SO the entire internet marketing community is fixated on search engine optimization, which for those who are unfamiliar with SEO, the prime real estate on the search engines (mostly Google since they have 85% of the search market). By “prime real estate” we are usually talking on the FIRST PAGE of Google search results for a business’s most valuable keywords. But, someone on a popular social forum recently gave me a slap on the side of the head. You see I was researching the Plastic Surgeon (PS) market and actually doing some online and offline marketing to the PS industry. To my dismay my offering “get on the first page of Google” was falling on deaf ears. So, I posted a discussion in this forum and an astute reader commented “Plastic Surgeons don’t care about Google ranking, they just want patients”.
So it dawned on me. I may be a search engine evangelist and intimately understand and experience the immense benefit of search engine optimization, but most business owners don’t have time to understand web marketing. They don’t have the time to “get” the value of high Google keyword ranking. They need to spend every minute servicing and hopefully acquiring new clients. What my new friend said was so obvious, but at the same time so oblivious. IN this day and age we are all so caught up in the hype of social media marketing, search engine marketing, blogging, and nw mobile marketing that we forget about the client. The client doesn’t care about the technology hype, he/she just wants more business.
Online marketing is critical to the cosmetic surgery industry in these days of mass marketing. As a matter of fact, a web marketing strategy is important to any business’s success and in some cases, survival.. You can be sure that consumers look online to reviews and blogs before using any elective surgery clinic. As a matter of fact 80-90% of consumers will research a health related issue online before ever even calling a doctor. And, if these prospects are not seeing your web site, the potential client/patient acquisition loss could be significant. In addition to consumers searching for plastic surgeon information online, they are also discussing their experiences in the social media space like Facebook and Twitter.
Online marketing is critical to the cosmetic surgery industry in these days of mass marketing. As a matter of fact, a web marketing strategy is important to any business’s success and in some cases, survival.. You can be sure that consumers look online to reviews and blogs before using any elective surgery clinic. As a matter of fact 80-90% of consumers will research a health related issue online before ever even calling a doctor. And, if these prospects are not seeing your web site, the potential client/patient acquisition loss could be significant. In addition to consumers searching for plastic surgeon information online, they are also discussing their experiences in the social media space like Facebook and Twitter.
Do you know what they are saying about your brand on Facebook, with a population of over 500 million members? If you have had previous horror stories, people are sure to be sharing those online. Many people look to an online ad or web-page to see about a business before having cosmetic work done. Some people in this technologically advanced era expect a medical practice to have a great looking website. Some people in your town are looking blindly for blanketed services on the internet in their preliminary date gathering process. Wouldn’t it be ideal to capture their information early in the sales funnel and be the one to help educate them with your web site articles and professional content? . To find most cosmetic surgeons, people simply type things like “Boston Plastic Surgery” (or replace Boston with your city) into a search engine like Google. This email list building process is one of the most effective marketing strategies in today’s hi- tech consumer driven environment. I cannot exaggerate how imperative a client list is for ANY business today.
When I first wrote the SMFBIC discussion in the Linkedin eMA group back in November 2009 (over 2600 comments in 2 months) there were probably over 100 comments stating “email is dead, social media has replaced it”. At the time I thought such comments were utter nonsense, maybe that’s because I actually use email campaigning, religiously, for my e-commerce business, whereas most others commenting have never owned their own online business. Well, I sure hope those folks didn’t dump all their investments into that prediction. Take a look at this recent survey.
While more consumers are becoming fans and followers of brands on social sites, email remains the preferred communication method for the majority of web users. What determines people’s channel of choice, and what does it mean for marketers?
[NOTE: The case study below applies to ANY business with a web site]
About a year ago I decided to stop doing Internet Marketing consulting to small businesses because the time and effort that was required to educate on the massive potential online was very time consuming. Although I knew this would change (because those who did NOT adopt a serious online marketing strategy would eventually be out of business), there were just too many opportunities online, to dedicate any more time to the consulting “sales funnel process”. Hence, my focus was creating more profitable e-commerce businesses of my own.
What has changed? The client model I have developed is much more selective. Now instead of the client interviewing me, I interview the client to see if there is potential for improving their bottom line. In addition, the potential client needs to have a basic understanding of WHY online marketing is imperative to the success of his/her business. It’s time to wake up and smell the roses. Here we are in the middle of 2010 when the media has not only acknowledged, but has “beat to death” the immense benefits of online marketing and social media marketing. If a business owner doesn’t “get it” by now, well you know the rest of the story.
One of my favorite groups to speak to about internet marketing is job seekers. Because job seekers are not the entrepreneurial types, they usually don’t think like an entrepreneur. You see savvy e-commerce entrepreneurs MUST be continually vigilant to new technology and strategies just to stay competitive. Then we must Master those tools and technologies to stay ahead. Job seekers on the other hand may be looking to work for one of these entrepreneurs or a large corporation. So, there may not be the same “fire in the belly” motivation to live and breathe internet marketing technology. But, the savvy professional will recognize this (i.e. other job seeker’s complacency) as an opportunity. Capitalizing on the potential of using the same tools to market their employable services, that the online entrepreneur uses to promote his business, may be just the edge to landing that next dream job.
Meanwhile, my personal experience is that most career networkers, like a group called WIND, are highly skilled, motivated professionals that are always eager to hear about new ideas and cutting edge technology to help them succeed.
Last year eMarketer was predicting just a slight 5% increase in online ad spend for 2010 after a disappointing decline of 3.3% last year. However, last week eMarketer revised their 2010 ad spend prediction to a whopping 11% increase. This was after Google reported a 21% jump in US ad revenues for Q1 2010. And this trend, according to eMarketer, will continue to at least 2014.
So, are you STILL on the online paid advertising “fence”? Are you wondering what your competitors are doing? We know! But, maybe you are the type that would rather not hear it. As they say, “what you don’t know won’t hurt you”. “Keeping the blinders on” is less painful then having to hear our competition is “blowing us away”! But, you are still reading this, so maybe there is hope..?
If you are considering jumping into the world of Internet marketing (IM) but do not have experience in this type of marketing, it is definitely worthwhile to consider hiring a consultant to assist you in your advertising endeavor.
However, hiring a consultant “blind” could result in a very negative experience. Before you hire a consultant I highly suggest you spend some time in basic self-education. For example, next time you are in a bookstore pick up an “Internet Marketing for Dummies” and at least learn what some of the major IM terms like SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC (Pay per click), Social media Marketing and keyword research mean and how they can benefit your business. And, at the same time acquire enough knowledge so that you can intelligently engage with a consultant about what he/she is going to do for your online business, while substantially reducing the risk of getting hoodwinked into a costly and unnecessary consultant agreement. In addition to books there are many online resources to help you achieve success on the internet, many Free including videos and reports, such as on this web site.
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a tool useful for saving or retaining updated information on websites that you frequently visit or websites that are your favorite. RSS utilizes an XML code which scans continuously the content or subject matter of a certain website in search for new informations then transmits the information updates by way of feeding the information to subscribers.
RSS feeds are generally being utilized in blogs or news sites, though any website wanting to broadcast and publish information can use them. Once new information is sent, it will contain a headline, a little bit of text, and either a rundown or a brief review of the news or story. A link is needed be clicked upon to read further.
Also known as the “name squeeze page” or “lead capture page”, you can build your mailing list by funneling all of your would-be subscribers through the creation of a landing page. Not only do you do the work just once, your traffic driving efforts can be focused onto just one effective method.
The following are tips in creating a successful landing page that converts visitors into subscribers on a very huge percentage.
