Tag Archives: internet marketing consulting

Top 7 Ways To Ensure A Successful Internet Marketing Campaign

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Image courtesy of FrameAngel at FreeDigitalPhotos.netFrom a desire to enhance your quality of life by providing automatic, qualified leads from the internet, we’ve analyzed our most and least successful online marketing campaigns.

From this analysis, we’ve determined the top 7 ways you can help your internet marketer create and execute a successful and profitable internet marketing campaign on your behalf. So take out your pen and get ready to make some notes! Here they are.

1. Have a USP.

Many companies we work with can’t tell us why it is that a consumer should choose their business over the competition. This makes it extremely difficult for us to “sell you” to your target market. If you don’t have a USP (unique selling proposition), you’d be better off investing your internet marketing budget in a business or marketing coach prior to launching a new marketing campaign.

2. Know your target audience.

Do you know who your ideal customer is? The product or service that makes you the most profit? What your customers are most concerned with, and how you help solve their concerns?

The more you can tell your marketer about your target audience, the better the odds will be of them delivering your dream clients on a silver platter.

3. Commit.

We’ll generally start an internet marketing campaign with a keyword research report which will show us the demand for what you’re selling. Your internet marketer will need 90 days of solid effort targeted on one set of keywords in order to get you on page one of Google. So, it’s really important you’re committed to that course of action.

Changing the target product, service or keyword mid-stream will dilute the internet marketing efforts and net you almost no results.

In addition, do understand that all marketing efforts create a snowball effect of delivering leads over a period of time. We generally need the entire 365 days to deliver ROI. So will your marketer.

4. Delegate and Trust.

There’s a reason businesses turn to professionals to solve their internet marketing needs. It’s because we have the track record that proves we can get the job done.

We’ve achieved amazing results based on executing internet marketing strategies that work. Therefore, we recommend you give your marketer the permission and license to execute these strategies on your behalf.

Of course, they’ll require you to vet and approve all our efforts on your behalf, but please don’t cut them off at the knees by requesting fundamental changes to their efforts unless you find it offensive or misrepresented.

We’ve had internet marketing clients that request fundamental changes to our strategies and then complain they aren’t getting results. With all due respect, if you focus on your business and let them focus on theirs, the results will be much better! We promise.

5. Get back to them quickly.

Our internet marketing campaigns are set to run on a flawless 30 day production cycle. This cycle has been perfected and optimized over the years to deliver the best results in the shortest amount of time. This is how most internet marketers are able to provide consistent growth for their clients.

Please help your marketers help you by getting back to them within 24-48 hours of us requesting your feedback. This will help them stay on track for you.

6. Measure Results.

A good internet marketing company will agree on what success looks like for you, well in advance. Please help them by measuring your results internally, so you can be sure of your return on investment, and they can be certain they’re achieving what you want us to.

7. Help your marketer help you.

They may request that you place posters (that you’ve approved) in your place of business, or send images or any other materials to use in campaigns for your business. Please do your best to accommodate these requests. By failing to deliver the materials needed for your internet marketing campaign, you effectively leave them powerless to help you, and neither of you will feel good about the results you get.

 

Now that you know what your internet marketer needs from you – and why – the whole thing probably makes a bit more sense. Take a minute to note down which ones need a bit of work, and commit to making a difference to your business this year by changing the things that might be hindering your marketing campaign’s effectiveness.

Learn more about Internet Marketing and what it can do for your business.

Your Turn!

I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.

And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.

9 Easy Steps to Success: A Sample Internet Marketing Plan

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internet-marketing-sample-planThis year, resolve to be present where your future customers are searching and interacting – online. Our gift to you this New Year’s, we’ve decided to give you an outline to put together your very own Internet Marketing Plan. Follow the steps below, and your online presence will become a great contributor to your bottom line.

1. Determine what the objective is.

Determine your revenue goal this year as it relates to internet marketing. For best results, target the most profitable products or services you sell.

2. Find out what people are searching for:

The most important part of your internet marketing plan. In the Google Keyword Tool , type in what you think your future customers are typing into Google. You’ll soon find out the actual demand for your services, as well as the level of competition. Choose about 3 terms that have low competition and high searches and write them down.

3. Create your yearlong content strategy

Create a table with 3 columns and 12 rows: one for each month. In the first column to the right of the month write in what your customers are doing or are concerned with in that month. For example in January, a lot of consumers are concerned with New Year’s Resolutions. In the next column write down anything you’d like to promote as it relates to their concerns.

4. Commit the time :

Block out 15 hours per month in your calendar now and commit to them, (or hire an assistant) they can be either scattered throughout the month or all in one chunk. This time will be used to execute your marketing plan each month.

