Internet marketing as part of your marketing strategy The first thing that needs to be made clear about using the internet to market a “real world” business
is that it is not meant to completely replace traditional advertising,
especially initially. The role of internet marketing is to be a
meaningful and more cost effective addition to the arsenal of other methods of
advertising that a business usually uses. (As time goes by and your
internet marketing starts bringing in more business than your other
advertising strategies, then you can consider moving all your marketing
online if you feel this is appropriate.)
Another consideration that needs to be kept in mind is that for internet marketing to be successful, you need to make provision for it in your general marketing strategy.
Any marketing attempt that is approached without a plan will yield very poor results and the same is true for internet marketing. A good traditional marketing plan, however, normally brings about
positive results and once again, this is also true of internet
marketing. Nobody prints pamphlets or brochures and then leaves them lying in the cupboard. Flyers need to be handed out if they are to be effective and your website needs exposure for it to work for you.
Before we look at how to incorporate internet marketing with your other marketing methods, let’s first answer the question, “Why should I do this in the first place?”
Why should I use internet marketing?Most business owners have very little marketing training and yet we all know that no matter how good your product is, without marketing your business will fail. I conducted a marketing survey among a number of business owners and encountered some surprising results. Every single business owner was involved with marketing of some kind (with monthly costs ranging from R1 000 to R50 000) and yet very few people could tell me exactly who they were marketing to, never mind what kind of results their marketing achieves.
The problem with traditional marketing is that you keep having to pay sizeable amounts of money for a very limited return. Take newspaper advertising, for example. Many of the people I spoke to said they spend between R1 500 and R12 000 a month on newspapers ads. But what happens to that ad - how does it impact your intended customer?
Well, from chatting to average newspaper readers, the conclusion is that most people flip through the paper, sometimes stopping for a second on an ad that catches their attention, but mostly skimming over them. And then they use the paper for peeling potatoes or potty training the new puppy. Hardly any business owners reported positive response from ads like these - and when there is a response, it's usually only a few phone calls with very few actual sales. Seems like quite a waste of a lot of money, doesn't it?
A great deal of money seems to be spent by small businesses on marketing each month and yet only a very small portion of this expense seems to create new sales through new relationships.That's a lot of money for a very small return.
Doing business with existing clients invariably costs less than trying to acquire new clients all the time. (Pareto’s Principle says that 80 % of your income typically comes from 20 % of your clients.) And yet, it's a disturbing fact that, despite all the cost and effort expended on getting a new client, very little is spent on actually building and retaining existing client relationships. Are you losing your existing clients? How much attention do you actually pay to the clients who have already demonstrated their willingness to do business with you? How often do these hard won clients get lost out of your business cycle because you don't have a reliable way to keep contact with them? Wouldn’t it make sense, once you've spent the money and effort to acquire a client, to keep in contact with her so that when she is ready to buy again, be it in a month or in two years, depending on your buying cycle, she will return to you instead of going to your competitor? And, by keeping in regular contact with your client, don’t you think you will be making it easier for her to refer you to her friends?
How can you get new clients and keep existing ones happy?Internet marketing provides you with an ideal way to meet all of these challenges. Effective use of your website and newsletter, for example, can easily position you as a specialist in your field. By sending clients useful and knowledgeable information about your products or services on a regular basis you not only position yourself as a supplier of choice but also as a trusted adviser.
Providing information that can help your clients with problems particular to your industry (for example, if you are an interior decorator, provide information on how to clean stains from expensive carpets or, if you are a photographer, tell your clients how best to preserve their precious photos) helps to build a better relationship with them.
You can send this information to existing clients on a monthly or quarterly basis via an e-mail newsletter. This information can than also be added to your website. This will enable you to slowly increase the volume of valuable information that you have to share on your site, allowing new clients to find you, benefit from this specialist source and start to trust you enough to work with you. Using a strategy like this you'll be able to add value to your existing clients, making it easy for them to buy from you again, while introducing yourself effectively to new clients. Where to start?Now that the benefits - immediate as well as long term - of using internet marketing are clear, the next question is usually, "Yes, but where do I start?" Your SnapSites website will form the core of your internet marketing efforts. It provides an always accessible and immediate entry point for new and existing customers. Your website is your online shop front as well as your 24 hour a day salesperson. In days gone by, when people wanted to look up a business, they turned to the yellow pages. Today your clients will be looking for you on the internet and if you’re not there, they’ll turn to the next thing that they do find: i.e. your competitor.
As a business owner, you have a lot of knowledge that is specific to your field. However, the time you have to spend with your clients is limited and very often you do not get to share all the knowledge that you have that is relevant to the purchase they’re making.
For example, you are a furniture manufacturer and have a lot of information regarding the care and cleaning of your leather couches. But due to time constraints you do not get to give your client this information. Not only does the client lose out on getting this information but you lose out on an opportunity to further your image as a specialist in your area and so encourage your client to return to you in future.
A website provides you with a credible and lasting presence – your clients can get to know the company they are dealing with and you are no longer just one more number in the phone book or an anonymous, untraceable e-mail.
Not only can you display all your specials on your site, but, if you are also using a newsletter to boost your marketing, you can continually add new and important information to your site, making it a centre of specialist knowledge. This will set you apart from your competitors and give your customers a point to return to when they want to review and pass on the knowledge that you have to share.
Another advantage of a website is that it is easy to expand. Unlike printed material, which cannot be changed or added to once it is printed, a website can be updated and expanded as the need arises. It is not necessary to start with a huge website costing tens of thousands when you are just getting started with internet marketing. You can start with a site that is fairly compact and that has just a few core pages - more pages and information can be added as time goes by. A website truly offers one of the most flexible and powerful ways to market your company.
So how do you combine internet and traditional marketing for super-charged results?
It's actually quite easy. As a start, your website address can be included on - your business cards,
- letterheads,
- in the adverts you place in the newspapers,
- on the advertising boards that you have up around the city,
- on promotional clothing that you might wear,
- pamphlets that you hand out
- voicemail messages on your phone
- signage on your car etc.
By including your website address with your usual marketing materials, clients become aware of the fact that you also have an online office and / or shop, with all the information and details they need to help them make a purchase decision, available to them 24 hours a day. It’s like having an always on duty, awake, friendly and informative salesperson manning your business all day and night, every day and night – except that you don’t have to worry about a salary!
A website also helps to improve your credibility with clients as well as the level of comfort and ease they’ll feel when doing business with you as they can do some background research on your business and what it has to offer before contacting you. A website address is also easier to remember than a telephone number, especially when someone hears about you when chatting to a friend in a social setting or sees your ad when driving by and doesn’t have a pen handy.
Another aspect of internet marketing involves sending your clients regular newsletters and other informative e-mails. To do this effectively you will need to collect your clients’ e-mail addresses. This is also pretty easy. For example, you can run a competition in your shop in which your clients enter a lucky draw by giving you their names, e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers. You can also simply ask your clients if they would like to receive regular updates from you and, if they say yes, add their details to your client database. (Clients visiting your website can be given the option to subscribe to your newsletter right on the site.)
Internet marketing is inexpensive, targeted and can be highly effective. All in all, internet marketing offers you the opportunity to consistently and effectively reach the most important people in your business: your clients. And the more clients you serve effectively, the more your business grows.
Have you started yet? :)
(If you'd like help with a website or newsletter system, take a look at SnapSites or Contact us for more info.)
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