just one-click away from your website.

The time to invest in e-marketing is now, for tomorrow never comes!