5. Review your sales flow:

Modify your process to ask your customers for 2 additional pieces of information. The first is permission to use them as a case study, the second is a testimonial. Once you’ve finished the job you’ll now have a critical part of promo for your internet marketing plan; social proof.

6. Review your internet marketing tools:

You should at the very minimum have a decent looking website with a blog section, a Facebook or LinkedIN page and an email marketing account (like with Mailchimp). If not, get signed up for each of these now, or make the updates necessary to bring your accounts up to speed. In addition, sign up for Google Analytics and YouTube if you’re feeling ambitious.

7. Optimize your internet marketing tools.

Ask your webmaster to embed the Google Analytics code into your website, and add in the Mailchimp signup code and the Facebook Like box, and then add in a blog if you don’t have one.

8. Internet Marketing Content Creation.

• Write 3 blog posts a month. For best results aim for 3 posts per month using the keywords you arrived at in step 2, as it pertains to your customer’s concerns and your promotion of the month from step 3.

• Collect and organize any new case studies or testimonials, photos, videos etc and post them to your website

• Post each blog post to your website

• Add new contacts to your Mailchimp list, or friend them on Facebook.

• Create a monthly internet marketing schedule for when you’re going to release this content via social media and email marketing tools- and commit to releasing it this way.

 

9. Track your internet marketing results:

Keep track of subscribers to your newsletter and Facebook , phone and web inquiries.

Check Mailchimp and Facebook – are people opening your emails, commenting on your posts? Login to Analytics and compare your results from last month.

Check that your internet marketing campaign is generating more traffic to your site, and better ranking on Google.

It’ll take about 90 days, but with sustained effort you’ll see results from your internet marketing campaign.

Learn more about Internet Marketing and what it can do for your business.

 

 

This month’s featured website design: Duri Homes

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A behind the scenes look at how we launched a complete website design project in less than 30 days.

website-design-duri-homesWhen I walked into Duri Homes’ latest home in Aspen Wood Estates I was, in a word, impressed.

A long-time client, Dean Duri’s small home-building company had been steadily growing due to word of mouth and a steadfast commitment to quality.

In that moment I realized that Dean had arrived.  His new home was spacious, beautifully designed and absolutely luxurious. The calibre of homes Dean is now building has clearly come a long way since he started his company.

When we sat down to discuss revamping his website design, I knew we’d need to pull out all the stops to ensure it was an accurate reflection of the quality of this luxury home. To make sure we were on point, we reviewed a few Calgary website designs from competitors and colleagues and discussed his businesses goals.

A week or so later, I got a call from Dean asking if it would be possible to get the new site up in time for his Show Home opening on October 20th.

Typically our website design projects last about 3 months, so it was a tall order to complete the site within less than 3 weeks.

That being said, I knew how important it was to Dean that his old, outdated website design was replaced as soon as possible. I took a deep breath and told him we could hustle and get it done.

That week was spent in a flurry. Getting text written and approved, the images from the photographer and carefully reviewing my notes in order to ensure everything Dean needed for his new website design would be incorporated in the build.

On a Tuesday afternoon just 4 days before the show home opened, we got Dean’s approval on all the materials necessary to put his site together.

There was one huge problem though. Our website developer was going in for day surgery on the Friday, and the site was supposed to go live on Saturday.  Despite his impending surgery, our developer worked around the clock Wednesday and Thursday to get us a first draft of his site for Friday morning.

As I reviewed the first draft of the website design with Dean, I felt a sense of pride that we could pull through for a valued client in his time of need. Only a few quick revisions were needed, but couldn’t be completed until Shane had recovered from Friday’s surgery.

We agreed to meet online Saturday morning. I reviewed the changes and called Dean to confirm.

His new website design site went live 10 minutes ago, 15 minutes prior to his show home opening. It is gorgeous, and an accurate reflection indeed of what Dean is capable of creating for his customers.

As I sit back in my chair after a very early morning this sunny Saturday, I feel such a sense of gratitude.

I am grateful that our developer, despite his medical concerns was able to pull through for us. I am grateful that our designer put in extra effort to make sure the website design was “wow”, and I am grateful that we can be a part of Duri Homes’ success as they open a new chapter of their business.

Mostly though, I am grateful that I am part of such a fantastic team capable of pulling off huge accomplishments in support of our clients.

If you get a chance, visit Duri Homes new website design and check out their show home.

I think you too will be very impressed.

4 ways to use domain names to get better internet marketing results

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internet-marketing-domain-nameThe best way to get better internet marketing results is to regularly review your campaigns and try new things if they aren’t producing the results you want.

Becoming familiar with the strategies you’re employing and being willing to tweak things a bit will provide you with much more accurate data to analyze, drive more traffic to your site, and ultimately get better results on Google.

Here are four things you can do with your domain names right now to enhance your internet marketing results.

