Maximizing Your Internet Marketing Strategies

By Shelley Lowery

Developing a successful Internet marketing strategy is the key
to your online success. Your strategy not only involves your
marketing and promotional efforts, but your web site will also
play an important role.

You must develop and implement both short-term and long-term
marketing strategies to bring a continuous flow of targeted
traffic to your web site.

Developing a powerful strategy is a very important part of your
success. However, unless your web site is specifically designed
to sell, your efforts will be useless. You must look at the entire
picture before you begin.

Short term marketing strategies are those that bring you a
temporary boost in traffic. Although these techniques are very
important to your over-all plan, they are only a temporary traffic
source and must not be solely relied upon.

Short-term marketing strategies include:

Purchasing Advertising

This form of short-term marketing includes ezine advertising,
banner advertising and classified ads. Although it is important
to occasionally purchase advertising, it is short-term and will
produce short-term results.

Bulletin Boards

Although sharing your expertise at popular bulletin boards can
provide you with a boost in traffic, it is a temporary boost. It will
not continue to produce results. Most boards only display a
certain number of posts and the rest are archived.

Search Engines

Obtaining a high ranking in the Search Engines is a never-ending
battle. You may have a top ten ranking one day and the next day
your site may disappear. It is very important to submit your web
site to the Search Engines, but trying to keep a top ten ranking is
very time consuming -- your efforts may be better spent on more
effective marketing techniques.

In order to create a steady stream of targeted traffic to your web
site, you must also market for the future. Long-term marketing
techniques are those that will continue to produce results even
years down the road.

So what are some of these long-term powerful techniques?
Here's a few to get you started:

Opt-in lists

Ask for your visitor's name and email address. In return,
provide them with a valuable publication, a free course or
some other valuable information. By continuously building
your opt-in lists, you're creating a long-term database of
potential customers.

Freebies

Give away something of value engraved with your name,
business, product or service. Your freebie might be software
you've created, a free ebook, or even a free course. The key to
creating a long-term marketing freebie is to allow it to be freely
distributed. If your freebie is good, it will quickly saturate the
Internet and continue to circulate eternally.

Content

Provide the Internet community with free content. Content
comes in a variety of forms such as articles, tutorials, tips,
reports or whatever you'd like. Allow your content to be freely
published in ezines and web sites. Content is a highly sought
after commodity and can provide you with a great deal of free
exposure for years to come.

A solid Internet marketing plan will include everything from your
ad to your thank you and follow-up letters. Each process in
your plan must perform a specific task.

1. Your short-term marketing strategies will drive traffic to your
web site in intervals. Each time you place an ad, your traffic will
increase. After a few days, your traffic will drop off.

2. Your long-term marketing strategies will drive a steady stream
of traffic to your web site. Your traffic will continue to increase
over time.

3. Your ad must draw your potential customer's attention and
create curiosity. It must lead them to click through to your web
site.

4. Your web site will then take over and provide further
information, while leading your potential customer to your
order page.

5. Your order page will be packed with all of the benefits your
product has to offer and call for action.

6. Your marketing plan will continue to be implemented by
closing the sale with a thank you letter.

7. Your final step will be to send follow-up messages in the
future to provide good customer service and introduce new
products.

A marketing plan is an absolute must. If you have no direction,
you'll travel in circles and ultimately never reach your goals.
Plan your work then work your plan. You may be pleasantly
surprised with the outcome.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery 2001.

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the author of several successful ebooks including Web Design Mastery - An in-depth guide to professional web design. Ebook Starter - A Complete Ebook Design Kit, and eZines: A Complete Guide to Publishing for Profit. Subscribe to Etips and receive a free copy of her highly acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net

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