Web Site Marketing Strategy

Website Marketing Plan

 5 Golden Rules To Web Design

Golden Rule #1- Do not use splash pages

Your Goal here is to stand out from the norm.  A Web Site Marketing Strategy needs to be a statement about you and what you have to offer. Give yourself a unique position so that when people come to visit your site you do not look like the status Quo.

Usually, splash pages are the first pages you see when arriving at a website. They  have  beautiful graphics with words like “welcome” or “click here to enter”. How boring, come on really, do you want to look like everyone else. I’ts like going to the prom and “Becky” Ms. Popular cheerleader shows up wearing the same darn dress you spent 3 month’s trying to find.

Just a pretty dress  with no real pizazz. I can tell you right off the bat your visitors will take one look and turn around and exit as fast as they entered. Your website business strategy needs to include giving them the value of your site up front, without the splash page parade.

Golden Rule #2-Do not go banner ad Loony

Your web site marketing strategy needs to include not getting ignored. Having a bunch of useless banners flashing all over your site says only one thing, you must have been bored. I mean really, sorry to be so harsh but I want you to succeed. If you want to give a 4th grader a project to cut and paste then take them to Rite-aid and buy some construction paper and some scotch tape, don’t have them setting up bits of streamers all over your website. Tacky, Tacky, Tacky.

Even the least net savvy people have trained themselves to ignore banner advertisements so you will be wasting valuable website real estate. This is not a good use of web site marketing strategy, Instead, provide more valuable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content, and let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of being blind sighted by your Vegas lights flashing all over the pages.

Golden Rule #3-  An effective Web Site Marketing Strategy includes being sure that your navigation is clear, simple and easy to follow

You must create a simple and very precise navigation menu, so that even a child will be able to follow it. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi-tiered dropdown menus. You are not producing a Broadway show here. If your website visitors don’t know how to navigate, they will turn around and leave. End of story.

Golden Rule #4- Be sure that you have a clear indication of where your visitors are

It would be rather embarrassing if someone is visiting your site and a voice comes on through the loud speaker stating…”Hello”? “Are You O.k.”? “Where Are You”? When visitor is exploring your site and is deeply engrossed browsing , you really need to make sure that your web site marketing strategy plan includes a clear road map so they know what part of your website they are in at that moment in time. If guided properly,  they will be able to browse relevant information or navigate to any section of the site easily. Don’t confuse your visitors because confusion means “Let’s Get The Heck Outta Here”!

Golden Rule #5-Avoid using audio on your site, it is not the Coppa Cabana

If you want your visitors to stay at your website, reading your value packed content, you most definitely do not want them to be distracted because you have some creepy trans music looping it’s way to oblivion in the background. If you are a person that is audio compulsive, we won’t hold it against you, just be sure that your visitor has some sort of means to either mute it or turn the volume down. A web site marketing strategy plan should always have these 5 basic rules, in order for you to get the most effective outcome.

Online Marketing Tips and strategies

A Web Site Marketing Strategy Plan

Web Marketing, in general was always known as putting an ad in the local paper, penny saver, a magazine and of course TV. When it comes to setting up a web marketing strategy plan it really is not that different. Technology has certainly advanced more than the traditional way of advertising which has made the financial rewards far greater. In order for your  web site marketing plan to be effective, there are generally two things that a business will need in the Internet market.  The first is to have a product that can be  sold and distributed. The second is to have a product that is marketable and is in need by the consumers in that market. The fastest and most effective way of getting your product noticed is to generate traffic and when that traffic starts coming, you most definitely need a website for them to come to. So let’s say that your website, by far, is where you need to start. If you are ready to move into this direction then here is a solid web site marketing strategy to help you get started.

1. The first thing to do is to determine what the market or consumer is looking for weather it be a solution to a problem or a way to give them a more solid financial future. Research will be of vital importance to make sure the product you will promote is going to help those that are searching. You must take YOUR personal needs and wants completely out of the equation or you are doomed for failure. What you need and want may not be another s cup of tea.  In other words, what may look and sound great to you, or vice verse, may not look so good to someone else. They will be buying not you.

