ONLINE MARKETING by Kirsty Visman
So you’ve got your website, you are up-to date with your e-newsletters and ensure that you maintain your adwords account to keep your site on the front page of Google, however these are not the only ways to utilise internet technology to your advantage.
With approximately 11.3million Australians now online, not to mention the billions more globally, it is now more important than ever to take your online presence seriously. The great news is, the vast majority of online marketing methods will cost you nothing but your time.
Forums
The term guerrilla marketing has quite negative connotations in the industry, however there are ways of utilizing web forums in ways that are not so insidious. If for example you sell a product that makes it easier to paint cornices, eliminating messy edges, you may find a home improvement forum or blog in which people are crying out for solution to this problem. If you then respond to their frustrations with details of your product, directing them to your stockists or online store, they will see you as a proactive and helpful business not a shameless self-promoter. You may think that this method would involve many hours of trawling the internet before you find the complaints you are after; however that’s where Google Alerts comes in. With this nifty little tool you can insert your topic and Google will send an alert right to your inbox with a link to the forum, blog or news item that mentions your issue.
Facebook
You might have initially passed this social networking phenomenon off as a fad, however with 400million users world wide, spending an average of 55mins per day logged in, it seems Facebook is here to stay. In recent years, many businesses have caught on and are now using this site as a way of keeping their clients/customers up-to-date with their new products, events and other news. By making a ‘Page’ for your business or service and letting your database know that they can ‘become a fan on facebook’, complete with link from website and e-newsletters, you can tap into one of the biggest internet marketing tools of all time.
Not unlike Facebook, Twitter is a stripped down version which allows businesses to post brief (140characters max) news items to their ‘followers’. This is a great forum for ‘call to action’ marketing, with many online stores utilizing the site to promote discount sales. The downside of Twitter is that it requires regular updates (several a day even) which can be very demanding on your time.
iPhone
One of the most popular mobile handsets ever created, Apple’s midas streak continues with the iPhone. This incredible technology has created another platform upon which users access the internet, opening up a whole new world of mobile marketing as consumers carry your messages with them right to the checkout. For online stores, hospitality, tourism, ‘what’s on’ guides and transport businesses, the iPhone is a cheap and easy way to communicate with their consumers right when they have the need. One of the keys is to ensure that your website is iPhone compatible. These handheld devices have quite small screens and businesses which have adapted their websites to ensure ease of usability are benefiting from the small cost of editing their existing site.
Apps
The other boom in marketing area which the iPhone has inspired is in applications. Downloaded from the Apple App Store, these small widgets allow a smartphone user to customize their handset with information, games and utilities which are tailored to their lifestyle. If, for example, you owned a website catering in last minute accommodation, you could create an application which directs the consumer to simplified version of your booking page, allowing them to search, discover and book accommodation while they await their connecting flight.
There are countless other tips and tricks, not to mention the new technologies which are being released daily. If you would like further information or assistance expanding the scope of your business through online marketing, feel free to come in and discuss your options with us.