The Small Business Road Map to Internet Marketing Success

THE SMALL BUSINESS ROAD MAP TO INTERNET MARKETING SUCCESS When it comes to small business marketing the best way to look at marketing is like a cross country road trip. To make a road trip successful, you have to prepare. But despite all the carefulpreparation in the world, things will surely change along the way. Checkpoint #1: Filling the Tank and Packing the Trunk SEND Before starting any road trip, you must fill up the gas tank and load the luggage. You'll need the following tools to complete the trip: Domain. A domain is the actual website address your company will call home. You want your domain to be simple, short, and relatable. Hosting. If the domain is the structure of a house, the hosting is what makes it a home. Web hosting is the place on a server that stores your script, text, images, and other information. Website Design. Don't skimp! Your website is the first thing most customers will see. It's basically a storefront, you'll need an aesthetically pleasing, simple, easy-to-use site. Social Media Profiles. Stake your claim on social media profiles. Do the homework and learn about the different social networks. At this point of the road trip, you only need to focus on setting the profiles up. Checkpoint #2: Hitting the Highway Once you've topped off the gas tank and loaded the luggage, the rubber is ready to meet the road. If you've properly prepared, you can get up to speed in no time. Start by focusing on these four things: Content. To effectively market yourself, developing rich content is critical. It is vitally important to develop a content strategy for marketing. SEO. Search engine optimization works alongside content strategy. The combination of these two will help you rise to the top. Social Media. Here's where those social media profiles you created when packing for the trip come into play. You need social media channels to distribute content and interact with customers. Blogging. By creating a blog, you can tie all three of these things together. A blog allows for the creation of rich content, which can 130 be optimized and distributed to your audience. Checkpoint #3: Rolling Down the Windows At this point, you've escaped city traffic and are cruising down the open road toward that final destination. You're nowhere near done, - OX but far enough along the way to breathe just a little easier. Here are four areas of advertising to explore: SEM. Search engine marketing refers to paid efforts to promote business through increased visibility on search engines result pages. PPC. As with every marketing tool, you'll need a strategy for pay-per-click advertising. Remember, establish a budget, develop a list of target keywords and create quality ad copy. Banner Ads. Target particular websites you know customers visit, and develop clean, compelling ads. Keep things short and sweet. Video Marketing. Video is the future of advertising and content EO marketing. Establish yourself as an early adopter by attacking video marketing now. REST AREA Checkpoint #4: Checking the Oil 3 KM When on the road long enough, you'll need to stop and check the oil. In the world of internet marketing, this means analyzing the effectiveness of your efforts. Here are some of the best web & site analytics tools: Google Analytics. It's easy to use and it's free. Use it to see where GAS your traffic is coming from, how long they are staying on site, and more. Clicky Analytics. You can review traffic in real time, which is helpful if you receive a sudden spike in traffic. Google Webmaster Tools. This tool will help you understand and improve your site in Google Search. EM Site Reviewing Tools. Are here to help you see how your site looks to search engines. These tools crawl your site and generate reports revealing errors and fixes. Others. Use other free or paid analytics tools on the web to reveal what's working and what's not. Checkpoint #5: Sending Postcards You're really cruising now. You've seen a lot and done a lot, so why not share some successes with your customers? Now is the time to directly target and engage consumers through email marketing and opt-in campaigns. Email Marketing. Choose one email marketing strategy and pursue it. The ultimate benefit of email marketing is seeing who is opening that mail and who's throwing it out. Also, it's free! Opt-In Campaigns. To build a contact list develop strategic and enticing opt-in campaigns. Add 'signup' buttons and develop a call-to-action. THE SMALL BUSINESS ROAD MAP TO INTERNET MARKETING SUCCESS Arrive at Your Destination Notice there is not a checkpoint #6, because there is no destination in internet marketing. It's a cross country road trip with no end in sight. You'll keep driving, picking up insights and experiences along the way. You'll always discover new roads to travel down. That's the beauty in it. There is so much to learn and do. Refer to this road map sa guide, but don't worry if you find yourself venturing off the beaten path. No two trips are ever quite the same. Internet marketing success is waiting for you; will you pick up the map and hit YOUR the road? NEXT DESTINATION Designed by FastUpFront Follow @FastUpFront 8*| +FastUpFront f facebook.com/FastUpFront Content by Brian Hughes Source :http://socialmediatoday.com/brian-hughes/2373981/small-business-road-map-internet-marketing-success 田田 田 ■ ::::::::: >> >>