Website Marketing

During economic hard times, many people are wondering where their website marketing endeavors are best spent. Ideally, it’d be great to put as many irons in the fire as humanly possible in hopes that one or two or ten of them will ignite into a roaring bonfire of business. Unfortunately, many business owners are scaling back or trying to remain afloat in the midst of economic recession. The good news is that website marketing, unlike more conventional print /direct marketing, can be quantified, tracked and easily recalculated.

Where to Focus Your Website Marketing Dollars

The 2007 ComScore study examining people’s online activities may shed some light for website marketing. The first finding was that social media marketing is still big, with Facebook seeing an 81% increase. For industries with a “hip” message – clothing, music, film, travel – these sites can be very helpful in creating a buzz. Secondly, Wikipedia also increased traffic by 34%, which means that people are still treating this online encyclopedia as a reference guide for everything. While outright promotion on Wikipedia is prohibited, there are often ways for businesses to align themselves with popular searches. Creating a Wikipedia page for one’s business can be a good way to begin building a positive reputation. Craigslist.org is another big winner for 2007, growing its traffic by 74%.

Sometimes cross-promotion is a good way to ramp up website marketing efforts. Obviously keyword research is important when it comes to adding content to a blog, a website, an article or a social media profile. Yet another factor to consider is what general topics are hot right now. The ComScore study found that Health is a rapidly growing topic (Everyday Health went up 349% last year). Women’s issues was another winner (Glam Media grew 213%). TV/Film saw triple-digit growth, as did Office Supplies. Politics jumped 35%, thanks to the impending election. Blogging in some of these areas – if somewhat related to one’s industry – can cast a wider traffic-catching net.

Target Website Marketing Strategies

A June 2007 Burst Media study found that over half of women say the Internet is “their primary source of information while researching products to purchase” and two-thirds of all women surveyed added that “their daily lives would be disrupted without Internet access for one week.” The study found that website marketing targeting women were most successful when they employed email marketing, newsletter writing, blogging, Yellow Pages directory listings and local business listings, online coupons, incentive/reward programs, news services and instant messaging features. Online video and podcasting are increasing in popularity among women audiences as well.

Website Marketing Strategy

Any website marketing strategy should be a long-term endeavor, as it may take as much as six months to see any traction. Generally, businesses should begin with the basics – like website redesign / rewriting and search engine optimization. The next layer of website marketing is to add more keyword-rich, optimized content in the form of blogs, articles, press releases, newsletters and additional portal pages on the homepage. Lastly, email marketing with reward and coupon programs in place can help a business see a return-on-investment. To keep costs low, it’s best to find a smaller, customer-oriented company with a proven track record who focuses on fewer clients and customized website marketing plans to suit each business’s unique needs.