Register Multiple Domains

The first step to leveraging domain names for internet marketing is to register several domains. Think of them as web assets.

Then you can use one domain name per campaign, which means you can now run split tests and track how well your advertising or media distribution is working. This is done by reviewing how much traffic you get from that specific domain name.

You will need to renew them once a year, but we think you’ll find the following 3 tips to leveraging domain name registration for internet marketing purposes will convince you this small cost is well worth it.

Leverage Domains to Track Internet Marketing Campaigns

If you own multiple domains, you can run split tests and hone your marketing skills and get to know what best appeals to your intended audience by observing how many people came to your site through the various channels your domains have opened.

Here’s an example. Say you purchase a banner ad as part of a campaign. In that ad you decided to use a secondary domain name, so instead of using www.mybusiness.com, you use www.bestwidgetsever.com.

Since you have not used bestwidgetsever.com in any other internet marketing campaigns, when you look at your web statistics, you’ll know right away how much traffic that particular domain name sent you and you’ll be able to compare it against your other campaigns. Did it work better or worse?

Also, this tactic is very useful for judging the effectiveness of traditional advertising campaigns like radio or billboards. A catchy domain name is easy to remember, which will help by driving more traffic to your website. If your domain name isn’t catchy, go buy one that is and see if it makes a difference to your site traffic.

Use domain names to increase your ranking on Google

Another way you can use domain names for internet marketing purposes is to purchase easy-to-remember domains with in-demand keywords.

We for example, we own bestcalgarywebsitedesign.com, which is catchy and also helps us rank highly on Google because it is full of good keywords.

Also, older domains typically receive better ranking than newer ones, all other things being equal. The better your ranking on Google, the better your overall internet marketing results will be.

Use Domain Names to Create Niche-Specific Internet Marketing Campaigns

Another way you can use your domain name for internet marketing purposes is to point a domain name to a specific, or even hidden, page on your website that is only accessible through the link you sent out.

In this way you can promote a specific campaign to a smaller niche market without everyone else seeing it. You can promote or even discount your inventory without having the discounted prices available to your regular customers by displaying these items only on, for example, ‘discountwidgets.com’ instead of ‘widgets.com’.

Another tactic for niche-specific marketing is to purchase and utilize domain names per specific geographical location you deal with, or per specific product you offer.

So say you have a campaign running in Calgary. The domain name discountwidgetscalgary.com will be an easy domain name to promote, remember, and it will likely rank well on Google.

If you can create a page on your website that is specific to the area and the campaign, you’ll find this performs better than if you didn’t use these internet marketing tactics.

There are many ways you can use specific domain names to help you track and optimize your internet marketing efforts if you get creative, but these three are easily the most fundamental.

Learn more about Internet Marketing

Have you used domain names for internet marketing before? What have been your challenges or questions? Tell us below.

How Internet Marketing Works

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The widespread adoption of New Media into our lives has drastically changed consumer behavior and with it, the need for businesses to adapt to a new way of attracting customers.

Consumers are now in control and perform the majority of their pre-purchase research and decision making prior to picking up the phone or stepping foot in your store.

What this means is, in order to maintain your success, you need to be present where your future customers are; online.

About the Author:

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.

3 tips to uncovering hidden profits in your business

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A healthy business is one that has increased revenues year after year.

httpwww.flickr.comphotos68751915@N05If you want to get more business, increase your profits or take more time off, you’ll need more than just a wish list to make these things happen.

Here are 3 tools to boost your business into a different income bracket.

(Bonus- Free Worksheet at the end of this post)

TIP ONE: Review last year’s revenues and ask yourself.

1. What business segments did better than expected?

2. Which ones were lagging?

3. Which ones were the most profitable?

Identify the business segments that are the most profitable for you and resolve to increase this part of your business.

TIP 2: Aim High: Create your revenue goal.

Looking only at the most profitable segment of your business, take last year’s sales figures and triple them. Now cut that number in half and you’ll have a realistic goal to aim for.

The second step is to make it real by writing it down as if it had already happened.

“My company name did (target revenues) in (business segment) sales in 2012.”

Write this figure on a piece of paper and put it somewhere you and your team will see every day.

TIP 3: Identify your Target.

Again, focusing only on the business segment you want to expand, review how you achieved last year’s sales.

By expanding on what’s already working, you’ll be able to get more business faster and with less effort.

Look for patterns in your financial data to identify who your ideal customer for this segment is:

1. What buyer segment tends to purchase what you offer?

2. What do these buyers have in common (age, marital status, hobbies, company size etc.)

3. When did most of these sales occur?

By analyzing this data you will be well on your way to determining your target offering, target revenue and target audience.

Your Turn!
Tell us in the comments below, what segments in your business did better than you expected?

If you liked this article, please share it.

Download Worksheet

About the Author:

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.