Web Marketing For Dummies

Book Reviews, eMarketing, ,

Web Marketing For DummiesWeb Marketing is more than just having a website – it’s the strategy of using a website in conjunction with e-mail, e-commerce, chat rooms, blogs, etc. to attract customers. If you are just starting out marketing online or even if you already have a professional website, it’s worth your time to review this book.

The book starts (Part I: Getting Going With Online Marketing) by helping you to develop your online strategy: Who is your target market (by market segmentation), The 4 Ps of marketing (product, price, placement, and promotion), and domain names.

Part II: Building a Marketing-Effective Website focuses on making your website work: marketing copy, graphics, testimonials, and an online store.

Part III: Exploring Online Marketing Basics focuses on strategies for increasing traffic to your website: email marketing, viral marketing, and search engine optimization.

Part IV: Spending Online Marketing Dollars gives you ideas for how to spend your advertising dollars to build traffic: Pay Per Click Ads, Banner Ads, Classified Ads, and Podcasts.

Part V: Maximizing Your Web Success describes using web analytics to measure your ROI, avoiding legal nightmares, and planning for the future.

Part VI: The Part of Tens gives 3 quick checklists for your online marketing: 10 Free Ways To Market Your Website, 10 Most Common Mistakes of Web Marketing, and 10 Tips for Tired Sites.

Reading this book won’t make you a web marketing guru. But it will help you to understand how to improve your own online marketing and how to work with marketing professionals.

Psst! Do You Know Who’s Talking About You?

Creative Business Ideas, eMarketing

Eavesdrop

Unless you are a large company, you probably do not have your own clipping service scouring the media looking for mentions of your business, your competitors, or industry trends. So what’s a small business to do?

Use Google Alerts. It’s a free service from Google that emails you when your search terms are newly used online (news, blogs, video, websites, and/or groups). Google Alerts will email you daily, weekly, or as-necessary.

As a minimum, create alerts for all your “public” employee and your business name. Ideally, also create alerts for your competitors, your industry, website-optimized keywords, and target region. You can even create alerts for a breaking story. It is also easy to delete the alert (all the necessary information is sent in your alert email).

Steps:

  1. Go to Google Alerts
  2. Create an alert for each search term.
  3. Start reading.

How Can I Market A Conference Room?

Publicity, Services

We have been approached by a new prospect who would like to promote a high-tech conference room (target markets: engineering firms, law firms, accounting firms). The room can be used for: corporate meetings, training seminars, loan closing, board of directors meeting, shareholders meeting. The competition is hotel conference rooms (they do not offer the same type of technology). We’re thinking of using tri-fold brochures.

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Start with getting great pictures of the conference room “in action”. That’s what people are interested in.

The tri-fold may not be the best format for their needs. I’d suggest a postcard for mailing – with a single great photo on one side and benefit statement on the reverse.

Approach the local Chamber of Commerce and advertise in their publications – they are likely to have a cross section of your audience.

Contact local business clubs. Offer your space for their meetings (for free or at a discount) to build awareness with their members.

Contact corporate trainers, event planners, and caterers. They know who’s needing events (or who has had them in the past year).

How Can I Create A Online Classifieds Website?

eMarketing, Starting Out,

I’m starting up an online paid classifieds advertising website and am looking for some marketing and advertising ideas that are outside the box.
Believe it or not Craigslist doesn’t cover our area, we only have one newspaper which has a monopoly on advertising to a county of 130,000 souls.

Currently the county residents are being squeezed by the local paper, I think I can do better and have already received commitments from local businesses committing to banner advertise on the homepage, so we are beyond break-even before we ever launch.

My real question is as to how to think guerilla in launching my attack on this newspaper that so many residents and business owners have already voiced their disdain for?

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Let’s set aside the issue that Craigslist can quickly take over your market from you (and in fact, if your goal is to fight the local newspaper, this might be the easiest path — contacting Craiglist) as well as having the newspaper launch an online component to their printed advertising.

