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Five Most Effective Internet Marketing Tools |
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eMarketing Articles -
e-Marketing: Strategy
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Written by Titus Hoskins
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 Like any industry, Internet Marketing has its own special
marketing tools and methods. Many of these marketing tools may already
be familiar to you: autoresponders, SEO software, link-building
systems, content management programs, affiliate software... and the
list goes on.
However, Internet Marketing has other more effective, non-traditional
marketing tools every marketer should know about if they want to reach
their full potential as online marketers. Some of these marketing tools
come cleverly disguised or camouflaged, with many surfers or customers
completely unaware that they're receiving a sales-pitch. Yet, these
innocent and simple sales techniques are some of the most effective
marketing tools on the web.
For anyone involved in Internet Marketing or for anyone wishing to
become involved, a quick rundown of these marketing tools may prove
helpful. Here's a brief list and a few pointers on how to effectively
use these marketing tools.
1. Domain Name
Lets start at the very beginning. Your domain name should be considered
your first Internet marketing tool. Pick it right and your domain name
can also be your most effective marketing tool. Get it wrong and it may
spell game over.
Most marketers agree you should pick a short memorable keyword-related
domain name. For example, www.hotels.com, it's easy to remember/spell
and it tells you exactly what the site is about. Picking a domain
directly related to the keyword or keywords of your site will help
greatly in obtaining a high ranking for your site with the search
engines. Not to mention, it will be a great marketing and promotional
tool, telling your potential customers exactly what your site is
promoting and displaying.
On the other hand, some marketers suggest you opt for a short jazzy
name that can be easily remembered by your visitors. Ebay, Google,
Napster, Yahoo... regardless of which route you take, make sure you
examine all the marketing potential before you pick your domain name.
The right domain name can be one of your most effective marketing tools
on the world wide web.
Many experts also suggest you only set up a dedicated server for your
domain or domains. A dedicated server only carries one domain. Most
hosting companies (for economic reasons) often share hosting servers,
i.e. your domain is co-hosted with hundreds of other domains on the
same server. Since you will be using the same IP address this may have
dire consequences if one of the domains is accused of spamming or some
other unscrupulous behavior. Even if you can't afford a dedicated
server, it would be wise (for SEO purposes) to have a separate IP
address for each domain you own. Most hosting companies provide this
service for a small fee.
2. Keywords
Keywords, what surfers type into search engines to find what they're
looking for, are the real building blocks of the web. They are the
single most important element in any online marketing venture. Pick the
right keywords and you're in business, pick the wrong keywords and
again, it's game over.
Therefore, you must have special keyword software or use some online
sites or services to help you pick the right keywords. Many top
marketers use WordTracker.com, GoodKeywords.com, or the new Keyword
Elite by Brad Callen. A superior keyword research product will supply
valuable information: number of searches made each month, amount of
competition and the top sites targeting your keywords.
Remember, you must target the right keywords with your site or online
marketing. Targeted keywords draw targeted traffic (customers) to your
sites or products. The right keyword software or program will have a
direct correlation to the success or failure of your online marketing
efforts.
So choose wisely!
3. Articles
Many marketers believe in and rely upon purely organic SEO techniques
for marketing their sites. One simple method of organic SEO is writing
and submitting keyword related articles around the topic of your
website with links back to your site. As other sites display your
articles you gain valuable one-way links back to your site. Search
engines then follow all of these links and rank your site highly for
the keywords in these articles. For this reason the modest article may
prove to be the single most important marketing tool you have in your
arsenal.
As your site becomes highly ranked for these keywords, other sites will
want to link to your site in order to become optimized for those same
keywords... article keyword marketing is one of the most effective
Internet marketing tools at your disposal. Used properly if can
position your site in the search engines and bring in all that highly
prized targeted traffic.
Keep in mind, many Internet marketers have side-stepped the whole SEO
optimization process by going directly to search engines and buying
their traffic with PPC pay-per-click advertising. Overture and Google
Adwords program are good examples of this method. Marketers bid on
clicks to their site's keywords and bring in targeted customers. In
knowledgeable hands, PPC marketing is an extremely effective and
lucrative marketing tool.
4. Lists
The backbone of any Internet marketing system is the list. It is
another marketing tool you can't do without. The list is simply a large
database of contacts, people who have given you permission to email or
contact them. These are subscribers who have opted-in to your ezine or
newsletter. Most successful marketers keep countless different
databases for each product or topic they're targeting with their
marketing.
Ezines or newsletters are vital Internet Marketing tools that no online
business should ignore. It is essential you keep in contact/touch with
your past and future customers.You must build an ongoing relationship
and connection with your customers.
Besides your ezine or newsletter, many marketers also set up lists of
affiliates to help promote and sell their products. Never underestimate
the power of an affiliate system as an effective marketing tool. It is
the stuff Empires are made of! Once a marketer has acquired a large
list of loyal contacts or affiliates - the flood waters open up.
Opportunities for JVs or Joint Ventures with other online marketers
make for serious cash flow.
5. Blogs And RSS Feeds
Blogging and RSS feeds have become essential marketing tools for savvy
online marketers. Online journals or blogs are all the rage, especially
in the marketing field. These blogging systems such as WordPress are
great content management tools that will quickly build a content-rich
site, pulling in targeted traffic from the search engines.
Search engines are enamored with blogs and RSS feeds mainly because
blogs provide fresh content, the main lifeblood of every good search
engine. For this reason no site should be without a blog and RSS feed,
it will keep your content regularly visited and indexed by the search
engines. In addition, all that information and content is a perfect
tool for drawing potential customers to your products and services.
Along with your domains, lists, keywords, and articles - blogs are
effective marketing tools that will play an important role in the
success of your online marketing. In the right hands, these Internet
marketing tools can work magic on any company's bottom line. They are
some of Internet Marketing's most effective tools.
You don't have to think outside of the box, you just have to know what makes up the box!
The author runs an Internet Marketing website
featuring all the latest marketing tools and techniques. Anyone wishing
to learn about Internet Marketing and don't want to spend a bundle
should try these free courses:
http://www.bizwaremagic.com/Free_Marketing_Courses.htm © 2006 Titus
Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box
stays attached. |
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THIS WEEK'S THEME IS... |
... Affiliate Marketing strategy
Fellow e-Marketing experts and web publishers, enjoy a string of articles with insights into the newest e-Marketing best practices.
Next: e-Marketing strategy.
Stay tuned!
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