The best way to create a user-friendly, powerful web site is to plan for it. If you're going to invest time in building and promoting your site, you want to be sure that once visitors get there, they're converted into buyers. Start by analyzing where you are at the present, where you want to go, and what steps will take you there.
If you compare the internet to a mall, then your web site is a store in the mall. A profitable store includes a well-trained staff, attractive displays inside, a nice sign out front and a killer window display. A store alone won't make sales. You have to attract people inside, convince them you have something they need, and encourage them to act.
The same is true for an internet business. You have to attract customers and then sell them your product or service.
So, in this example, the store is your web site, the sign out front is your domain name, the knowledgeable staff is your content and the in store displays are the photos on your site. All you're missing is the window display. And that is your marketing plan. It is the "it" factor that draws people in. And there are many ways to do this online:
* Banner ads
* Ezine Ads
* PPC
* Search Engine Marketing
* Joint Ventures
* Affiliates
Identify your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
This statement is the headline for your web site and all other marketing material where your business name appears. It communicates the benefits of doing business with you and identifies what differentiates you from your competition. In short, why should they do business with you instead of someone else.
A strong USP is worth its weight in gold. Here are a few that hit the jackpot:
"Fresh, Hot Pizza Delivered to Your Door in 30 Minutes or Less, Guaranteed," Domino's Pizza
"The Ultimate Driving Machine," BMW
"Glasses in about an hour," LensCrafters
Your USP should instill excitement about doing business with you or finding out more about what you offer. Position it at the top of your home page and underneath your logo throughout your entire web site.
USP Tips
Avoid general statements and vague terms like "the best," since anyone can make that claim. Instead, speak directly to your ideal market, and address their wants. Explain what it is that makes you the best or what you do better than others. And use this USP in all of your marketing materials for greater consistency and overall impact. Not only does it help your prospect gain a clear view of your company it can help you stay focused when making key decisions.
The Difference between Features and Benefits
A feature is something the product or service has. The benefit is the emotional statement to show prospects what they will get and how they will feel as a result of using your product/service. Example of feature statement: Health Food products made with all natural ingredients.
Example of benefit statement: Natural health that keeps you fit and younger looking.
Write for Your Target Audience
Know your target audience. Are you B2B (Business to Business) or B2C (Business to Consumer)? It makes a difference. Do you sell wholesale or in bulk? Do you only take small orders or large orders? Be specific, let people know what you do and if they are in the right place. Keyword selection is important in helping guide the proper traffic, but we'll address that in depth later.
To start, just assume that people are going to come to your site confused and uncertain. Guide them through the site and show them exactly what you have for them. If they are unsure, they're out the door. If you convey immediately what you have to offer that perfectly fits their needs, you have your chance to win their business.
As you pull all these things together remember that your site should not cater to your preferences, but to your visitors' preferences. If it isn't converting, reexamine it for flaws and try testing to determine what brings in the best results.
Failure to plan is a plan to fail. That was alway drilled into my head during my days in the Army. Do you have a plan for your business? Are you working the plan? If you have no plan or are not working the plan, this could very well be the reason you are failing to succeed in your marketing efforts. I'm going to cover some basic guidelines to help you more efficiently market your blog, website or products.
First, you need to know what things you are going to be doing to market your product. Is it commenting on blogs or forums? Using StumbleUpon or Delicious? Submitting articles? Maybe you'll optimize for the search engines or use web video sites. Whatever the list compile it into a spreadsheet program. It's perfectly reasonable to make generic categories for each task because you don't want to be commenting on forums or blogs every day. It's terrible inefficient and probably costs you more than you realize.
Next, rank each task. Rate each task on a scale from 1-5 on how important or effective each task is. If you're promoting a blog, blog commenting might rank a five, as would submitting to blog carnivals. Networking on video web sites might rank a one. Initially you need to decide from your own experience or, if you're unsure, use other's experience to how effective each task is toward meeting your marketing goals. Make sure you rank each one honestly. A list of all fives is not going to help you when you go to plan out the month ahead. We all want to do everything, but most of us are limited by the time we can spend on each task.
Now make a plan for the next month. For simplicity, just assume a five day week for the next four weeks. From the list above, sort it so the fives are on top. I suggest putting the fives into the middle of the week, Tuesday, Wednesday, and/or Thursdays. Mark these tasks down for every week. Now the fours and threes can go out to the edges of the week, most likely every other week. And the twos and ones will get some time at most once a month. When you're done you should see you'll be spending the most time on the tasks rated 5 and the least on the tasks ranked one.
The next step is to ensure you take action. Put your plan to use. Make sure it's hanging somewhere you can see it everyday and do the allotted task for the day before you do anything else. Put off checking email, phone messages, surfing, gossiping until the tasks are done. Then you can relax and do some other tasks for the rest of the day. But, only do the task allotted on the days you specify. Do not get caught commenting on forums or blogs on the days when you haven't allocated the task because these things, while important, are serious time drains.
At the end of the first month, review your plan. Ask yourself, which tasks moved me closer to my goals and which ones did not? Which ones need a while longer to come to fruition and which ones are just complete duds? Go back to your original list and change the rankings for each of your tasks. Then revisit your plan and based on the new rankings, add or delete instances of tasks. Also, if you have issues with writing on Mondays, for example, and those tasks aren't being accomplished then move those tasks around so they are accomplished. Keep refining your plan month after month and then start outsourcing the tasks making you the most money.
Making a marketing plan isn't very difficult if you take it step by step. And having a plan is very often the difference between success and failure. So start planning for your success today!
Both Jennifer Horowitz & Steven Lohrenz are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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