You’re asking how to advertise your site when the main form of advertising is your competition. I would suggest starting with the early adopters of online searching. Focus on the under-30 crowd (whether they be at high school, college, nightclubs, bars, music stores, book stores, video rentals, and movie theatres) first. Provide not just advertising, but weekly summaries of “what’s happening” (with the ability for them to post free upcoming community events). That will help start the “buzz”.

How Can I Sell Long Term Care Insurance?

Services,

I am an insurance agent who used to be a Social Worker. I have some contacts in the health care industry and would like to market LTC to them i.e. retirement homes, independent living facilities, residential care homes, etc. I first would like to introduce the product to the staff then to prospective family members of the residents. I have tried a couple of visits to such facilities but have found that staff are somewhat guarded and not very interested. Any ideas for a letter that would ease their mind so they do not feel so threatened.

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You’re making a classic mistake – trying to sell to someone before knowing what they need. Instead, start doing informational interviews.

Call a staff member and tell them that you’re not trying to sell them anything, but would like to know how you can help their organization and their clients with insurance. Maybe it’s not allowed to allow a 3rd party to sell services through them. Maybe there’s a family day that you could get invited to. Perhaps purchase a mailing list. Perhaps you could offer a free seminar (that isn’t a sales talk) about insurance. Offer to write a regular column about retirement savings (again, not a sales piece). If they have a senior fair, have a booth. If you have some stories of people you’ve worked with (as a social worker), share how insurance would’ve/did made a difference

Selling is about listening, not talking.

How Can I Help My 7-Year Old’s Lego Business?

eMarketing, Starting Out,

My 7 year old son has been bugging me for quite some time to help him start an internet business. I thought it might be a good lesson in business, so I agreed. He decided he wanted to do a Lego site and sell Legos. I set up a blog for him on blogger. He made up a domain name and created a tagline. He is making video lego reviews, making and sharing Lego creations, and giving out lego tips. (I actually think he is pretty good – but that could just be me being a proud mom). I saw that you could become an affiliate of Amazon, so we did that and created a lego store. I also put adsense on there for him. Now of course we’ve got to get people to come to the site. We just put up the site up last week, which is at www.LegoAdventures.com What suggestions do you have to let people know of this site? I’m pleased with certain results, but I’m not pleased with the conversion to revenue (zero).

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The problem is that his store is selling a commodity product with no value added. This is causing a disconnect between your visitor and the site.

Here’s my thinking. A 7-year old. That’s interesting. I look at the site. Watch the video. And see that he likes certain sets and think, I can buy those sets elsewhere. He’s not selling sets that he designed or instructions for converting existing sets to something more appealing.

The “hook” of your son’s age/perspective is great. But selling something generic isn’t. I would consider a different notion. Instead of trying to sell sets, try to increase traffic to the site. Then sell ad space. Play with the PPC keywords to increase traffic. Get the site listed on other kids and Lego sites. Have your son become the Lego equivalent of movie reviewers for the young crowd. That will help on 2 fronts: opinions are interesting to readers and it may help to attract interest from the Lego company itself (which you son currently would love to work for).

How Can I Market My Music Venue?

Publicity,

We are a music venue with an approximate 500 person capacity. Our advertising budget is very small. I need to know how to best get people to know bands we have playing and how to get them to come to the shows. We currently send mass emails (I do need help achieving a larger email list – currently only 500 names), we send press releases about the artists playing, we list acts on our website and we run a weekly ad in an alternative newspapers listing the bands. However, even some of the best musicians are playing to an empty room. Any suggestions?

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Do you have a website? Does the website have music samples of upcoming bands? If I don’t know the band, why would I want to pay money to hear them…give me a taste. If you have video of the acts, put in online.

If you seats are empty, then you have nothing to lose to give away tickets (short term). Depending on age restrictions, give tickets away to the local high school (perhaps for A students) or even junior high. The school bands. What about non-profits to thank the volunteers? Community College Music Programs?

Have a free drawing each week to give away tickets. The cost of entry? Their email address.

