Online marketing strategy:
Outline of options and possible outcomes.
Joe Cheetham-Wilkinson, 07528 007872
It's crucial to be aware that product and content are king. It is possible to guarantee visits to a website, converting those visits into sales is an entirely different issue.
In the first instance we need to have complete confidence in the product. If the product is not desirable or saleable then the cost implications of drawing in traffic will outweigh the benefits gained from a low conversion rate.
Conversely, a unique and desirable product on an attractive and communicative web-page will legitimise advertising/website/seo spend.
Things to consider:
- Pay per click is an effective marketing tool; you only pay for the advertising when an interested party clicks on the ad.
- Pay per click advertising is easy to get wrong. A strong understanding of the web and how people search is essential, as well as research and communication directly with Google experts. It is easy to pay a high price for clicks from users who were never going to buy. My experience means I can ensure the lowest price per click, meaning more visitors for your money and the most targeted marketing.
- The user experience is key. Your core messages must be instantly communicated, within the first few seconds a visitor must have gained a strong understanding of your product, encouraging them to explore further.
- Website visitors watch videos far more readily than ever before, increased network speeds and slower loading times mean video invites visitors into your 'space' in a way still photography doesn't, encouraging them to engage with and fall in love with your product. All major websites use video, however production and display is now accessible to the lower end of the market. A simple videotour, like these two videos below, can greatly enhance the user experience:
- Social Media cannot be ignored. The old saying 'Most of my business come from referrals' is as true today as it ever was. The 'like' and 'share' options on social media platforms like Facebook bring targeted advertising in front of your key demographic based on comprehensive data analysis of an individual's internet search history and habits. Its' a powerful and effective way of focussing a marketing campaign more accurately than has ever been possible before.
- Open a Facebook page. (Not to be confused with advertising on Facebook) This is more of an expectation than a powerful marketing tool. Having a Facebook page can act as a blog you can use it to link with your site, and you may find people sharing your links occasionally.
- Employ a part-time blogger and link-builder. Writing articles on blogs, forums and social media sites which include links to your site will make the site appear more important to search engines like Google, as well as drawing in visitors who click the link directly. This is an effective long-term strategy; it doesn't have the instant results that PPC has, but unlike PPC it's effectiveness continues after the campaign of work and spend is finished. It can take many months for this approach to show results, but it is tried, tested and proven as the most effective long-term approach.
- Regularly adding to the website itself makes it appear more current and relevant to the search engines resulting in an increase in natural (not paid for) traffic.
- Optimise your site for the search engines. Paying a professional to look over your site to check and correct/modify every aspect of its 'visibility' is best practice, and is an effective way of securing good results as a long-term strategy. The benefits of work done are also not lost as instantly as switching of a paid for advertising campaign.
- Every website you create is an opportunity to capture a different audience. For example, a website set up solely to appeal to those who need an outside office space will draw in a different audience to a website set up solely to appeal to mums looking for a hobby room. This kind of website is called a 'satellite site', a basic, simple one-page website hosted on it's own unique url with the purpose of drawing people in via a link to your main site. It's a bit like fishing with a net off a boat, the net being the main site, and then fishing with ten, twenty or a hundred rods from the other side.
Fundamental suggestions:
Update your website with key messages, visual and textual, which are communicated instantly.
Add video to the home page to encourage visitors to engage, explore and fall in love.
Begin a social media campaign and analyse the results weekly, adjusting the campaign accordingly.
Begin a pay-per-click advertising campaign, analyse the results weekly and modify the campaign accordingly.
Add to the website regularly, at least weekly.
Consider creating a number of satellite sites.
Submit articles to blogs and websites regularly on related subjects, linking back to your website.
Optimise your website to make it as visible as possible to the search engines.
Options to move forwards:
One-off:
Ten satellite sites can be added to any of the following options for a one-off payment of £250. These sites will be live for two years, after which there will be a £250 fee if you wish to retain them. Low cost strategy with modest long-term benefits.
Option one:
The tester.
Guaranteed visits. For a one-off investment of £200 I will create a one-month Pay Per Click marketing campaign for your website. I will carefully analyse the data at the end of each week, and modify the campaign accordingly, in order to pay the minimum possible for each click meaning more visitors for the money, whilst achieving the best quality of visitor.
Purpose:
This will give excellent data for analysis without committing to a long-term financial investment, enabling us to strategize future campaigns with our eyes wide open. Visitors are guaranteed, and we will be able to assess the quality and quantity.
Option two:
Tweak and test.
Incorporating option one as part of the plan, you will give me access to the back-office of your website to check it over for any obvious SEO errors or omissions, modifying as necessary, for a total of £300
Option three:
Visual impact
Incorporating options one and two, I will also make some modifications to the front-end of the site, adding some relevant text to the images in the slide-show and clarifying the message for the user on entry for a stronger first impression. £350.
Option four:
Invite them in!
The addition of video will greatly enhance the user experience, strengthen the sites search engine visibility (sites with videos are given priority over sites without) and familiarise the client with the product. Overall the site will appear more professional and credible. I will produce a simple video tour for you by visiting the site and shooting on a high quality Panasonic digital SLR camera in High Definition. In order to keep costs down, I aim to film, edit and upload to the web all within one working day. Working in conjunction with options 1,2 and 3, the total one-off fee would be £450.
Option five:
Beginning to strategize long-term
Incorporating options 2,3 and 4, (tweak and test, visual and text impact plus video) we will embark on a longer term Pay Per Click campaign. Pay Per Click does work, and a commitment to a longer term strategy will mean better data, a more focussed and consistent campaign, maintenance of ongoing and current awareness enabling the build of momentum (Liking on social media, sharing links, improvement in non-paid rankings) .
This can be cancelled at any time, there is no minimum commitment. For an opening investment of £450 followed by monthly payments of £200 I will manage the campaign weekly, checking and testing results, and modifying the campaign accordingly.
Option Six:
Pincer movement.
Incorporating all of the above, with the addition of a social media (Facebook) campaign. Allowing me to target potential visitors based on interests, age, marital status, location and more, in conjunction with all of the above we will have a powerful marketing machine with enormous potential. Again, this can be cancelled at any time, it is completely feasible that you will receive too many enquiries, and the investment can be reduced without any sort of penalty or notice period.
The opening investment would be £650 followed by monthly payments of £400.
Option Seven
Market-Zilla,
an all-out assault on the web.
Incorporating all of the above, with the following additions:
One new satellite site created every week on a unique url linking to the main site. Renewal after 2 years.
Setup and management of a Facebook page, with 100 word article added daily (five days a week)
Setup and management of 'blogger' and 'wordpress' blogs, with a 100 word article added daily (five days a week), linking to the main site.
Weekly 100 word article added to the main website.
The opening investment would be £900 followed by monthly payments of £725.
The above campaigns are examples and therefore flexible; all the elements can be mixed and matched to suit your requirements.
