Newsletter Archive

Welcome to the Internet 800 Directory Newsletter. We are in the last installment of "Building Traffic on Your Website". This week I'm going to talk about advertising. Some people believe the Internet is a magical place. They build a web site and expect to become rich overnight. They have visions of people jamming their server, desperately trying to spend money. Sadly, this thought process has affected more companies than we will ever know. Companies that would never think of opening a new location without the proper advertising, will create a web site with zero promotion and wonder why it gets no visitors.

I'm going to start with a pretty basic premise that I believe is the first step in marketing your web site. You should have a domain name that is easily identifiable with your company or product. Next, make sure that every card, letterhead, catalog, product packaging, sales material and fax cover sheet has your web address on it. In other words, place your web address on all commutations your company has with both its current and potential customers.

Use your web site to enhance your current advertising. If you run newspaper, radio or television ads; your copy is limited by cost. Not so with your web site. Send them to your site for addition, in-depth information about your product or service. If you use direct mail, link your web site to the piece and make one of the response options online. If your company sponsors any events in your community, have the event participants sign up at your web site.

I have just covered a few ideas; review your current marketing plan. Using your web site can enhance any promotions that you currently use.

Online Advertising Banner advertising is the most common type of online advertising today. Banner ads are placed on web pages in the hope that the person viewing the page wants the product shown in the banner. These ads rely completely on the impulse and need of the viewer. Most banner ads are not targeted and only receive about a 1% response. If your product or service has a broad application, that is, if 95% of the people who see your ad might want or need your merchandise, then this type of ad could work for you.

For the rest of us, targeted advertising is the most effective way to get customers to visit our sites. Let me give you a couple of examples of targeted advertising.

Banner ads can be targeted, if they are placed in locations that your prospective customer will be looking. If you sell bike helmets, then placing a banner ad in a site that provides information to bike riders is a targeted banner ad.

Online directories can provide effective targeted ads. 84% of online users rely on electronic media to search for products or services. Usually, when a purchaser searches an online directory, only the advertisers matching that search are returned. This advertising is far more valuable, as the purchaser clearly has a need for the advertiser's product or service.

For example, The Internet 800 Directory http://inter800.com processes millions of searches each month. Only listings that contain exactly what the purchaser searched for are returned. Advertiser's listings that match are displayed at the top of the results page, with a link to their web site(most online directories link directly to your web site). Purchasers only see listings that match their search and the advertiser's listing is only seen by people with an expressed need for the advertiser's product or service. This type exposure is highly effective because it brings the purchaser directly to the companies that offer the product or service they are looking for.

As in all things, success on the Internet doesn't come easy. It takes hard work, time and money. If you have been reading these methods to build traffic, I hope you found something that helps you.

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