Online Marketing That Works
Pacific Studios was built specifically to help those building or maintaining websites and the associated photography and video that are so common online now thanks to the proliferation of related online services, broadband internet access, cheap and easy-to-use digital cameras and video cameras, and hosting solutions that are easier now than ever before.
Business owners are facing a harsh reality: A website in itself offers no assurance of business. "If you build, it they will come" is a cliché that has misled many into believing all a company needed was an online presence to succeed. However, without a strategic marketing plan and a tactical approach, you're more likely to fail than to reach your goals. Proper planning will not only improve your chances of success, but it will also keep you from throwing away money on e-commerce fiascos.
The first step of planning is to define your goals in light of the target market you aim to reach. As you classify your target, you should determine the core needs of that group and observe the buying behavior that occurs among your potential purchasers. Characterizing their purchasing habits enables you to position your business to appeal to your target market with compelling information before they buy from another resource.
Several online resources can help you place your business in the forefront of your target audience. The process, however, can be complex because a variety of online vehicles, if utilized properly, can help you yield the results you desire. Also, the key to successful marketing online is in developing a diverse marketing plan which takes advantage of several approaches to deliver your message. Components in your marketing plan should include such elements as search engine marketing, pay-per-performance, ad placement, joint ventures, targeted traffic, e-mail marketíng, media marketing, optimization and copywriting.
Search Engine Marketing
Search engine marketing has been one of the most highly visible forms of marketing online. With millions of businesses employing search engines to gather information daily, search engine placement for key terms has been a major business generator for companies who properly place themselves in the search engines under the right terms relevant to their market offering. An obstacle to being ranked at or near the top, however, is that thousands can be competing for the same position. And with the search engines changing their algorithms often, achieving placement on the first page for the terms relevant is extremely difficult without a solid working knowledge of and experience in the search engine marketing field. Consequently, one should not solely rely on ranking.
Pay-Per-Performance
Another marketing technique on the rise is pay-per-performance advertising. This is a method for which you pay per click, impression, or visit a site that refers to your site. The application works best if the placements chosen are locations that directly connect with the target market you desire to reach. Advertisement rates are based on an auction format in that the highest bidder obtains the top placement. If your bid is $1.00 for every time someone utilizes your link while your competitor bids $1.01, your competitor will gain a better placement than you. If 100 individuals click your link, you should understand that you will owe $100 whether they buy from you are not. Pay-per-performance advertising clearly requires a full understanding of your conversion ratio to determine the budget necessary to commit to such a program.
Ad Placement
Ad placement is similar to pay-per-performance in that you pay for advertisements on sites or newsletters. The difference is that you typically pay for impressions and market reach. Impressions encompass how many unique visitors view the location in which your ad is placed. The market reach refers to the number of individuals accessing that website or newsletter over a period of time. However, you have no guarantee of the number of visitors who will follow your ad to your website. The concept is similar to traditional print ad placement in that advertisers have no guarantee that people exposed to their print ads will visit their places of business.
Joint Ventures
Another method, joint ventures, can be highly effective in helping businesses obtain referral customers. Joint ventures can be as simple exchanging links with another website or as complex as assembling a tiered affiliates program.
Targeted Traffíc Marketing
Targeted traffíc marketing is an additional marketing online tool with two main applications. The first involves the purchase of a demographic defined list which will contain individuals that match a specified demographic to whom you have permission to send information freely either through an e-mail campaign or a sales call. The second form of targeted traffíc entails the purchase a specified number of unique visitors to your site who match a demographic. This is a mass marketing or shotgun approach. Using either approach requires a skilled implementation of marketing content or your conversion ratio will be low, meaning you'll be wasting money.
E-Mail Marketíng
The most criticized but still effective form of online marketing is e-mail marketíng. Too many marketers utilized this method improperly by imposing upon individuals who had no interest in their products or services. The answer to marketing effectively using e-mails lies in ensuring you have permission before sending to those individuals.
Media Marketing
A more effective method would be to utilize media marketing in which you write articles, white papers and other content relevant to your industry to be published. Sharing valuable insights and information rather than out-and-out selling helps to validate your company's expertise as you also acquire free brand exposure.
