PresentsOnline Marketing Check-uporHow to Stop Worrying andLearn to Love the InternetAugust 6, 2009

Let’s Get AcquaintedEd TankersleyPresident of Eight TrailsSmarter websites and online marketing20+ years advertising and marketingInteractive directorCreative directorWriter

Ed Tankersley

President of Eight Trails

Smarter websites and online marketing

Now You How many B2B businesses?How many B2C businesses?Other?Business size?How much online marketing?

Online Marketing Check-UpToday’s agenda

What Is Online Marketing?Marketing is promoting, distributing, and selling a product or serviceOnline is anything you can do on the InternetSuch as…

Online Marketing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Paid SearchAKA PPC or Pay-Per-ClickEmail Marketing Internet Display Ads AKA Banner Ads Social Media Your Website

Internet is THE Place to BeMore people have Internet connections than have cable TV 105 million Americans are online at work every day 92% of those have high-speed, broadband connections

Two-Thirds of US is Online

Online Marketing is Hot80% of advertisers include Internet in their marketing mix Online marketing spending increasing 20% each year By comparison, TV spending increasing 2.4% and print 3.3%

Online Ad Spending

Search Engine Optimization Make sure you’re found by those who want what you’ve got

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization AKA SEO, Natural Search, Organic Search SEO is huge, because if someone is searching for your company, product, or service, they're already motivated Search is the second most common online task Hundreds of millions of searches each day

Search Leads in ROI

Search Engine Optimization How do you get to the top? Select good search terms (keywords) Integrate terms into key areas Build searchable web sites Keep your content fresh Get connected - Inbound links Measure your results Repeat SEO is a process

Check-Up Question - SEO My website is optimized and I’m getting great rankingMy website is optimized but I’m not on the first page of search resultsI’m not sure if my website is optimizedBoy, I probably should get a website

Paid SearchThe hottest advertising going

Paid Search

Paid SearchEfficientTargetedMeasurableFlexible Can have a very high ROI

Paid SearchSeveral varieties Search-basedContent-based (Google, Facebook, and others) Your position (ranking) is based on your bid amountTricky: Your bid amount is based on your quality score

Paid SearchFlexibility Geotargeting – reach only visitors in specific cities, states, or regionsDaypart – your ads appear when you think your target market will be searchingNegative keywords – filter out irrelevant trafficCan get fast results Good for testing ad themes and headlines

Paid SearchGet yourself some professional helpMost effective when monitored constantly Headlines, copy, and landing pages need to be carefully crafted Constant testing is a must to get the highest ROI

Check-Up Question - PPC I make multiple dollars back for every PPC dollar I spendMy pay-per-click is all pay and no pay-offI think I could make some money with PPC, but I haven’t tried itMy customers won’t click on adsBoy, I should really get a website

Email Marketing “Don’t call me spam!”

Email Marketing Email is cheapPractically everybody with a pulse has it and reads it dailyDone well, email will be welcomed by your customers and prospects Great at moving customers through purchase cycle

Email Marketing Guidelines for email campaigns Anticipated Timely Relevant Simple design Minimal graphicsShort and to the point

Email Marketing Use an ESP (email service provider)CAN-SPAM compliance List management Automatic subscription and unsubscribe maintenance Advanced featuresSegmented lists Event triggersSplit testing

Check-Up Question - Email I have a large and growing subscriber list, and I email regularlyI’ve sent some emails, but I don’t know what it did for meI’m spamming like crazy!I don’t know what I would say in an email

Online Display Advertising Put your ads where your customers’ eyeballs are

Online Display Advertising Can be targeted Content Demographics Behavior Geographic Daypart

Banner Ads Can Be Targeted

Online Display Ads Sizes and position Bigger is better Avoid cluttered sites Ads that are closer to content get more clicks Animation can increase action

Place Banner Ads Close to Content

Online Display Ads Media buying options Site direct Networks Pricing models CPM (cost per thousand) = impressions CPC (cost per click) = behavior CPA (cost per action) = resultsThis one needs a pro, too

Check-Up Question Online display ads are an important part of my nutritious media mixMy ads are in the local newspaper, right where they belongGeez, I really should get a website

Social Media Stop talking about yourself and start conversing

Social Media It's not just for teens anymore MySpace - still for teens, actually Facebook - explosive growth in adult market LinkedIn - professional connections Blogs - human voice for business Twitter - mini blog Flickr and YouTube - share images and videos

Facebook is the King

LinkedIn Targets Business Relationships

Twitter for Work and Play

Social MediaThe point of social media is to engage in conversations and build relationshipsFollow / link to people and companies that interest youRespond to notes – even the negative onesHave a human voice – share your interests and opinionsTalk about and recommend others 5 times as often as you talk about yourself

Social MediaIt’s still marketingSocial media requires time and attentionHave a goal – increasing awareness, driving sales, improving customer relationsWhat makes you different? What’s your voice?Know your audience – are they Tweeters or are they LinkedIn, for exampleUnderstand how you will measure your efforts

A Note About Blogs Blogs are easy to set up Hosted at Wordpress.org or Blogger.comIntegrate into your website You’re already talking about your business. Invite your customers into the conversation.Your customers are already talking about your business. Join in.Participate regularly - answer comments Join in other conversations, too

Check-Up Question – Social Media I have a clear social media strategy and have lots of engaging conversation going onI’m tweeting, blogging, and posting photos and videos like crazyThis is just for kids, right?

Your WebsiteMake your website pull its weight

Your Website Your website is an expense – time and moneyIt can pay for itself many times over, if…It’s findableIt’s usableIt’s designed and written to turn visitors into customers

Your Website - FindabilitySearch Optimization – make sure you’re found by those who want what you’ve gotKeyword optimizationSite structureInbound links

Want more about search optimization?Attend my Search Optimization seminar next month – details at the end

Your Website - UsabilityMake your website work for the people who actually use itWho are your website’s most important users? What do they want? (Ask them!) Surveys Interviews Ask front-line employees (cashiers, customer service, tech support, sales)

Your Website - UsabilityUsability Important stuff first - Make your website an FAQ Every page should quickly answer three questions: What is this website about? What can I do here? What should I do next?

Your Website - Conversion Conversion – turn visitors into customersAsk for the order Email signup Invitation on every page Contact form Live support Blog

Want more about making your website work harder?Attend my website optimization seminar in two weeks – details at the end

Check-Up Question – My Website My website is my best salespersonI’ll need to get back to you – I haven’t looked at my website for a whileMy website is a disaster – Flash, frames, pictures of my dogCriminy! I really need to get a website!

Upcoming SeminarsHarnessing the White Elephant:Make Your Website Pull Its WeightFollowing my multi-point website checklist, we’ll discuss what makes a website effective for its visitors and what can make it work harder for you. Volunteers can offer up your websites for a live site review.August 20, 2009Are You Hiding from Customers?Tune-Up Your Site for Search EnginesOverview of search engines and organicsearch, followed by a discussion of the top tactics for improving search visibility and search ranking, and concluding with a live review of a website.September 10, 2009

Questions? Comments? Ed Tankersley EightTrails.comed@eighttrails.com@EdTankersley602-361-2001