Anyone who has decided to start a business hopes that their particular company is going to skyrocket to success. The difference between the businesses that become million-dollar companies and those that barely make it off the ground is in their marketing. Internet marketing to be exact.
Thousands of marketers have learned that internet marketing is essential for the success of any business. In fact, through the use of proper internet marketing and various affiliate programs, anyone can start generating a strong six figure income in no time. While internet marketing may not launch your business into overnight success, it does play a key component in ensuring that it grows quickly.
How to Get Website Traffic
Website traffic is exactly what makes the internet marketing world go around. Without traffic to your website, you won’t be able to make sales of your products. There are a wide variety of ways to generate and monitor your website traffic. Before getting started with any traffic-driving project, you should set up an analytics program. Google Analytics is the top choice of many web designers because it is free, easy to use and easy to set up.
Next, aim to make sure your website is optimized with keywords. If you designed your website yourself, the meta-tags field is where you should be submitting as many vital keywords as possible for your business. This process is called Search Engine Optimization. When a person searches a keyword that is listed on your website, it will be placed in the rankings with the search results. You should aim to be creative with the words you choose and think about all the possibilities.
For example, if you have a business that offers plumbing services in Binghamton, New York then you should aim to include phrases such as ‘plumber Binghamton, NY,’ ‘Binghamton plumbing services,’ ‘plumbers near Vestal, NY’ etc. The goal is to think like a person who is searching for your service and work out what they might type in the search bar.
You could then use the Google Keyword Tool and enter in all your keyword phrases. It will generate a list of the keywords and show you how many people have searched that keyword phrase recently. This will help you streamline the most effective keywords for your business. Write down the top 20 to 30 keywords that you find on the list.
These are the words you could index on your social networking pages. Even if you are not familiar with social networking websites, you can still utilize them to drive traffic to your website. Twitter and Facebook are the most widely used social media sites for web trafficking, but there are many others. It only takes a few minutes to develop a free page and start posting updates. Each update that you list should include one of the keywords you have selected.
At least 30% of your posts should include a link back to your website and another 20% of your posts should include links to related articles that pertain directly to your business. For example, if you are promoting Zumba fitness gear and DVDs then recent articles regarding the benefits of Zumba fitness would be ideal to link to your posts.
Twitter does not allow users to post links with every single Tweet that is blasted. The best way to generate traffic with Twitter is to place a # before a keyword and remove the spaces. This will create an index of that keyword. If a person searches it in the Twitter search bar, your message will be within the search results.
An example of a Tweet for Zumba fitness gear would be:
‘Check out the new weighted gloves for #zumbafitness at http://tinyurl.com/12a34bc5?
This has an indexed keyword and a link back to your website.
Managing social media accounts can be a time consuming task, this is where automation software comes in handy. There is a wide variety of programs that will automatically post updates, accept friends, respond to posts and streamline the important information to your inbox for you. All you have to do is spend a few hours each week programming the system to do all the hard work for your internet marketing.
Another strong method of internet marketing is to use article submissions. This is where you submit informational articles to directories which include your information box. An information box, or resource box, will contain a backlink to your company or product website. It is always best to write about things you actually know, but you can also use programs such as TrafficTravis.com to determine which keywords are searched the most on the internet and write articles targeted to those. After all, the goal is to generate as much website traffic as possible.
If you choose to write articles yourself you will need to be sure they meet the following criteria:
Length of 400-450 words
Keyword density of 2%
Informative
Catchy title
Proper grammar and spelling.
Alternatively, you can choose to outsource your writing needs to a content supplier who may also submit your articles to directories for you. This will save you ample time.
Finally, another effective way to boost your internet marketing efforts is to use video marketing. With video marketing you create a simple slideshow of information that will last no more than one to two minutes. It should look professional and capture the viewers attention within the first few seconds. Find a way to talk about your business, service or product that is clever, interesting, funny and unique. When you have created your video, upload it to popular video sites such as YouTube for others to find and view and then click back to your website.
Making a Sale
Once a person reaches your website, your ultimate goal is for your visitor to purchase whatever you arepromoting, selling or offering. Regardless of what type of website you have (squeeze page, blog, standard website), there should be three main items on the main page:
1) Introduction to the product
2) Important product information
3) Genuine reviews of the product
Let’s start with the introduction: this should be a 200-300 word overview of exactly what the product is and why it is worth purchasing. Aim to give the introduction a sales-like approach that is subtle and makes the reader want to continue on to find out more about the product. The introduction is also the best place to include the history of the product or company, as well as a brief summary of additional products or services.
Next comes the important product information. This is the most important part of your web content. Here you should include up to 500 words that highlight exactly what makes your product or service so great, who it is best suited for, and create a compelling statement on why the person needs to buy. It’s ok to be a little more sales-like at this stage of the article. You’ve already hooked the reader with your introduction and now they are looking for your to give them a reason (or several reasons) why this product is a must-have for them. If you create truly compelling content you will easily close the sale.
Throughout the article you should include a call to action. This is what makes the reader want to buy. Truthfully, not all viewers are going to read through everything you have written on the webpage. By not scrolling to the bottom they may miss the chance to purchase your product.
Break up your web content into several sections that highlight various attributes of the product.
Ideally you want to have at least three sections after the introduction, each should be separated with a call to action button for the reader.
At the end of the article, you should incorporate actual reviews of the product. People want to know what other consumers are saying about a product before they purchase it. Placing three or four testimonials right on your homepage will give readers more of a reason to purchase your product. At the end of the page your visitor should have the option to buy, as well as all of the shopping card information.
Selling at a Bigger Margin
When you start an internet business you should typically price your products or services around the same cost as your competitors. This is so that you will seem like a reasonable option. Pricing your items too low can actually lead to consumers feeling that you have poor-quality products and they will avoid the purchase. Once you have established loyal customers and followers, it is time to add more valueby offering more specialised products and services and thereby increase your profit margin.
Next, aim to find ways to free up your time and money that has been invested in marketing. Because you are having success, there is no reason to continue to invest as heavily in internet marketing techniques. Instead, you can stick with moderate marketing through the strategies that generated the most traffic and sales, and continue to reap higher profits.
Internet marketing is turning businesses into successes every day; it is a critical part of the marketing plan for any product or business. Whether you are selling items on the internet or promoting services for your specific area, internet marketing will be the ticket to getting the web traffic you need for your business. The more website traffic you obtain, the more links that are built and the greater your rankings in Google.
Ultimately, the goal of any business owner is to have their company rank in the first two pages of Google search engine results. This gives you the best chance to be seen by consumers who will want to purchase your product. It also tells the consumer that your company is commonly chosen as the best choice.
Internet marketing is the wave of the present and the future. It is what makes the world of eCommerce go round. Without it, businesses would lose vital sales and customers. However, with it, businesses are popping up everywhere and launching themselves to success. Not only is internet marketing a great way to generate extra money or replace your current income, it will give you the freedom to do what you want with your time and money, without coworkers or bosses that you don’t like.
Now the question is, what is holding you back? Getting started with internet marketing is easy. There are thousands of tutorials, websites and eBooks devoted to the science of internet marketing. Whether you want to promote products offered by other vendors through affiliate marketing or simply generate more traffic to your own website, the answer is there. Internet marketing requires a minimal investment to get started and the rewards are substantial.
On average, business owners that start with internet marketing see an increase in their sales and profits within the first month. In approximately six months, many internet marketers are earning several thousand dollars each month. What do you have to lose? Now is the time to decide what is holding you back, and push through the fear to reap the greatest reward anyone can hope for, financial freedom and success.