I saw a web site the other day that looked like it had been designed in the 90s. This made me think about how far web marketing and, really, small business marketing in general had come in the last 10 years. And, since we are starting 2011, I thought it would be a good idea to make sure you were up to date on some must-have’s, so you are not “two-thousand and late.” Here are three must-have’s for online marketing in this day and age.
1) Aesthetics
Once the Recession took hold, everyone with Flash web sites made a sharp turn to SEO-friendly HTML-based sites. Yes, this often improves rankings and it is definitely easier to optimize, but just because you go with HTML, it doesn’t mean you have to lose your aesthetics. Rich media has its place in HTML-based sites, you just need to know how to do it. Flash modules, excellent design and the proper use of video can make your highly optimizable HTML-based web site compete visually. You just have to know how to make it all work together.
2) Track everything
Google has made it ridiculously easy to track the user experience with the so-well-organized Google Analytics. Server stats are for chumps. They track bots and are not focused on the user experience. Google Analytics helps you understand what is happening on your site by detailing the users’ experience and displaying it in a way that makes sense.
And, if you are not tracking incoming phone calls with tracking numbers, you are well behind the curve. There is no reason why an inexpensive tool like tracking numbers should not be providing key information about incoming calls. Every year, I have clients who wind up making major changes in their operations based on what they learn from tracking numbers. As I like to say, the only reason to not use this low-cost ($40/month) tool is that you just don’t want to know what is going on.
Side note about tracking: anyone can do it but only those that check the reporting get the benefits. When you track web stats or calls, you must make it a regular activity to read the reports. One or two time each month is all it takes to really know what it going on.
3) Database Marketing
There are lots of buzz words for marketing with a database: Vertical Marketing, One-to-One Marketing, Drip Marketing... it all comes down to using a database of contacts and how to approach that database. The tools change but the principles are the same. You know a certain amount about each contact and, based on what you know, you make more and more refined offers. Now that most businesses are out of the panic that has gripped the economy for the past few years, it is time to look “big picture” again. That is why Dog Star Media is making the One-to-One Marketing concept of Lifetime Value a theme for this year.
Lifetime Value is a concept that helps you see the value of a customer beyond the current purchase they are making. Lifetime Value helps you project the value of a great client if the relationship is fully developed. Using Lifetime Value as an evaluator, you change your approach to communications, how you look at customers or patients and how you put yourself in position long-term to receive their full lifetime value. This approach helps you build the core base of your business.
If you are not using a database for marketing, you are definitely at the back of the class. There is too much easy-to-use technology for using databases to market for this to remain out of your plan. And, a good way to motivate yourself is knowing that if you are not keeping track of your contacts, someone else will. It is too easy for your contacts also to wind up in a competitor’s database.
If after reading this, you decide you are Two-Thousand and Late on one or all of these topics, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com. We would be more than pleased to help bring you up to date in these and other areas if needed.
