As we now live in the 21st Century, we have to learn to adapt to new marketing trends.
I have personally been involved in Business Marketing for most of my long working life and I am really amazed at how the world has changed in our everyday lives over recent times. The internet has also changed the way we live. I could probably write a book on this topic, but I will try and keep it brief and to the point. (:
Since the internet gained in popularity, many traditional marketing strategies have become outdated.
Printing Companies have been hit really hard as many businesses have now developed newer strategies to promote their websites and online business instead. Traditional printed publications have declined or shrunk in size over the past ten years. You only need to pick up a recent copy of your local yellow pages book and compare it to what you had in the home ten years ago. I bet it is less than half the size. You no longer have to be Superman to tear a phone book in half (:
Why? … Because:
1. The internet is the cheapest and most effective form of marketing ever devised.
A business would have paid a few thousand dollars some time ago to have a brochure printed which would only get into the hands of a small number of people. The same brochure if turned into a website, for a lot less money, now has the ability to be seen by 4 billion people! Plus it is always up to date, in contrast to a brochure which could date very quickly.
2. As there are now 4 billion internet users online, your target audience is easier to find. In Fact … they Find You!
With the help of search engines, your business can be readily found if your website is set up correctly. We call this SEO (search engine optimisation). But in contrast, there are 600 million websites now online and in a lot of cases you are competing for your slice of the action and nowadays your website may be a lot harder to find as the search engines do what they do best and try and provide users with the most valid website that fulfils their search criteria. This is why nowadays you must avoid “free websites” and using a “mate of a mate” that has built a “few” websites. Your website should now be taken more seriously as it is now plays a crucial role in your overall business marketing. Treat it as such!
Online shops too are slowly replacing the traditional stores we have come to enjoy over many years.
It is understandable though, as rent on commercial premises has become more expensive, staff wages are still climbing and suppliers credit terms have toughened up as well, meaning the smaller players aren’t able to hold the same levels of stock that they used to several years ago. Online Stores, in a nutshell, have lower overheads so they are able to be more competitive and they have a vast audience already looking for your products online. The internet has also levelled the playing field considerably and the smaller businesses can now compete favourably against the “big boys” with a well-structured website. I truly cannot understand in this day and age why a business that sells products still doesn’t sell them online. They are being left behind and in reality retailers are there to make a living surely? They must now start to move with the times. Their competitors are “stealing” their sales. It is easier nowadays and less complex to setup an online shop, than most people think. Sure, you have to add your products, but that takes a mere minute or two to add one. Your online shop would be full in no time if you devoted some time to doing it.
We will see more and more “Online Shopping Centres” around the world crop up and this is usually the safest option for someone considering selling their goods online as the larger online shopping centres have a great flow of “traffic” already. A good example is www.ourshopping.co.nz . You can rent a shop-space for around $25 per week to sell your products in. Compare that to the hundreds of dollars in rent being paid in a traditional shopping centre.
To have a successful online business, there are many things you need to consider:
1: Ensure you have your website built by a SPECIALIST. Too many businesses try and cut cost and go for the cheapest option available. This is dumb. Specialists should know what 473 rules google needs (algorythms) to give your website favourable results. If your designer has built less than 30 websites in the last two years, then find one that has. Then ask him/her for some example sites and “test them” for yourself in the search engines before you engage them. This should be paramount in your mind. Pay a bit more and get a website that WILL work for you.
You MUST also ensure your website displays well on a mobile device now. 65% of searches are done online on a smart device. Poorly optimised mobile sites take too long to load, use excessive bandwidth and in the end your customers leaves your site pretty quickly.
2. Your website also needs to be:
- Pleasant to look at
- Easily navigable
- Properly optimised
- Designed to gain enquiries
- Easily edited by you. CMS (content management systems) can be built cost effectively these days.
- Promoted … I will go further into this below as this is the key to getting more online business.
Most business owners understandably don’t even know where to start with marketing their website ….
(This is generally not the job of your web designer either as their job is to merely build a website that looks good and functions correctly)
SEARCH ENGINES ARE NOT THE ONLY WAY TO DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE!
YOUR WEBSITE NEEDS TO BE PROMOTED TO GET HIGHER RANKINGS AND MORE TRAFFIC!
WEBSITE MARKETING – how to “market” and promote your website”
- Search Engine Optimisation
There are hundreds of “rules” that need to be adhered to and failure to ensure these are done WILL lower your results. The most important part of any website is your CONTENT. Ensure your keywords or phrases are present between 2-5% of the overall content. Ensure you provide GREAT CONTENT on your website and it will get noticed more easily.
A website that is not properly optimised is like building a shop without windows and a door!
I would strongly advise you to engage a specialist in this field too.
- Search Engine Marketing
Little is really known about this term. This is where you need to put in extra time and effort.
It is merely “marketing your website online”. It is the follow on from SEO and this is like “opening your door” for visitors to enter and find out more about your business.
To get top results there are several things you need to do (or pay someone to this for you)
- List your website on MANY local or relevant directories (most are free)
- Contribute to online Forums, Article and Blog Websites, where you can link back to your own website.(ensure they are relevant to the site you are submitting to as well as being well ranked and popular sites)
These are called “back-links” that count like a personal vote and the search engines will reward you for your effort in gaining great quality links.
- Submit your website to the Major Search Engines regularly.
(these steps will increase your google page-rank (PR) and Alexa Worldwide ranking OVER TIME)
Our main site www.onlinenz.net , has taken four years to achieve an incredible PR5 (the top 0.05% of websites in the world) and an Alexa Rank of around 350,000 (top 0.07% websites worldwide). It is now “well-respected” by the search engines so we now enjoy more “free website traffic” and we willingly “share” our rankings with our clients “by association” when we host and promote our client’s websites.
- Internet Marketing
This term refers to marketing your website generally “offline”.
This is how you do it successfully ( of which most businesses overlook)
- Display your www on ALL stationery, motor vehicles, signs and in advertisements.
This simple step invites customers to find out more about you and your business.
- Use QR Codes in your marketing … a 2d bar code system (see more here www.qrcode.olnz.co.nz )
Setup Social Networking Pages … (eg Facebook, Twitter, etc) … these are now taken more seriously by the search engines as a “like” from a Social Network Member is considered as a “human vote” in favour of your website and can increase your rankings over time.
Place compelling “call to action” (CTA) on your website eg “BUY NOW”, “FREE TRIAL”, etc
- Email Marketing
Use creative ways to get visitors to subscribe to your site and keep them up to date with regular newsletters, items of interest or humour, special offers, etc.
This is a great way to create relationship with your “visitors” and you gain their trust, they are more likely to be converted into your “customers”.
Once again get your “specialist” to do these for you as they know how to present your content professionally.
I trust this has been of some value to you and you can always drop me a line on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you need any assistance
Bruce Gibson
Online NZ – Website Promotion Specialist
Six reasons – WHY YOU SHOULD ENGAGE ONLINE NZ
- Online NZ is N.Z.’s #1 Internet marketing Company.
- We willingly “share” our rankings with our clients by “association” (unique to OLNZ clients)
- We do this full-time and know what we are doing because we are specialists. (:
- We guarantee our results
- We have assisted many clients develop their online presence.
- We get consistent GREAT results for our clients
- We are NOT expensive!