2. You will need to focus on some key Internet strategies, to be able to zero in on your target market and their needs.  Your domain name plays a big part in this process so if you have others involved in the decision making for your company, it would be best for all to concur on what the best name would be. Your web site marketing strategy for this needs to be well planned. It needs to be easy for people to remember, so you can build brand recognition, as well as being one that catches on. A good rule to follow is to think of it in different angles, switch words around, drop some, add some see what sounds best.

If I was to say to you, “what is the happiest place on earth”? I will assume you will say Disneyland. This is what I mean by catchy.  You will be surprised at how many names you will come up with that are already taken. Their are billions of people in our world and most people have been online at one time or another to see if a name they have always thought of was available. Sadly, at times their fantasy is crushed so it would be wise to have 3 or 4 names just in case.

At this point you will also need to develop a search engine marketing strategy because the search engines are looking for specific things and names that their searchers are looking for. They will not send your information to them unless they feel it best represents what they want. Crazy, I know, seems unfair that someone would decide this ahead of time without giving us a chance but it is what it is and you will need to be prepared for that or I am afraid to say you will never sell a thing nor will anyone ever know about your business without it.  These sites also allow one to make a sitemap which can be downloaded in minutes for a small fee. No web site marketing plan should be without one.  Another good example is the various email sites which you can partner with for some good exposure and some free services. Most of these services will let you sign up for free. When you have money to add to your marketing campaign, you can upgrade to a paying member and get as much as double even triple more exposure and services. That sounds good doesn’t it? O.k. let’s move along…

3. A product of good quality should be sold at a decent price. Sometimes, the product one makes is already available in the market. To be competitive, one must figure out a way to convince people as to why this product is better than the other leading brands available. What features does it have that the competitor doesn’t? What makes it unique which is not only about the product on hand but the service that this can give as well? Remember always to keep in mind that your web site marketing strategy will need to be creative and different with an impulse to act quickly.

4. Just like having a normal business, one must acquire the right equipment and machines for the job. Here is where your online marketing tools play a very big part on out smarting your competition.  It can be a physical piece of equipment or something electronic that is online. You will however, need to have an ordering system on the Internet to have things move quickly or you will be swallowed up whole, bones and all.

To be successful, your web site marketing strategy needs to be one that involves a delivery system that is able to get a product to your customer on time if not sooner. In addition you will need to have some kind of staff on hand to answer questions or complaints should something go wrong.

5.  I am sure you have heard this phrase more than you care to mention, or that I care to quote for that matter, however you will need to spend money to make money, plain and simple. You can do a lot of things for free but you will not make any serious money in this business unless you pay some money for the proper web marketing tools and products you are going to need to stay competitive. That does not mean spending money beyond your means which will put you in the poor house before you ever get started. It means as you make some money , you will need to put back some and a little more after that. It is a gradual process that takes time, and is a web marketing strategy you need to follow cautiously, but the end reward is un-matched by anything and you can make a ton of money in this business if you play it smart.

Don’t set yourself up for failure be sure to properly manage your expenses. Test your web site marketing campaigns so that you are always aware of what is working and what is not. Tweak the ones that are showing potential and scrap the ones, right away, that are not. This will save you thousands of dollars. STAY WITHIN YOUR BUDGET, nothing more nothing less, until you are ahead enough to invest a little more to grow a little more.

6. With everything in place, it is now time to promote your website.  This is where the rubber meets the road. It is a lot of information and far to many different Internet strategies which will show you hot to increase web traffic.

I have a newsletter that I send out to my subscribers that goes into more detail and it is done like a college course. Only in Internet terms we call it an e-course. You are welcome to subscribe to my newsletter, I am sure you will find it valuable and you will get some great free stuff from time to time to help you on your road to success. It is free to join, and you can sign up on the form that is just to the right of this post.   Good luck and I wish you years of success.

Manny F.

mannyf@webmarketingstrategysite.com