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Online Marketing: Creating a Comprehensive, Integrated Marketing System

By Israel Rothman, RISMedia

Final in a 10-part Series

When it comes to online marketing, the “build it and they will come” syndrome will cause failure, just as it will in any media, because marketing is an ongoing process. We’ll show you how to keep your site fresh and constantly improving.

Suppose you have 100 business cards in a hat. All are the same color and shape. Vanna White closes her eyes, pulls one out: what are the chances it is yours?

One in 100, right? But on the Web, there are billions documents. How many Web sites do you have?

Rule No. 1: Sales is first and foremost a numbers game. The more cards in the hat, the more the chance of an interview, but not necessarily a sale.

The final installment in this 10-part series, is that no one piece to the puzzle will work without the others. So let’s review the necessary disciplines for a successful selling system:

1. Following all the rules – If you follow all the advice and “conventional wisdom,” your Web site will be identical to millions of others and be lost in oblivion. See:

http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/9575/1/1/

2. Vanity – Nobody cares that you are a top producer in your industry, or how much you sell or make, or what you look like. Read what they do care about:

http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/9702/1/1/

3. Lack of content, updated information – Everything on the Internet is new, old, or dead (unseen). Here’s how to keep up with the ever-evolving Internet:

http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/9752/1/1/

4. Over/under submission – This refers to recent changes in the way the major search engines rate pages. How do you rate?

http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/9841/1/1/

5. Link popularity – It is not good enough to optimize and submit the page. Revisit how to connect with other pages:

http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/9942/1/1/

6. Choosing your battles – The budget to create the top-of-mind awareness that you are “all things to all people” may be out of your reach. Focus on your target market:

http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/10008/1/1/

7. Lack of originality – People searching the Internet want to find the highest tech, most user-friendly Web site. Are you ready for them?

http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/10079/1/1/

8. No call to action or reason to buy now – You are getting 3,000 hits from 450 unique visitors per month—but no deals. Why?

http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/10139/1/1/

9. Evaluation of options – If you are challenged by a technology learning curve, it’s all about choosing the right tools. See:

http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/10246/1/1/

10. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We invite you to read our series again, and consider:

You must:

  • Know your target customer
  • Know the competition
  • Know the market
  • ave a plan
  • Have a budget
  • Think with your mind, not your ego
  • Offer a service that is unique and addresses the concerns of the market
  • Make a contact
  • Make an appointment
  • Give reasons to buy by creating content
  • Do a presentation online, in person, on the phone (choices are good)
  • Ask for the money (don’t be bashfull if you are good)
We hope you found this series helpful. There’s always more to come.



Points of Interest:

 

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