Marketing Methods Summary 2

So the three methods from yesterday approached offline methods.  Today's three methods tackle online marketing methods.  But don’t forget that the power behind each of method of marketing is in the support of all of them.

1. Website Promotion – this is where I need to be really careful with my word count, I can probably pull four articles out of this topic alone, but for now let’s summarize with:
1. unless you’ve got a huge budget, don’t attempt to obtain your dream website overnight, build it in stages, over time and work with a web designer who will work with your budget on a monthly basis and within your timelines;
2. realize that in many cases it can take 3 months or more for your website to appear in search engines;
3. do NOT pay for SEO (Search Engine Optimization);
4. DO participate in link exchanges;
5. keep your website address as short and simple as you possibly can;
6. tell everyone and anyone that you come into contact with what your website address is;
7. remember that you absolutely MUST also promote your website offline to help generate the traffic online.
   
2. Social Media – yes, I’m referring to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc (the list is quite huge). It’s a much bigger tool than most people realize, but once again, it’s got to be done right in order to be effective. One of the first local businesses that I personally witnessed taking the right approach with Facebook was Stirr! in Black Diamond. One of the biggest keys with Social Media is don’t immediately try to use it as a direct sales tool – in other words don’t be too eager to ask for the “sale” without being the first to give.  One thing that Stirr! does that got my attention is that they post recipes for people to use, they also post various food related “Tips”.  So what I’m saying here, is look at your industry as well as your campaign focus and figure out what information you can give back to your customers. Give them something really useful and they’ll keep coming back – when they’re ready to buy, coming to you will already be a habit.
   
3. Blogging – this one scares a lot of people, but – deep breath – it really shouldn’t.  Don’t think of blogging as “writing”, think of it as a transcript of the things you would say to people if you were chatting with them over a glass of wine.  For some people an easier way to start blogging is to get a tape recorder and “say” what you want to blog, then type up what you’ve recorded and bang – you’ve got it in writing! Focus on what you know and write it the way you would speak it – it’ll be easier for people to read, it’ll be more personal and it’ll be easier to write.

Now, to tie your marketing together it’s important to provide an anchor for the consumer.  Think Telus.  White background; crisp, clear logo; an animal; a song; a headline that gets your attention. Most of their ads don’t even include contact information. But every piece of marketing they do, whether it’s in a publication, a mail out, online, over the radio, etc, all of it ties together.  You don’t need a million dollar budget to put together that concept. It’s consistent yet they change it enough to keep it interesting and tied together.

So whatever headlines, images and message you are promoting offline need to be the focus of what you’re doing online. Don’t confuse your customers with a different focus every time they see something to do with your business. They’re more likely to think that you can’t decide what it is that you’re doing than they are to think “Wow these guys have a lot to offer.”

Tomorrow I’m going to have a bit of fun showing you a plan of action that demonstrates exactly how you can tie these six methods of marketing together.