5 Steps to a Successful Internet Marketing Strategy

Classical methods of marketing are becoming far less effective as customers of today become better equipped to avoid them. Typical classical methodologies include TV, Radio, Telemarketing, and Print, which can all be neutralized with DVR, Satellite Radio, Do not call lists, and the shredding machine, respectively. So what are modern businesses to do? We are in an age of dramatic marketing overhaul, because the fact is that when almost everyone is in the market to purchase almost anything, they all turn to the internet for their research. This means that an effective internet marketing strategy is now crucial. This article offers the five most important elements that must be followed in order for businesses to remain significant in the marketplace today. (1) GETTING FOUND: Many organizations spend considerable resources in the development of beautiful web sites, only to find that traffic to these sites does not grow. The reality is that sites must somehow get the attention of Google and other top search engines by being optimized for particular keywords that potential customers use to find the business. This is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (2) GENERATING LEADS: Once the optimization process has been completed, visitors will appear at the site. The next step is to create calls to action for converting these visitors into leads. One of the key things to remember is that visitors are generally looking for information that is useful to them in their research. They are not interested in hearing about how great and fantastic a particular company is, so the call to action needs to exchange something that meets a visitor's need such that they are willing to leave their contact information in exchange for it. (3) CONVERTING CUSTOMERS: Leads that have downloaded information are generally 'top of the funnel' prospects that need time and attention before they become customers which is why it is important to collect an email address during the call to action phase. With a lead's email address, businesses are equipped to nurture them with additional information and offers over the course of some number of days to encourage the lead further down the sales funnel, to ultimately become a customer. (4) MONITORING PERFORMANCE: The next part is to analyze the success of the previous three points. This requires internet software that is capable of providing statistics on keyword performance, site traffic, click-through rates, and more. The ability to monitor the performance of a web site is one of the key attributes that sets internet or 'digital' marketing apart from classical marketing approaches because it enables marketers to see which of their efforts are paying off, and which are not. (5) UPDATING STRATEGY: Now that performance has been analyzed, it is generally clear which of the above elements are working and which are not. This is a crucial part of an effective internet marketing strategy, because it enables businesses to make corrections to optimize the performance of their marketing plan. This regular updating is part of a complete marketing strategy that happens on a cyclic basis. The above strategy has been proven to be the best way for businesses to succeed online. Many simply do not understand what to do in spite of the answer being so close and well within their reach. Try not to become a statistic of this sort! http://marketing.yoexpert.com/internet-marketing/5-steps-to-a-successful-internet-marketing-strateg-32925.html