|
by (c) 2001 Jay Conrad Levinson
Quite simply, marketing is absolutely every point of contact any
part of your business has with any segment of the public. It's
amazing how many people miss this vital concept.
Why should any contact with the public have only one purpose,
when it can work double duty and serve multi-dimensional
purposes? For example, in my Guerrilla Marketing courses, I
show that business cards can be plain and straightforward for
big-company executives -- but for the little guy, a business
card should double as a brochure, a circular, or a wallet-sized
advertisement. Think of business cards as advertisement for you
or your company.
How do you apply this concept to Web marketing?
Marketing online can be like winking at people in the dark -
you'll never catch their attention unless you "turn the lights
on."
Wendy McClelland turned the lights on for her website publicity
by putting her URL (web address) on EVERYTHING that left her
office --T-shirts, fax cover sheets, stationery, press releases,
and even her car were plastered with the web address. As a
result, she logged over 4,000 registrations on her web guest
book in the first 2 months and got tremendous local press
coverage.
The point is, if you've gone to the trouble of developing a
website to do yourself proud, it's worth the extra effort to
promote it like crazy to your target market. A website can only
be effective if it gets viewed by prospective clients. Here are
8 things you can do right now to utilize every possible point of
contact to the max:
1. Put your Web address on your promotional materials --
business cards, letterhead, and brochures. Put it wherever
you'd list your phone number, fax number or e-mail address. Add
it to envelopes, invoices, catalogs, postcards, shopping bags
and all directories in which you're listed.
2. Include your Web address in all your advertisements --
print, radio and television. Most people still find the idea of
a home page a novel concept. If you rarely advertise, you may
want to use traditional advertising to let clients and prospects
know they can find you online.
3. Announce your new Website to targeted prospects and clients.
Just as you'd notify potential and current clients of a change
of address or staff hire, you can announce your new web page
with a special mailer. Send formal announcements to your
customer base and referral sources. But before you do this,
make sure your web page is indeed up and running. It's bad PR to
promote a web site that's still under construction.
4. Include website information on your voice mail. Let your
clients on hold learn how to connect to your web site for
pertinent information. Encourage the people who answer your
phones to give your web address to every caller who identifies
him or herself as an Internet user. Think of your website as a
24-hour answering service. Assure your callers that they can
always phone your store or office for information, but let them
know they now have a web alternative as well, open 24 hours
every day.
5. Put your web address on store and office signs. Hang it on
banners outside your building. Paint it on rooftops and company
cars. Include it in interior signs throughout your store or
office.
6. Create an Internet tip sheet. Since only a small portion of
the world population is Internet savvy, there's a good chance
that your prospects and clients know little or nothing about the
online world. Create an Internet tip sheet and offer it free
online so browsers and buyers know how helpful you are. Include
your home page, web address and other simple online tips and
guidelines.
7. Link your website with other websites. Not linking is not
thinking. Referrals, an invaluable source of new clients, are
the lifeblood of many small businesses. Similar to referrals, a
recommendation of your products and services on another
business's website is as good as gold. Link your site with sites
of other companies that share your standards for quality
products and customer service. Then ask them to do the same.
8. Share your website with others when you're networking
online. Specialized newsgroups and forums can provide a
ready-made audience for your products and services. As you
converse one-on-one via e-mail, make sure you attach a four-line
Internet signature that includes your website as well as your
phone, cell phone, fax and e-mail address.
No matter how well designed, your site can't bring in new
business until it gets seen. Since most people still spend the
majority of their time in the real world, not the cyberworld,
it's important to promote your site using a mixture of both
traditional and online marketing techniques.
======================
|
|