If the bands are in town, have them play a very short set in the local town square during lunchtime or the local bar.

Co-market with the local bar. The local bakery (they sell stuff at intermission).

Should I Put My Headshot On My Blog?

eMarketing, Starting Out

I am building a professional business blog. I see many sites with actual Faces on them but as a minority I feel this would be a disadvantage. Even when people think they are not prejudiced they really are. Not intentionally but why should I take a chance? I know a face adds credibility and trust but my gut feeling is to not put a face or put a white face. I plan to monetize the website but I just don’t think I would get taken as serious for my recommendations. What do you think?

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People make judgments on how people look, how they dress, how tall they are, how thin, etc.

If you’re marketing yourself based on what you know, then appearance doesn’t really matter (as opposed to marketing your looks for a modeling job, for example). Instead, focus on providing something of value to your potential customers. That’s what they really care about. How you look helps them put a face to the words.

How Can I Sell Safety To Parents With Teen Drivers?

eMarketing

Driving crashes are the #1 cause of death for teenagers. Parents are in control of their kids as they begin driving and it’s their responsibility – legally and morally – to safeguard their kids and the public that’s exposed to the dangers that could result from a new driver on the roads.

Our company delivers education to parents to inform them of (a) their legal obligations and (b) of their parenting duties as they begin the most dangerous phase of their parenting career. We also deliver (c) products and services that are proven to reduce crash rates. In short, we help parents keep their teens safe and alive behind the wheel. See www.safeteendrivingclub.org for the whole story.

Our #1 marketing challenge: most parents either don’t know what they should do to safeguard their kids as they begin to drive. Others, frankly and sadly, just don’t seem to care. These seem to believe sending a son or daughter to driver’s ed is all that’s needed.

What do you suggest we do to (as much as possible) overcome the “it won’t happen to my child” attitude?

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“How to overcome the ‘it won’t happen to my child’ attitude?” – Provide statistics. What’s the chance that 16-year-old will get into an accident? Get injured? Die? A 17-year-old? 18-year-old? Since you’re selling accident avoidance products, you need to tell me the same statistics for those that have purchased them. That will inform my ROI as a consumer.

Your business name is “off”. Safe Teen Driving Club sounds like you’re marketing to teens. This is clearly NOT what you’re doing. Compare this to “Mothers Against Drunk Driving”. Instead consider a name like “Parents For Safe Teen Driving”.

Is your website getting poor traffic or traffic that doesn’t convert? I’m guessing you’re having conversion problems, because the site itself doesn’t lead me through the education/sales process simply. Instead, the home page presents me too many options – some selling, some education, and WAY too much text for me to navigate.

A subtle issue I have – you’re using a .org domain name yet you seem to be a .com company. I generally assume a .org is a 501(c)3 I wouldn’t assume a .org would be trying to sell me a bunch of products. I would encourage you to have a 501(c)3 company that does the education and a for-profit that does the product sales. It would be much clearer what you’re selling. I do see that your for-profit donates money to non-profits that support young people and their family.

You’re not selling insurance. Most of the products you’re selling force teens to be more responsible for their driving to avoid being “busted” (GPS devices, bumper stickers, and breathalyzers). The teenSMART teaches education. The legal/roadside assistance is for in-case of a problem.

Together your products may give parents peace of mind. And that’s how I’d package your offering: present the ROI of your products, testimonials from “satisfied” parents (from everything to major accidents), insurance executives, and highway patrol. Highlight the reality of an teen driving problem, its potential for injury/death, and show your solution to the problem.

What Is A Good Name For Housecleaners?

Names + Taglines, Starting Out

My girlfriend and I are starting a new housecleaning business. We are in desperate need of a tagline. Our name is The Clean Team, which we may have been impulsive in choosing because the domain name is already taken. Two Depressed Moms is probably available but I am not sure it would garner the same response. We are willing to change our business name if necessary. We want something really catchy because there is A LOT of competition in this industry. We are college educated and crazy hard workers and are doing this so we can be there for our kids.

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