Online Marketing Strategies

By James Atkinson, LLB

Online Marketing Strategies: The image below encapsulates all of the elements an online business must consider when determining its online marketing strategies:

People don't search online until the searcher encounters a problem or need. And so, the top blue box shows a process where prospects enter a market when they perceive a need. If they follow an idealised process they'll research for solutions, begin an educative process, engage socially, opt-in to an eMail list, and then move towards a sales point > Buy. This process is sometimes known as the “Search to Sales Continuum”.

Of course, the process is much more chaotic. The prospect may want to solve the problem immediately and so may buy a product after only one search. In the next article I show a number of ways a prospects and sellers interact.

The important issue is this: in determining online marketing strategies an internet business must be visible at all the different places where prospects enter an online market... and so begin a journey towards a buy point. Your overall strategy must anticipate the different online places prospects enter the market.

To be at all those places you’ll need to do market segmentation research and employ software to make your marketing tasks easier. Aside from good hosting there are six absolutely crucial software elements your business will need:

• Content Management System (CMS)
• Analytics
• eCommerce Shopping Cart (some online consultants may not need a cart)
• eMail Marketer
• Business Apps Capability (improving business and marketing process)
• Customer Relationship Manager (CRM)

Many businesses try to cobble together bits of software that help the above functionality. One of the most important aspects of running this software is to integrate all of the functionality together. The yellow box on the bottom right of the image represents Premium Business Software provided by Persuasionworks.

The remaining box on the bottom left shows the items your online marketing strategies must consider. There are a lot of preliminary actions you need to take BEFORE you start marketing online. Click any of the icons.

Online Market Prospects

Prospects Perceive a Need - Your online marketing strategies are underpinned by the idea that prospects use search engines to solve problems or satisfy particular needs. See Market Segmentation.

Research Solutions - There is a Search-to-Sales Continuum that searchers use to find solutions to needs. The searches usually progress from the general to specific. More often than not, searchers find new information with each search. This makes them refine their original search based on what they’ve learned from reading online.

Begin Educative Process - This is an important aspect in the Search-to-Sales Continuum. When searchers are looking for educative information it's a wonderful opportunity for a web business to engage prospects as they search for solutions. A business can use content and interactions to shape consumer views of the market and then position itself as an authority in that market. See: What is SEO? and other SEO topics at Step 5 of internet marketing strategies. Also see SEO Copywriting.

Engage Socially - When looking for a solution to a problem searchers often choose to engage socially with others so as to gain a deeper understanding of the marketplace. Social media is an ideal media for gaining trust and influencing prospects in the marketplace. See SEO Strategy and in particular "Social Media Strategy".

PPC / eMail Op-in - Lead generation is important for all businesses. Pay-per-Click marketing is the fastest and best way to build up leads for your business. See: eMail Marketing Tips.

Buy - The whole purpose of being online is to make sales. Your internet marketing strategy must include a sales process. See: Sales Funnel.

Marketing Strategies

Persuasionworks provides the following services to help you with your internet marketing strategies:

Strategic Direction.

Website / Market Audit - We conduct website and market audits as part of our SEO Services - see SEO Strategic Roadmap.

Keyword Blueprint - see Persuasionworks Search Engine Optimization.

Constant Promotion - see - Persuasionworks SEO Strategic Roadmap.

Discovering the stake holders, communities, information seekers and buyers in your marketplace is relatively easy. We provide a process of online market research.

For a strategic roadmap that includes all of the above issues see: SEO Strategic Roadmap. In the alternative we provide online strategic services.

Online Marketing Strategies > Online Strategic Environment > Strategic Documents.