Do you want to know how web marketing actually works?
Peek behind the curtain, so to speak, and catch a glimpse of the mechanisms that need to work together in order for your site to become an ATM machine?
Really?
Ok, then sit back and enjoy the ride…
Web marketing and Othello
Remember Othello?
Not the play — the game. The tagline for the game was “a minute to learn, a lifetime to master.”
Well, the same holds true for web marketing. When you get right down to the fundamentals it’s not rocket science.
For example, here’s how it works:
- get traffic
- grab their attention
- ask them to do something
Yep, that’s really all there is to it.
Now, the BIG question is — how the heck do you ACTUALLY do that?
Let’s break down each one…
1. Get traffic
So how do you get traffic to your site?
- divert traffic through a focused content marketing strategy
- pay for traffic (google, facebook, content networks)
In other words, you either create your own content (article, video) or pay to have an ad appear next to someone else’s content — or show up on page 1 when keywords are searched on Google, etc.
Either way you choose, the only way to do this effectively is through keyword targeting.
The downside of paid traffic is that the second you stop buying traffic, the traffic stops.
Immediately.
And all your hard-earned dollars are essentially wasted, because in the end you have nothing to show for all that money spent.
Sure, maybe you created a customer list from your paid campaign. And maybe you even do some follow up marketing to get your new list to buy more stuff from you.
But the fact of the matter when it comes to paid traffic is this:
- no lasting value
- most people are poor at follow marketing
- at best you break even (if you’re lucky)
- paid traffic cost more each year
- reduced — or non-existent — profit margin
In the end, organic traffic through content creation is the ONLY way to succeed online in the long term. Articles (or videos) continue to pay dividends, driving traffic for possible sales LONG after they are created.
FYI: one article has generated 11 leads for me (which I sell to lead customers) over the past 3 days alone. The article was written 3/5/2010 (took about 30 minutes to write). This is a classic example of do the work ONCE, get paid over and over again…
2. Grab their attention
Okay, great job! You have people coming to your site on a semi-regular basis.
Now what?
This isn’t Field of Dreams… if you build it and they come, you gotta get those potential customer to STICK on your site for more than a millisecond.
And here’s the next test for you…
If you did your homework right and matched content to keyword successfully, the folks landing on your site are finding content RELEVANT to the keyword that brought them there in the first place.
What do I mean?
If your potential customer is looking for 1 inch stone bangles (let’s say) and they find you online and LAND on the 1 inch stone bangle page, chances are they will look around.
And if you market professional services, let’s say, the content that brought them to your site will grab attention based on the HEADLINE of your page or article that captured the traffic in the first place.
Here is where your web-copy has to do its job in order to:
- keep traffic on your site
- motivate them to “read more” or browse your e-commerce site
In Google Analytic terms, this can be tracked by looking at your:
- bounce rate (i.e. how many people hit the back button in less than a second)
- average time on site (the more the better)
Now comes the final part of the equation…
3. Ask them to do something
Believe it or not, this is where people fall flat on their face.
You’re getting folks to your site, they are sticking around and doing the equivalent of “browsing” — now close the deal.
Ask for the damn sale!
And I mean literally. If you are doing lead gen tell them to “click the link” and fill out the form. And if you sell products online ask them to click the “buy now” (or “add to cart”) button.
Yet, here’s what I hear time and again…
“Mike, I don’t want to be pushy” or “won’t they click the button without telling them?” or “that seems a bit silly”…
Well, I’m here to tell you from experience that your sales (or lead gen) will lag FAR behind mine (or my clients) because it is a PROVEN FACT that people will do what you ask them to do if they are interested.
But they won’t take the initiative for you!
To summarize, here are the steps for a success web marketing campaign:
- generate traffic
- grab their attention
- get them to do something
And just like Othello, it takes a minute to “learn” (okay, not literally a minute) and a lifetime to “master” by applying these principles day in and day out.
Schedule your website review today
Since early 2008 I have worked with dozens of clients and helped them get more than they thought possible from their websites. And I know I can do the same for you…
There are three ways to schedule your FREE website audit:
- call 888-542-2936 and leave a voice message, including your name and URL, or…
- send an email to: support@bestwebpresence.com,
- or click the link and complete a short webform.
Online success starts by taking the first step…
In working with clients I have been able to diagnose problems, road-blocks, issues and oversights that have prevented business owners like you from achieving their goals. To discover how I can improve your current web-marketing efforts to generate MEASURABLE results for you let me review your website, and then we can set up a time to discuss my analysis by phone.
