The basic components of an online marketing campaign by ericwelke

Articles from EricWelke.com The Basic Components of an Online Marketing Campaign by Eric Welke

Selling products and services has become a popular means of generating income from the internet. There are a vast number of websites that offer stuff to sell. Online marketing has become a huge industry that’s now worth billions of dollars. One of the major reasons why a lot of entrepreneurs try their luck with online marketing is the relatively low cost of entry. Not only is it cheaper to start a small business online, it’s also much easier to get a lot of potential customers faster – provided you’ve done your homework. Although no one is getting rich overnight, the ease in starting a new retail business online has encouraged a lot of people to become entrepreneurs. The number will continue to grow as the internet becomes more and more embedded in daily life. This is by no means a comprehensive plan, but more like a guide on what you need to get started. You will have to fill in the blanks and customize it to your needs. You can start selling any product online as long as you have these basic components: Product Website This is where the transactions take place. It could be your merchant site, your Sales page, or your business’ official website. This is where a potential lead can go ahead and purchase your product or avail your services. Your site has to be comprehensive, easy to navigate, and has a design that stands out. In addition, it also has to be secure and optimized for easy indexing by search engines. It’s extremely important that downtime is minimized, so you’ll need to choose a good, reliable Web hosting company. Lead Sources

These sites may have several other functions, but to an online their main purpose is to spread word about the brand, generate sales, and to create opportunities for repeat sales. Blogs – This is the best way to establish your credentials as an expert in your field. You will then be able to attract relevant traffic which you can divert to your site. They can eventually become leads which can be converted into sales. A good search page ranking also helps, so make sure you have this covered too. Mailing List – A mailing list is one of the most productive channels for marketing. It’s also one that takes time to build. Mailing lists tends to be more personal since emails go directly to a user’s mailbox. Social Networks – This has become an extremely important aspect of any online marketing campaign. It not only delivers traffic and generates sales; it also keeps you in touch with your loyal customers and helps you build up your brand even further. Other Lead Sources – There are other ways to get traffic to your site; both free and paid methods. You’ll need to find one that will work for your site. Keep in mind that it’s not the quantity of traffic that is important but rather the quality. High quality visitor traffic will be composed of people who are interested in what it contains and what you have to offer them. Analytics You can’t manage want you can’t measure. You need to effectively manage your business to grow it. This is where analytics and reporting come in. This reporting capability is usually included in your website. Once you’ve generated a report you need to look at each and every contributor to your site traffic. The data will help you fine tune your marketing strategy and get more targeted traffic. These constant improvements will ultimately help you get the best performance out of your traffic sources.

So whether you’re selling a product, software, or a service; or maybe even marketing someone else’s offerings, be sure to have all these basic requirements prepared. Don’t spend too much time planning as this may actually prevent you from moving ahead. Remember that once you’re up and running you can always improve your process. What’s important is you start building up your brand and your business.