Relevant Content & Copywriting
Finally, marketing effectively online requires the right kind of preparation for your website. Many sites fail in that they generate traffic but they lack the kind of relevant content that retains the visitor, educates the prospect, and/or encourages the prospect to take action. Developing content that relays a clear message to your visitors is critical. Copywriting professional Sallie Boyles states, "Lead with your punch line. Be clear. Be concise. Rather than covering each page top-to-bottom with solid content, use windows and links to provide detailed explanations as needed. When people gather research online for an immediate or future purchase, they want ease and efficiency - or they'll leave the site and go elsewhere."
In developing your next marketing online plan, follow these key steps to success: First, define and research your market. Second, prepare your site for action. Third, position yourself in the marketplace utilizing several marketing methods. Fourth, be prepared to follow up and close the deal. A world of e-commerce awaits!
Building Websites
Building a website is often a painful experience. It can be expensive in terms of both time and money. Many put it off after becoming overwhelmed with the jargon like domains, ftp, SSL, ASP, javascript, flash, jpg, gif, SEO, etc. The truth is that you need a team to create and then run a successful website. What exactly is a "successful" website? A site that helps you achieve your business goals is one answer and probably the most important one. A site that helps visitors achieve their goals is one I like better and if done properly coincides with your business goals.
In this section I will share what I know about building websites from deciding to building one, picking a domain name, deciding on emails, creating the site structure, planning content creation, generating photos and video, testing and optimizing it all, and launching it on the Web as well as ways to generate traffic. Once your site is live, the work then really begins. I'll share what I've learned to help you keep your site fresh and proactive in terms of responding to visitors feedback, statistics, error logs, reviews, etc. Once a site is live it's in the public realm and if you let them, they will help guide you to even further success. Let's get started...
Online Photography/Videography
In this section I'll explore first taking great photographs and video. "Garbage in Garbage out" is a saying I like, which means simply that if you start with bad photos or video there's little you can do to make them great and you might as well not even bother trying. I have wasted untold days trying to "fix" bad photos and video and the results are almost always the same, the delete key. Taking great photos or video or paying the experts for their skills is the way to go and today it is cheaper than ever to find great photos and videos online for reasonable prices.
Knowing ahead of time what you plan to use your photos and videos for helps in numerous ways as well. Using them exclusively for online purposes greatly reduces your requirements for camera gear and computer hardware to convert them to multiple formats. Most of the classic rules for taking photos and video apply for online media and we'll explore them as we learn about what's needed to produce world-class online photography and videography. This way to the studios...
Hardware & Software
Computers, cpus, RAM, video cards, firewire, scanners, monitors, flash media, etc. What's required, what's recommended, and what's new? I'll share where I go, who I ask, and what I use to produce what I need for marinebio.org and the other sites I manage. Hardware can be expensive, a real pain to work with, and even dangerous when it fails. I'll start with the basics that I've learned to help you keep your data safe and your black boxes of hardware happy. It starts with an understanding that there are no ghosts in the machine.... Bring your tea, you'll need it...
Software... hmmmm. The good thing is that software is now better than it's ever been and only getting better, for the most part. I'll share what software I use, how I use it, and most importantly why I chose what I have. We'll explore alternatives and the deep resources online that are simply priceless to everyone using software. Software central, next stop...
Articles & Resources
This site will always be a work in progress, as are all good sites. I'll add articles by myself and others as time goes on to help you (and me) keep abreast of the latest developments and news concerning building successful websites and working with photos and video online.
I have used many of the same resources online for years and will share all I have and then keep an eye out for new ones. Most of what I've learned concerning building websites and working with photos and video online came from online sources and books and people I've met while working in the industry. One of the most beautiful things about the Web is that it is our collective mind and so many freely share what they know for no other reason than to share in the hopes to make the Web, and therefore our world, a better place. I hope, in some small way, that I can also contribute my knowledge to help make our world a better place too.
If you have suggestions, comments or would like to contribute to this website, feel free to contact me.
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