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Archive for the ‘Internet Marketing’ Category

I decided to review “The Social Media Marketing Book” by Dan Zarella based on a recommendation from a friend.

I am going to give this book a two star rating, which may be somewhat controversial. I was excited to read a social media marketing book. I do not feel like this book lived up to that expectation. The author is obviously very knowledgeable about social media, but there is virtually no information in utilizing these resources for marketing purposes. I was a little concerned in the beginning when the author spent such a great deal of time defining websites like Twitter and Facebook, and went to great length with terminology like “friending” and “tweeting.” I do not say this lightly, since I think most everyone would be familiar with this terminology, at least anyone with a basic Facebook page. Having said that, there is relevant information for the reader. The reader will learn many websites and terms than can certainly assist in increasing the learning velocity of a web “newbie,” but that was not the book that I was expecting to read. I wanted the book to end in a climax of material that the reader would be able to combine into a solid plan to market or build a presence on the net that would translate into real dollars. If the book could have delivered more on the marketing aspect, I would have gladly given it more stars.

I believe that for the right reader, this book is relevant, right now. I think most people in their twenties, would find this book too basic, or entry-level. I do not think that in five years, this book will be relevant. The problem with technology and technology based information is that it becomes a victim to rapid evolution of technology. There are dozens of companies that I could site to provide a basis for the fact that a technology and social media applications have and will continue to change at such a rapid pace that one can only imagine the social media that will be available five years from now. MySpace was a pioneer in social media, and now it is dwarfed by Facebook. Facebook will eventually be dwarfed be the next big thing. I am not saying that social media will cease to be relevant; I think it will continue to grow. I just believe that this specific book will not be relevant. It is the nature of technology. The Law of Accelerating Returns suggests that progress will continue to grow exponentially as humans learn more; we also learn how to learn better and faster.

Online Marketing appears to be attractive to a large segment of the population today. No doubt, the current economic climate is driving a lot of this interest.

Many folks currently employed and unemployed find the opportunity to work from home extremely attractive and would like to get rid of the 9 to 5 grind if possible. Besides, getting started does not require a large investment of capital.

However, as attractive as Online Marketing may be,there are many hurdles to clear just to get started. If not initiated properly success will be difficult to obtain. There are a host of people who have made the effort to establish themselves online just to fall by the wayside.

Why do so many fail? There are many reasons but probably the most outstanding would be the lack of a comprehensive Business Plan. Remember, an Online Business is no different than starting any other business.

I believe one of the major factors contributing to this fault is the lack of a need for large capital investment which makes it necessary to borrow money from a bank that will require a Business Plan. This is a requirement..

Since an Online Business doesn’t require a large investment no one is demanding a Business Plan resulting in a major oversight.

That being said I now assume anyone considering an Online Business will sit down and put together a good Business Plan that any Banker would approve.

Now, what do we need to put together a good plan? Following is a brief outline of what is expected to be included in any acceptable plan that will lead to success.

Remember, the Business Plan is not something you put together than put on the shelf to gether dust. No! the Business Plan will be an ever changing document keeping abreast of how your business needs are developing and changing. It will always in most cases require revisions.

Let us Begin:(Remember this is an outline)

1.The Industry/Niche…..Identify the Industry/Segment or Niche that you plan to fill and how your product will fit in or somehow be unique to the segment chosen.

2. Target Market..….Who is your Target Market? What are their needs? How can you meet those needs?

3. Competition..…..Who is your competition? What can you do different to be competitive? Is it pricing, service, product etc.

PPC is a shortened term for Pay Per Click. Put simply it is advertising where you pay for each click on your ad rather than paying a set ad placement rate. Advertisers can bid on keywords or categories, with the highest bidder receiving the top position. Some of the most common places to advertise via PPC include search engines, contextual ad agencies, and social networks.

Setting up your first PPC campaign might seem like an intimidating task, if you don’t know where to start. Here are a few basic guidelines to help your first campaign go smoothly.

The most important selling tool that you have in any online business is, of course, your website. The first thing that you should focus on before beginning any type of advertising including PPC is the quality of your website. It needs to not only sell your product, but sell it well. It should make visitors reach for that credit card without hesitation.

Once you’ve got your site up to specs to sell like a well oiled machine, it’s time to give some thought to your keywords. What will customers search for when they are looking for your product? Keep in mind that when it comes to PPC you want to make every click count, so it is usually better to go with targeted phrases rather than generic terms. There are a number of free tools online that you can use to dig for keywords, for example the Google AdWords keyword tool. If you are advertising on a contextual or social network you will likely be bidding on categories rather than keywords, however the same principles apply.

A word about profit margins. When promoting any product via PPC it is important to consider your expected profits. How well your visitors convert into sales and the amount you earn per sale are just a couple of criteria to consider before you place a bid. This probably seems like common sense but you’d be surprised how many marketers fail to truly take this seriously and get caught up in mindless bidding wars!

Your PPC ads should be written in a way that stands out from the competition and grabs the browsers attention. After all you only have a few seconds to get them to notice your ad. Again think about your product. What are people who will buy your product looking for? What makes your product better than all of the other choices out there? It is a good idea to write up 3 or 4 different ads and rotate them in your campaigns to see which one gets the better response.

When people ask me how they can get targeted traffic to their website, I often answer back with a question. What have you been, and what are you doing now to get targeted traffic and visitors to your site. I’m always complete surprised by all of the different methods people use, often costing them hundreds if not thousands of dollars in memberships and fees. Equally as surprising is that most people don’t ever consider the positive effects of forum marketing.

Forum marketing in my opinion, is one of the best ways to get really targeted traffic to your website. What are forums? Forums are online communities where people with the same interests or hobbies get together and chat. You can think of it as a sort of digital message board. You create an account, post a question or comment on a topic, and others can respond to you. It’s being part of the conversation. And you’re having that conversation with like minded people who are interested in exactly the same thing. In fact, with enough work, it could easily surpass many of the often used marketing methods.

What better place to engage potential customers or clients than on a forum what is right on the topic of the product or service you are offering? I can’t think of any better way to actually talk to your potential customers. Rather than making a sales pitch to them, you can engage them by asking questions. What they like or dislike about a product or service. How they would make it better or what they would need in order to choose one service or product over another. The responses you’ll get will often surprise you, and give you a truly unique insight in to the minds of the people you are trying to target. If you’re on a video game forum for example, and see that a lot of people are looking for a specific accessory for a game system or perhaps a game they’ve wanted for some time but can’t find anywhere else. You can find the products they are looking for, chat with them about the products, and then ask them to visit your online store, where you have that product in stock.