Strategic internet marketing is a set of techniques and methods that will help define your online business as a reliable and reputable entity. It is a combination of all the tried and tested ways with which to ensure the stability and staying power of your business. Used competitively, you can harness these strategies and improve your chances at online business success.
What is Strategic Internet Marketing?
If you build it, will they come?
Many of today's internet marketing newbies believe that if they have a website with a good number of products and an inventory, they will sell. Well yes and no. Yes if you have the proper marketing for it and no if you just sit there to wait for people to notice you.
It doesn’t matter how great a product you have or whether you're an established expert in your field. If people don’t know your website even exists, don’t bother with one simply sell your products offline. You'll probably make more money that way.
A lot rests on your website
As part of an effective strategic internet marketing, make sure you have a good website to begin with. This is where it all begins, unless you want to piggyback on someone else's website (Not recommended, by the way. You'll look cheap and dubious.).
Use your site in much the same way you would wield your one and only weapon carefully and wisely. Your website will not only attract customers and market your products, it will also be the foundation on which you will build your internet marketing reputation. If your website is unreliable, expect your visitors to view you as unreliable as well.
Search engine presence
More than 85% of the people who make the important decisions in doing business with you use search engines to search for information about products and services. This is where they will take a look at the offerings first before deciding whether to buy or not. How will you take advantage of this number if you can't make an appearance on search engine results?
As part of your strategic internet marketing efforts, consider spending time to ensure your presence in search engines. Take the time to focus on your rankings to ensure that you get the attention you need. Use search engine optimization techniques to get a good number of targeted visitors to your website.
Use class, not flash
Getting a flashy website will probably attract a good number of visitors but your burst of light will burn out more quickly. Other than excellent products and service, aim for relevant content instead. Visitors like to get extra benefits from your website and are more likely to trust your content and your online business if they find your website useful. Once you build this trust, you can be assured of repeat business and good word of mouth advertising.
Focus on your customers, not on your website
As an internet marketer, you want to attract visitors who will come to view your online business as a reliable source of products and service. As such, you must focus on your customers and not on yourself as part of your strategic internet marketing.
Let your website tell your customers what you can do for them and how they can benefit from you website. Provide feedback opportunity for customers to use and listen to what they have to say. Strategic internet marketing means providing the kind of service that you and your customers can both benefit from. Use their feedback to build a better online business so your customers can reap the rewards in return.